Winnipeg: Can you judge a city by its bookstores?
In April 2025 I wrote a blog entitled “Victoria: Canada’s Independent bookstore capital.” And while that may well still be true, I might have been a little hasty as on a recent trip to Winnipeg, I discovered that city also has several wonderful bookstores.
Downtown Winnipeg
I was very surprised to find downtown Winnipeg is home to three used bookstores. Bison Books (est. 2000) specializes in old, rare and out-of-print books. Located at 424 Graham Avenue, a side street near the iconic Hudson Bay department store, it has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The books are well organized and the staff friendly and knowledgeable. I was told they have collection of about 20,000 books, specializing in Canadiana, Manitoba History, Indigenous Studies, Art and Classics. It was our first fun flaneur find downtown.
As we wandered down Portage Avenue we came upon Book Fair Comics at 340 Portage Avenue. As the name would indicate they specialize in comics, with an extensive collection of vintage comics. However, the front half of the store is devoted to books and trading cards. It was originally called “Family Book Exchange II” on Kennedy Street and has relocated several times due to downtown expropriations for developments. This site is unique in that not only can you access it from the street, but also from Winnipeg’s skywalk system. It is worth a visit for any bibliophile.
But the motherlode for book treasure hunters is Red River Book Shop in the Exchange District at 346 Cumberland Avenue. The entrance is shabby and the sandstone façade of the building is eroding badly, so you could easily think it isn’t worth going in. Once inside, you must watch your step as there are books and artifacts piled up everywhere: there is little room to walk around. But that is the charm of the place - stuff everywhere!
The staff are friendly and helpful. When asked where something is (you’d be hard pressed to find a specific book on your own) they are willing to point you in the right direction. However, once you are in the general area the books are not only on the shelves but scattered randomly on the floor in piles. This is not a place to come to find something quick; this is place you come to explore for hours to find that book you didn’t know existed but now you need it.
When we saw the stairs to the second floor we had to ask, “is there was more upstairs?” We were quickly escorted up the rickety, dimly lit staircase to have a look. It was full of more books piled everywhere. This is the place to go for the “thrill of the hunt!”
We left with James Gray’s “A Brand of Its Own: The 100 year History of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede,” Joe Berridge’s “Perfect City,” Anne Marie O’Connor’s “ The Lady in Gold: Tale of Klimt’s Masterpiece” and “Town Life” by Donald Wetherell and Irene Kmet.
Winnipeg’s Iconic Bookstore
McNally Robinson is Winnipeg’s iconic bookstore opening in 1981 and at one point having stores in Calgary, Toronto and New York City. Today, it has three stores two in Winnipeg, (Grant Park Mall, The Forks) and one in Saskatoon. The Grant Park and Saskatoon stores include a full service restaurant – Prairie Ink Café. McNally Robinson is known not only for its excellent selection of books, but for its extensive programming of author readings. In 2012, the founders Holly and Paul McNally sold it to Chris Halla and Lori Baker.
Fun Story: The New York City store which opened in 2004 is now called McNally Jackson Books. It is owned and operated by Sarah McNally, daughter of Holly and Paul. The company operates five stores across the city, as well as three stationery stores called Goods for the Study. McNally Jackson's publishing arm is McNally Editions, devoted to rediscovering unduly neglected books. In 2025, New York Magazine called McNally Jackson "the third-largest buyer of books in the city.
Another fun flaneur find
It is even more quirky inside.
Despite having lived in Winnipeg for over a year and visiting there regularly for the past 50 years, I never knew there was a South Osbourne pedestrian street.
It was only because we were assigned the task of picking up a birthday cake at Chocolate Zen Bakery (go for the desserts and stay for the decorations) that I discovered it.
Parking on a side street nearby, we came upon a sidewalk sale that day, so all the shops had stuff out on the street.
We hadn’t walked half a block before we happened upon Burton Lysecki Books (527 Osborne St.) with its welcoming bright red door. While the door is funky, the bookstore is serious with traditional décor with warm, wooden bookshelves, carefully curated book displays (from their collection of over 100,000 books) and lots of vignettes with historical artifacts. It was here that we found The Winnipeg Eaton’s history book we had been searching for!
Warning, it is only open to the public on Saturdays. And while this is a serious book collector’s hideaway, the staff seemed friendly to everyone.
Last Word
There is an old saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” I guess that is true for cities also as Winnipeg in the spring time is not the prettiest city with its crater sized potholes. And the downtown looks as if it is on its last legs with its plethora of empty stores and sidewalks. But if you are judging a city by the quality of the bookstores it supports, Winnipeg seems like a very healthy place.
