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Book Marks: This Ain’t The Rosedale Library
Many who wander into This Ain’t the Rosedale Library in Kensington Market might think they’ve stumbled upon a new find, but they’d be wrong. Although the bookstore has only been in the Market since May 2008, it has a storied history and is a vital part of the city’s hipper cultural heritage.
Owner Charlie Huisken fist opened This Ain’t in 1979 on Queen Street East after a stint at Yorkville’s famed Book Cellar—where he’d put together curious dual author signing/mash-ups such as Paul Quarrington and Kathy Acker—left him frustrated at his inability to really support local authors. Even then Charlie had his ear to the alternative scene, hanging with and learning loads from both Victor Coleman, an original Coach House Books editor, and Tom Hodgson, founding member of the pioneering Canadian abstract group Painters Eleven. Charlie knew there was an audience not only for local writers but local writers and artists who clicked with a broader scene well outside the city’s boundaries.
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