<strong>Albert Britnell Book Shop</strong><br />
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“Count yourself a Torontonian if Grandfather shopped here,” proclaimed <em>Toronto Life</em> in its November 1970 guide to local bookstores. This was no exaggeration, as <a href="http://toronto.openfile.ca/toronto/text/past-pieces-toronto-albert-britnell-book-shop">the Britnell family</a> had been involved in the city’s book trade since Albert arrived from England during the 1880s. Initially known for its selection of collectible Canadiana, the store later built its reputation on the special order system developed by Albert’s spats-wearing son Roy. Though the shop closed in 1999, its name still sits above the Starbucks that currently occupies the building.<br />
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<em>Advertisement, the </em>Globe and Mail<em>, December 15, 1979.</em>
“Count yourself a Torontonian if Grandfather shopped here,” proclaimed Toronto Life in its November 1970 guide to local bookstores. This was no exaggeration, as the Britnell family had been involved in the city’s book trade since Albert arrived from England during the 1880s. Initially known for its selection of collectible Canadiana, the store later built its reputation on the special order system developed by Albert’s spats-wearing son Roy. Though the shop closed in 1999, its name still sits above the Starbucks that currently occupies the building.
Advertisement, the Globe and Mail, December 15, 1979.