Nicholas Hoare bookstore in Montreal to remain open
Montreal’s Nicholas Hoare Books announced Tuesday that it will remain open until December.
The independent book chain had announced the closing of locations in Ottawa and Montreal after being faced by significant rent increases. Only its Toronto location was to remain open.
The Ottawa store closed April 30 and the Montreal store was slated to close when its lease expired July 31.
The stay of execution on the Montreal location came after Westmount Mayor Peter Trent intervened on behalf of the bookstore.
The landlord has agreed to extend the lease on a “trial basis” and to consider a longer-term lease, provided some conditions are met.
“We are therefore throwing down the gauntlet. Since we have been operating the store pro bono for quite some time ourselves, it is now our customers’ call, not ours, as to whether we leave or stay in January,” owner Nicholas Hoare said in a statement Tuesday.
