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Gone 10 years, World’s Biggest Bookstore still grips readers
- guyzero 2y agoGoing to The WBB in the 80's was a great experience. So many books to browse, it felt like they had every magazine and periodical in existence. But it did get a lot worse by the 2000's, turning into what Indigo has become selling gifts and other things. But definitely a high point of the pre-2000 retail experience like the huge record stores on Yonge St that are now all gone. Also, in a Toronto Gen X retail deep cut, Mr Gameways Ark was just up the street and was a mecca for 80's Toronto D&D players.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- VancouverMan 2y agoJust this morning, a colleague of mine in Toronto forwarded me a link to a very recent video showing the current state of Yonge in that area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0onFRIQrGQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0onFRIQrGQ That video starts just slightly north of where this bookstore and the stores you mentioned were, and goes up past Bloor. It is sad to see how sterile, and how deserted (in terms of people and businesses), that area has since become, especially as somebody who had experienced it decades ago.
- xattt 2y agoI can still smell the place!
- divbzero 2y agoSounds like the WBB was to Toronto what Powell’s is to Portland. Are there other bookstores like this around the world? Let’s hope some of them can survive and thrive.
- ghaff 2y agoProbably the Strand in NY qualifies. Although it's probably mostly small niche indies (and some a bit bigger) that are the most interesting other than the big outliers.
- mihaic 2y agoI live in Romania, and Strand is one of the places I revisit absolutely every single time I'm in NY.
- no_wizard 2y agoPowell's original location in Portland is nothing short of amazing. Its a multi story bookstore that is well organized and easy to browse, its really quite an experience for any who may describe themselves as a 'book lover' or 'book connoisseur'. Its really an enjoyable experience.
- darknavi 2y agoPowell's is a must-stop when ever we drive through Portland. Such a fun place to explore and nab a few books.
- selimthegrim 2y agoThe dearly departed technical bookstore was only equalled by Berkeley
- throwup238 2y agoThe top floor also has a rare books room that is a joy to browse. Last time I went there was only two items they wouldn't let me take out and peruse: the Lewis and Clark journals worth half a million that they kept off site and a 600 year old Italian manuscript.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoPowells is amazing! We love taking the kids there, browsing, picking up some new books, and all four of us reading in the cafe.
- BugsJustFindMe 2y ago> Opened in 1980 in the former Olympia Bowling Alley building, the World’s Biggest Bookstore may not, in fact, have been the world’s biggest bookstore. It might have been at some point, but by the time it closed I think Powell's was bigger.
- banish-m4 2y agoPowell's is the largest at 68000 sq ft. The largest was Barnes & Noble at 105 5th Ave 10003 at 154250 sq ft but it closed.
- bdowling 2y agoThis reminds me of the Computer Literacy Bookshops in Silicon Valley. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Literacy_Bookshops https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Literacy_Bookshops
- starkparker 2y agoPowell's in Portland also did this for a moment. Some point in the early-2010s they rented a retail space across from the main store and moved their engineering and computer-related books into a technical annex, and topped all the shelves with vintage equipment and old computers. It got folded back into the main store around 2014, and the selection is still good, but I really liked it having its own cozy, dedicated space.
- galago 2y agoBefore that there was Powell's Techinical Bookstore on the North park blocks. That store had a cat named Fup that was really old. Every year, they would print birthday stickers for the cat and give them away. I still have one that I use as a bookstore from when the cat turned 18.
- bitwize 2y agoIt made the front page of Reddit when Fup the cat died at the age of 19. In those days, Reddit was for Hackernews types and not... what it is now.
- lelandfe 2y agoYou’ll enjoy this thread on Reddit from last year: https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/13ft7q0/who_else_remembers_fup_the_store_cat_at_powells/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/13ft7q0/who_else_... Awesome to see soo many remembering that cat. Also, > I was a programmer for Powell's for 22 years. One thing I programmed into the lookup stations at the main store was a search for fup got you a picture of him.
- cylinder714 2y ago
- hnthrowaway0328 2y agoAlas with the rise of the Internet and e-commerce, bookstores have been on a slow but firm downward trend.
- dangus 2y agoThis is factually incorrect, independent bookstores are increasing in number. https://apnews.com/article/independent-bookstores-membership-growth-66678667daa1e0529ffe6ad9c7273459 https://apnews.com/article/independent-bookstores-membership...
- samatman 2y agoThis reply is factually irrelevant, a minor bounce back from pandemic closures is unrelated to the fact that the spread of e-commerce lead to massive closures of bookstores a couple decades ago. They have by no means recovered to anything resembling their pre-Amazon numbers.
- dangus 2y agoGrowth since 2009 Page 8 (PDF) https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/20-068_c19963e7-506c-479a-beb4-bb339cd293ee.pdf https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/20-068_c19963e7-... Please note that I never claimed they had “Amazon numbers.” I never claimed that they were as prevalent as they were pre-e-commerce. I’m merely stating that a “slow but firm downward trend” is not correct.
- bee_rider 2y ago> They have by no means recovered to anything resembling their pre-Amazon numbers. > Please note that I never claimed they had “Amazon numbers.” I never claimed that they were as prevalent as they were pre-e-commerce. You seem to be arguing different points here (despite the quotes). They are talking about the bookstores returning to their own pre-Amazon numbers.
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- adamgordonbell 2y agoI went when it was part of Indigo chain and I would say its aesthetics didn't match the 'book superstore' vibe of Chapters or its parent company, but just the volume of books made up for it. It had a great selection of SciFi books.
- roter 2y agoI remember having more luck at Bakka Books back in the 80s when it was on Queen St. Looks like it still exists in perhaps a reduced form [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakka-Phoenix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakka-Phoenix
- throw0101d 2y agohttps://www.bakkaphoenixbooks.com https://www.bakkaphoenixbooks.com
- adamgordonbell 2y agoSweet, I should check it out next time I'm in the city.
- lern_too_spel 2y agoMost people not from Toronto that have heard about WBB remember it from Short Circuit 2. https://youtu.be/AbkbU32X5dI?si=rDQmmGk75lm8ElPA https://youtu.be/AbkbU32X5dI?si=rDQmmGk75lm8ElPA
- ink_13 2y agoA shame the title has been mangled by HN's filters. The store's actual name was "The World's Biggest Bookstore".
- daveoc64 2y agoYeah, it was way too long to fit it all in!
- throw0101d 2y agohttps://archive.is/cXThE https://archive.is/cXThE https://archive.today/cXThE https://archive.today/cXThE
- BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 2y agoWBB was a favorite place to discover and explore topics.
- micromacrofoot 2y agoLooking at the exterior photo, it's nice to see that they encourage hanging out there... so many businesses are trying to get rid of people these days.
- randcraw 2y agoThe original Border's in Ann Arbor was pretty great. It was my chief reason to visit town when in SE Michigan.
- trentnix 2y agoThe longtime YouTuber Happyconsolegamer (who is among the most genuine, excellent, consistent, and passionate of his kind and who I’ve been watching for something like 15! years) tells a great story about this amazing book store. Turns out his late dad managed the store a few decades back and the amazing stuff in the store was a big part of why HCG is so entrenched in retro nerdity. Enjoy: https://youtu.be/mTJlcBAPazQ?si=d-LZgCIJwUIrzulm https://youtu.be/mTJlcBAPazQ?si=d-LZgCIJwUIrzulm
- Zod666 2y agoI used to go all the time, just walking in there gave me this good feeling. like many industries, the internet killed it.
- busterarm 2y agoI always got diverted on my way there by Funland Arcade across from Sam's. All three are gone and it feels like a tragedy.
- lunatuna 2y agoThat was the perfect trinity for me. Not sure I see it as a tragedy, but I do hate the feeling of nostalgia and knowing I can never get back to that time and place. I was down there semi-regularly from my mid-teens to early twenties. Overall great time in my life and I think for Toronto at large. Even if they still existed I could never get back to that point in time.
- darepublic 2y agoFond memories of visiting this place as a kid. Parents used to bring us there maybe once or twice a year and it was a treat.
- astrodust 2y agoBack before documentation became available online, the technical books section at this store was perhaps the largest repository of technical documentation available in town. The selection was in a part of the store bigger than most mall bookstores, entirely technical books on the tall shelves from top to bottom. I bought dozens of O'Reilly books from that location over the years.
- lunatuna 2y agoI bought an early version of Redhat on CDs there along with my tech books. I was then able to get to my own mail and ftp server going. WBB might even get some credit for my career path.
- localhost 2y agoI bought my shareware copy of DOOM from WBB, alongside many other books.
- murphyslab 2y agoI remembering visiting WBB at 20 Edward St when I lived in the GTA during a co-op term. But the real treasures I found were usually in BMV Books next door at 10 Edward St. BMV offered incredible collection of vintage books and magazines. I recall the owner guaranteeing to me that he could find any book sold at WBB and get it to me cheaper. Glad to see that it's still standing.