It takes a brave soul to start a business in the middle of a pandemic; especially a brick and mortar bookstore, which, according to some, seems to be going the way of the dodo. Even rarer still is to find one dedicated to BIPOC authors and /or characters. Not only does Librairie HoneyBooks buck this trend, in a city as multicultural as Montreal, it’s apparently the only bookstore of its kind, filling an obvious gap in the market by meeting underserved customers’ needs. After discovering it through social media, I decided to venture to Côte Saint-Luc to take a look.
Descending the stairs, I was instantly welcomed into the small but brightly lit space by its friendly owner whose aim is “to be as inclusive and diverse as possible” in the merchandise she sells. There are both new and used books, and while the bulk is fiction aimed at kids, there are also some geared toward teens and adults written by both local and international fledgling authors, not often represented or found in big chain stores. So whether you’re looking for something that’s a little more out of the box, or if you just want to follow the recent trend of supporting black businesses, you can’t go wrong by checking this place out.