Bookstores
Frantic City
Frantic City is located near the foot of Ossington between Queen and Dundas. Although the store's been around for more than four years, as is the case for other used booksellers, gaining valuable pedestrian traffic can be a challenge. Things look to improve with the boom of restaurants opening in the area and Tim Hanna's (the owner) decision to stay open until 10pm.
This is a great place for those who can't decide between a love of literature and rock and roll. It has significant stock of both, with healthy selections of poetry and vinyl.
Tim's an affable guy who loves his music and literature, so he's happy to make suggestions or just chat about either.
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The northern wall is lined with trade paperbacks, and although a bit too contemporary for my tastes (every book Chuck Palahniuk has written was in stock), there is a good selection of popular, reputable publishers such as Penguin and Vintage, and some smaller presses like Hesperus and Green Integer. There is not much in the way of small or academic presses, but they have a very respectable poetry section, rounded out with sections of history, music and the arts in the back of the shop.
For people like me whose desire to read outstrips their means to do so, the rack of mass market paperbacks is a great find at Frantic City. The selection of literature (with a separate one for Canadian) is quite good, and not nearly as picked over as nearby Balfour Books. Prices range from $3-5, and the trade paperbacks are quite reasonable as well, rarely going over $12 with most around $8-10.
The best books are kept on the shelves directly to the right upon entering the store. As seen in the last photo above, they hoard their NYRB books here, some excellent modernist and avant-garde literature and poetry, and for some unknown reason, the Hardy Boys. The window and tables around the shop also have some good books on display. I can't say much for the music selection, but I certainly continue to buy books here.
If Frantic City served beef brisket it would be of the slow, home-made variety. I love it there!