Photo via mtlblog

Tasnia Alam

Curiosities Editor

The sound of piano plays live in the background, the smell of ground coffee fills the air near the staircase, colorful spines fill up every shelf, and table in stacks on stacks and rows upon rows. Indigo is a bookstore in the heart of Downtown Montreal. Indigo has everything a reader can wish for… or does it?

Indigo recommendation stickers and the “New” section on the top floor dedicate books recommended by the staff, accompanied with short reviews, for solo customers. The second floor is the popular favorite, with not a single seating spot left empty– neither at the café nor in the chairs occupying every nook and cranny between the bookshelves. It’s so crowded that teens are sitting on the ground with their friends reading or chatting while adults and elders occupy the chairs working or reading.  Indigo is a safe place for readers, and it feels like a place where you belong, where you can browse and talk about books with people like you. 

However, Indigo has its hidden shockers and controversies, and they tarnish its beauty. The business has had some issues due to it being on the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) list. Its problematic owners and the sit-ins outside of the establishment, organized by Samar Alkhdour, have only fueled controversy. “The couple Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman are prominent business people in Canada and are both actively involved in supporting the state of Israel,” explains The Witness. They have been on the list for decades. Indigo Books and Music Inc. was founded in 1996 by Heather Reisman and she currently is the CEO of the company. Her husband, Gerry Schartz, is a member of the board of directors at Indigo. According to Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), the couple control over 60% of the shares of the company together, so most of their income is generated from there. Consequently, shopping at Indigo directly “supports Israel’s military activities in the occupied Palestinian territories” says CJPME. All of the money we spend goes in their pockets, and then they divest it in “HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers which encourages foreigners to join the Israeli army and continue their studies in Israel” according to the site. The couple established this foundation all the way back in 2005, so it has always been on the radar of the Palestinian solidarity movement, with pro-Palestinian activists having encouraged the boycott of indigo for years.   

You might be wondering: “What is BDS and what do they do?” According to their official website, “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), founded in 2005, is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.” Their goal is “to pressure Israel to comply with international law and recognize Palestinian rights” through the use of economic means, such as: boycotting brands that support the Israeli occupation, divesting from companies upholding or benefiting from the occupation, and sanctioning Israel directly.

In the article “Pro-Palestinian advocates protest at Indigo stores in Toronto”, published on September 26th 2024, Rochelle Raveendran writes that “The Gerald Schwartz & Heather Reisman Foundation has donated almost $40.5 million to HESEG over the past five years, the CRA online portal shows.” Nadia Shammas, a Palestinian-American author, partook in this protest and argued that pro-Palestinian protesters’ goals aren’t to ruin Reisman’s name or shut down Indigo but to “pressure on Reisman to cut ties with HESEG.” “Hopefully, Heather Reisman hears us and knows that we won’t stop applying pressure and showing up, until and unless there is change,” she stated in her interview with CBC Toronto.

Indigo brings out a feeling of comfort and community, but since it’s not the most ethical place to shop, where else can we find that same experience? Until and unless there is change, here are some alternative bookstores to explore that are roughly the same travel time from Dawson to Indigo (about 13 minutes of commute) or even closer. 

1. Argo Bookstore. It’s an independent bookstore at Guy-Concordia station. The bookshop is an 11 minute walk from the school, so if it’s lovely outside, it makes for a nice walk. If you’re tired, it’s one metro station away. This store has a lot to offer, even with its petite size. It’s one of a couple from the branch. Argo is the oldest English language bookstore in Montréal. They have all the genres one may seek, such as sci-fi, fiction and nonfiction, romance, fantasy, and even kids books. Moreover, on some rare occasions, they get signed editions of some new releases. (Like when I found Chloe Gong’s, then new release Foul Lady Fortune in hardback, signed.) Whenever you walk in, you never know what special edition you might fall upon. They even have an online site where you can order books, have new stocks coming in regularly, and sometimes hold bookish events.

Photo via @argobookshop on Instagram

2. Librairie Renaissance. One of many stores from this chain, the one I’m proposing is 17 minutes away from Dawson if you take the 24 bus. You could also use the metro route, which is 25 minutes of commuting, and get down at Villa-Maria station, to then enjoy a little 5 minute walk. The store offers donated books at low prices, without taxes. Now this might make you hesitant since they’re secondhand books, but more often than not, they’re in pristine condition. For instance, my friend once found Happy Place by Emily Henry in paperback there for 7.99$ in brand new quality.  On top of that, you can also find record vinyls, CDs, and DVDs. This little branch of the company has some knickknacks or everybody.

Photo via Juan Carlos Fernández Espinosa

3. Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore. This store is only a 12 minute commute away from Dawson At McGill Station. That’s even a shorter commute than Indigo! When you walk into this bookstore, it feels a lot like the former, however with dimmer lights and a quieter ambiance. Nevertheless, its content is satisfactory. Romance readers might not appreciate it so much since its section is very small, but the rest of the readers might get a kick out of it. Their sections are very diversified, and they even have a stationary section with cute notebooks and a wide choice of colorful pens. They have some comfortable chairs scattered among the bookshelves. Furthermore, the bookstore is connected to a Second Cup café. So, you can get yourself a delicious drink and browse for some of your next reads right afterwards.

Photo via Tasnia Alam

4. Librairie Pulp Books & Café. This independent store, running since December 2023, is 15 minutes from Dawson by metro and a short walk from De L’Église Station. Adorned with a cafe and tables at the back, they have some very sought out BookTok books, but also some that aren’t mainstream. The owner shared that they bring in new releases often. At first glance, you only see one or two books displayed at a time, but they sometimes have overstock in their drawers, so just ask when you’re looking for something specific. The ambiance is very cosy, with the employees only adding to this warmth. They order books for you if your pick isn’t in stock and take recommendations from their customers. They also have an online site and reminders for books coming in store if their customers want alerts, by email or phone number. Their business ethic is spot on, and they support Palestine. Lastly, they have very nice owners, and the coffee prices are actually affordable at their little cafe!

Photos via Tasnia Alam

5. Encore Books & Records. This store is the embodiment of a vintage bookstore, with piles upon piles of books of high quality literature, multiple boxes of record vinyls, and CDs placed one after another. This family-run bookstore is a 24 minutes bus ride away from Dawson if you take the 24. Once you step inside, it feels like you’re transported in a movie with the many books surrounding you. This bookstore is for classic readers since it does not contain almost any contemporary books and the recommendations you see on BookTok. However, the bookstore, itself, is worth the visit. The prices too ;).

Photo via Tasnia Alam 

6. Last but not least, we can’t forget Montreal Libraries! Our city has a diverse array of libraries, so if you’re not looking to buy, you can go borrow them. We have some pretty big ones like Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). “Located in the heart of Montreal, the BAnQ is the largest library in the city and a beacon of Quebec’s literary heritage. Its impressive collection includes books, manuscripts, photographs, and archives, making it a valuable resource for history enthusiasts.” They even have a numerical library that you can access if you simply make a card. Nearby, Westmount Library is a beautiful spot to read and study. 

We have so many options to make due while the beast turns into beauty.