Munro's Books
A Government Street bookstore that still feels like a civic room.
A 1909 bank turned cathedral for books, started by a Munro you've heard of.
Opened in 1963 by Jim Munro and his then-wife, the one who later won the Nobel, Alice Munro, and since 1984 housed in a soaring former bank on Government Street with ceilings tall enough to echo. It gets called one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, and it earns it without trying. The staff actually read; the handsell is the entire point.
The move
Don't walk in with a list. Look up at the ceiling, then let a staff pick or the Canadian-fiction table hand you something you didn't know you wanted.
Go when
A rainy afternoon, or any time you need a gift that didn't come from a warehouse.
Known for
Perfect for