The Nicholas Hoare book shop is certainly one of the most beautiful and charming independent bookstores in Toronto. There used to be several of these gems (Remember Britnell? It's now a Starbucks.), but big chains like Chapters have put most of them out of business. For that reason alone, I like to pop into Nicolas Hoare every now and again, even though it's out of the way, and even though it often doesn't have what I'm looking for.

I just like supporting the little guy.

The best things about Nicholas Hoare:

• It's beautiful
• It's got comfy chairs and a squashy sofa grouped around a fireplace in the store
• You can browse and read to your heart's content and no one bothers you
• The collection is highly curated
• The gift wrap is free

The worst things about Nicholas Hoare:

• It's too highly curated -- often doesn't have what I'm looking for
• It's way downtown, on Front St., which isn't convenient
• The staff are occasionally snooty
• The store specializes in British books (which is cool, but limiting)
  

I would highly recommend Nicholas Hoare for a holiday visit (it's lovely at Christmas), or as a stop on a tour of the city. It's a shop that will impress the grumpiest of tourists. It's also nice to visit on a lazy Sunday, when you feel like browsing and don't have a specific book in mind.  Or check out a book events there sometime. The shop hosts launches, signings and the like.

All that said, if you ARE looking for something specific, I suggest you call the store first. They will order you something if they don't have it in. But that means waiting. Personally, I don't like waiting. It's annoying, but then again, it's not like it'll kill you.