About the Store
The Scribe Bookstore opened in the beginning of March 2021, gathering a surprising amount of attention in the community (especially considering the city was still in a modified lockdown). In June 2021, we opened our doors to the public for in-store browsing. We feature an extensive collection of literature, children’s, non-fiction, and more! Be sure to check out our Rare Room!
We also offer appraisal services for a minimum fee for large collections, or we can assess smaller collections on the spot for free. Archival protection, called mylar, is offered for books with dust jackets for $5.00 each. For older books without dust jackets, we offer another, thicker type of mylar for $10.00 each.
Come by the store anytime; we would love to help you find the perfect read to add to your collection!
Staff
Justin Daniel Wood
Owner and Proprietor
Justin has been working and collecting in Toronto’s rare book trade for a decade. He is one of the youngest members of the Antiquarian Association of Canada. He has worked for Alexander Antiques, Bjarne Tokerud, and at Contact Editions, one of the leading rare bookstores in Toronto. Since 2015, he has been selling on his own at shows and online. In 2020, at the age of 34, he took the bold leap and decided to open his very first bookstore.
Favourite Books:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
Love of Seven Dolls by Paul Gallico
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot
Haley
Manager
Haley has a degree in English literature and a post grad in book publishing (this means she’s a double certified bookworm!). After working for 6 years in the publishing industry, she jumped with both feet into the world of rare books so she could appreciate the old ones instead of making new ones. When she’s not managing The Scribe, she spends her weekends organizing her own ever-growing book collection, photographing the city on film, and hanging out with her acerbic cat Marmalade.
Favourite Books:
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
Labrini
Artistic Coordinator
Labrini has a passion for art and history, the perfect combination for an artistic coordinator of a vintage bookstore. She anticipates many more creative events that The Scribe hopes to host!
Maya
Assistant
Maya started working at The Scribe as a volunteer in the summer of 2021. She goes to an arts high school and her favourite mediums to work with are water colour, graphite, and pen. She is planning on studying dentistry after high school.
Favourite Books:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning by Haruki Murakami
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons From the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Michael
Archivist
Mike is an avid book collector, specializing in Napoleonic History, Egyptology and Travel literature. He has been working with Justin at the St Lawrence Antique Market on Sundays for many years. When he is not rummaging through piles of rare books, he is cooking luxurious meals or mixing tasty cocktails.