The bilingual, maximalist bookstore bar serving romance and fantasy in the Mile End

As children, sisters Sylvie and Claire Trottier dreamed of owning a bookstore that also sold nachos.

The pair had spent years working together in advocacy and philanthropy through their family foundation. After a harrowing breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery period for Claire, they decided life was short, and it was time to make their longtime dream a reality.

Enter ​​Mathieu Lauzon Dicso and Carrie-Ann Kloda: Mathieu came on board as Bookstore Director after a chance encounter with Sylvie at the sci-fi and fantasy bookstore—Saga Bookstore, which closed at the end of 2024—that he and his husband owned in NDG. It was a “magical moment,” he says, when “everything aligned.”