Librairie Gallimard

“Librairie Gallimard is North America’s foremost French bookstore for fiction and essays; our raison-d'être is books, books and books,” says Marine Gurnade, manager of the bookstore that has been a fixture on the Main since 1989.

“While so many bookstores also double as gift shops, we concentrate on the written word, and not soaps, candles, gadgets or housewares,” Marine explains. “Our staff is thus composed of seasoned booksellers, and aren’t merely floor clerk. They are people with a vast knowledge of literature, its trends and subjacent ideas. Selling books is a calling.”

Marine was destined for the bookseller trade from a young age, having studied publishing in France. “I became a bookseller in 1999, and spent the first few years of my career working in France, where I acquainted myself with the field,” she explains. “Eventually, I moved to Quebec, and was given an opportunity to deepen my practice at Librairie Gallimard. It’s a very stimulating workplace, which I fell in love with instantly and decided to stay; I was promoted to manager in 2010, and today, I am responsible for all daily activities of the store,” says Marine.