The Big Move

Established in 1970, Glad Day Bookshop is the world’s oldest LGBTQ bookstore and Toronto’s oldest surviving bookstore. In 2012, a group of 23 community members pooled their funds and bought Glad Day Bookshop to save it from closing.

Since 2012, Glad Day Bookshop book sales have increased by 30% (bucking the North American trend that saw book sales drop 25% in the same period). However, revenue streams like DVDs, erotic photo books and magazines have still been dropping while the cost of doing business continues to rise. We have been going into debt every year, so our choice is clear:

We need to move it or lose it!

Our best strategy for survival is adding new revenues streams like food and drink – which means a larger space. We’ve picked out a great spot on Church Street that would allow us to be a bookstore & coffee shop during the day and a bar at night. It is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible washroom. It has a cute patio, a small space for performances and walls for art.

We will be a space where everyone feels welcome, sexy and celebrated. We will be a queer-owned, indie place on Church Street. We will amplify the love, creativity, sexuality, diversity & liberation that Glad Day Bookshop is known for.

It’s not going to be easy – but it’s going to be fabulous.
And we can do it together.

In the last 4 years, Glad Day Bookshop has hosted over 700 author & performer appearances at over 160 events. We’ve been able to pay over $27,000 to authors & artists for their participation at events. We have had over 125 volunteers log in over 14,000 hours making us an important cultural and community hub; with more funds and more space we can expand the vital role we play in many people’s lives.

In 2013, we launched an online bookstore, which has over 1800 titles, including eBooks.

In 2015, we launched the Naked Heart Festival, which is already the largest and most diverse LGBTQ literary festival in the world.

How much money do you actually need?
We actually need over $200,000 for this move. It will cost over $120,000 for the equipment, materials, supplies, renos and licensing to set up this coffee shop and bar. It will cost over $30,000 for first and last month's rent. The other $50,000 would be needed for other set-up costs, paying off some bookstore debt and having a prudent fiscal buffer.

Are there other ways to help financially?
Yes! We are also looking for 'Angel Investors'. An Angel Investor is someone who is willing to lend us money at low or no interest rate. You can email erickson@gladdaybookshop.com for more information.

How does the names-on-things work?
You choose what name gets put on something. They need to be the names of people. Some people might want to choose names that are important to them, as a gift for someone or as a way for our community to remember someone.
The reason we can't guarantee the names on tables will be there for more than two years is because we might change our set-up by then but the names will stay on the tables until the tables change.

How does this move fit with what the community has asked for?
Over 350 people filled out our survey on moving. People said they would be more likely to come to the store if it:
Had an outdoor patio: 70%
Had a performance space: 70%
Had space for local art: 70%
Served good coffee & tea: 66%
Was wheelchair accessible: 60%
Was also a board game cafe: 59%
Moved to Church Street: 45% (the most popular location)