Words on paper have been my safe space for as long as I can remember. When La Petite Drawn and Quarterly opened in 2017 just around the corner of my street on Bernard, it quickly became my favourite store. The place was my reason to get out of the house and get some fresh air on long summer breaks, without needing to stop being in my own world around books.
Drawn and Quarterly originally started as a publishing company in 1990 for the world’s best cartoonists and, in 2007, a bookshop selling books from various publishing companies opened on Bernard. To expand community events and increase accessibility, 10 years later La Petite Drawn and Quarterly became the twin bookstore specialized for kids. The two stores were across the street from one another.
These bookshops have changed and upgraded throughout the years, and recently merged back to one location. La Petite Drawn and Quarterly sadly no longer exists, but its concept of hosting events and evening activities is still very much present in the business. These are activities such as book clubs and drawing clubs, as well as annual events and author conferences listed on the website available to everyone.
A go to place for gifts, Drawn and Quarterly is our number one family destination when younger cousins are in town for a visit. We bring them to choose a book and read them snippets in front of the shelves to help facilitate the decision, though the store recently upgraded to two small reading areas for kids, one with a cozy wooden bench in the bay window.
Weekends and after school hours are loaded with kids and book lovers touching and feeling the numerous coloured spines. Customers residing in the Mile-End to families coming from Seattle make their way through the islands of books, alone or in whispering pairs, searching for their next adventure. On a random Friday afternoon, you may hear a woman gasp and cross the floor to pick up a book from the higher shelves or a boy at the bay window bench saying, “This one!” enthusiastically to his mum, followed by a hesitant “Uhm… Can you read it to me?”
One of the booksellers is partly responsible for my attachment and dedication to Drawn and Quarterly. Chantal Houtteman has been an employee since the opening of the children specialized store and has become my friend through the years, who I can chat with about books and exchange recommendations. For the past 8 years, she has given me special treatment because I am “her favourite client”, from giving me her old books to letting me stay a few extra minutes while she closes. This woman has had a memorable impact on me and, despite our age-gap, always asks my parents about me when she crosses them in the streets of our neighbourhood. This entire staff’s friendly approach makes it hard to find an employee who isn’t eager to share their favourite reads.
Soft pop-music plays through the speakers while you browse the various sections including, but not limited, to indigenous authors, local authors and, of course, graphic novels. While the variety of genres is vast, if your interests lie in French literature, the selection can be limited in an anglophone bookstore such as this one. Nevertheless, there is a French section, and, even better, most are written by authors residing in the Mile-End!
