N’était-ce pas l’été grew out of Mélanie Guillemette’s long-held plan to spend her days surrounded by books, and the shop reflects that quiet conviction. The name comes from a line that struck her when she first moved to Montreal and discovered Marie Uguay—a small personal reference that ended up shaping the space. Inside, the emphasis is on literature in all its forms: new and used titles, poetry, theatre, essays, and a serious commitment to zines and small-press work. Emerging writers get shelf space, not as a gesture but as part of the shop’s purpose.
Guillemette sees the bookstore as a gathering point for the neighbourhood, with readings, workshops, and future programming shaped through a local non-profit. It’s a place built for conversation as much as browsing, rooted in Little Italy but open to anyone who cares about where books come from and who gets to write them next.
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Montreal's best bookstores: Dig through a city of print
From cozy second-hand shops with rare finds to generalists and specialty stores rich in diverse voices, this is where we go to find our next great read.
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