After more than five decades, ABC Books’ departure from Yonge Street is set for Oct. 30. The closure has prompted customers to reflect on the bookstore’s role in the community after a half-century run in the neighbourhood, though the business itself will not be gone entirely, so to speak.
The secondhand bookstore at 662 Yonge St. is holding a 50 per cent off moving sale, with a banner announcing a move to 244 Queen St. W., where BMV Books already operates. In an interview with Toronto Today, owner Patrick Hempelmann attributed the closure to what he called “excessively high property taxes” on downtown Toronto retail properties. Customers remain unclear about whether ABC Books will retain its name at the new location.
Inside, customers stocked up on books and took a moment to say goodbye. Michael, who has visited ABC Books for most of his life, said he stopped in after seeing the moving sale banner in the window.
For him, “it’s a little disheartening,” as ABC Books has become a staple of the community, especially as a place to discover books he might not find in a chain bookstore. Seeing the crowd, Michael felt others were sharing his sense of loss, with many there “just paying their respects.” While Michael says he may visit ABC Books at its new location if he happens to be in the area, he doesn’t think he’ll be “going as frequently.”
For generations of Toronto readers, ABC Books has been a fixed, familiar part of the city’s literary landscape. Its departure is a reminder that a bookstore’s role in the community can extend beyond just retail.
One visitor, who discovered ABC Books through TikTok and Instagram and was visiting for the first time, described the appeal of bookstores as “nice third spaces to browse,” where visitors can discover both old and new literature.
Her experience reveals a tension in Toronto’s bookstore scene. While younger readers from online spaces are growing an appetite for physical books, independent retailers face difficulties due to rising operation costs. However, ABC Books’ move certainly doesn’t mean Toronto is losing its independent bookstore community. Stores such as BMV and Glad Day continue to serve readers across the city.
But to Michael, the closure represents a broader loss for Toronto. “I think we’re losing another cultural heritage site,” he says, adding that it is “important that we have these institutions and these businesses, especially when they’re privately owned, and they serve the community.”
ABC Books may continue to exist in a new home on Queen Street. But as their shelves empty, Toronto readers are left wondering how many of their favourite literary escapes can keep the doors open.
