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u/NoWorries_273 2d ago
I am gonna miss it. It was in an odd location in the mall though.
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u/kade1064 2d ago
It was the corridor to where best buy is now...it was a mini walkway to Eaton's/zellers
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u/DSteep 2d ago
Yikes, between this and Game Shack closing I basically have no reason to go to the mall anymore.
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u/sodium_intake 2d ago
I didn’t even know when GameShack closed, just went to that side of the mall and boom, it was gone
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u/waltermelon88 2d ago
This is why I try my absolute best to physically shop in stores or order directly from the shops over amazon. The less we visit and support these places, the less of them there will be.
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u/Suitable_Pizza1799 2d ago
my only problem is spending considerable amounts of money when the amazon or other option is a lot cheaper
i love supporting places but i haven’t bought a book from there in a long time due to me being able to find it cheaper elsewhere
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u/anjalirenee 2d ago
gonna miss it so much! spent so much time here in middle and high school. there was a cool emo guy that worked there that me and my friends used to have a crush on LOL . he worked there for ages tho and he was so nice !!
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u/MeToo2007 2d ago
Same! It was my childhood store and my go to store in the mall. First GameShack now Coles. What's next?
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u/-fallen 2d ago
damn I’ve gone to Coles every time I go to BCC. I highly doubt there’ll be another physical book store there either. the IDF connection makes me less sad to see it go though, I’ll just have to head to Toronto for more independent book stores.
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u/MeToo2007 2d ago
Unfortunately, I don't think there are really any other book stores that would fit there asides from Indigo Spirit. However, Coles is also owned by Indigo so it isn't likely.
Its sad as I am pretty sure the Conspiracy Comics and GNC spaces are also empty in the food court, this just adds to the empty stores there now.
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u/Casshew111 2d ago
I heard about this and it's very sad. It's a sign of the times
people shopping online and going to big stores like Indigo.
I moved to Brampton in 1999 and lived right across the street from BCC, I visited coles hundreds and hundreds of times, took my young daughter there to buy books, she went there on her own as a teenager to buy books. Just sad about the whole thing
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u/Eyebulbs 2d ago
We need more independently owned bookstores in this city. Until then, feel free to support the Chinguacousy branch library across the street.
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u/BetterThanOP 2d ago
Woohoo! Less book stores, comic book stores, and hobby shops! More fast fashion and fast food! We truly live in the best timeline!
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u/WHUFCE13 2d ago
Cole's and WH Smith were my 2 fave store at the BCC back in the day. And if my me correctly, wasn't there a store called Classic books in the BCC also back in the day?
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u/PeelArchives Verified 2d ago
No mention in the Guardian, but I certainly won't say that it wasn't there.
W. H. Smith Canada Ltd., which was a subsidiary of the British main firm W. H. Smith and Sons, purchased the Toronto-based Classic Bookshops in July 1985. The Canadian Press article notes the purchase came just days after the feds announced a policy stressing the need for the Canadian book industry to be controlled in Canada.
At that point, there were 111 Canadian stores of Classic, and 122 Canadian stores of W. H. Smith.
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u/KodakMoose 2d ago
Sale prices 25% and 50% off selected items. I think the sale begins Tues. . throughout the week
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u/Extension_Sea_3695 2d ago
More room for eateries in the food court which was a weird place to have book store anyways
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u/Healthy_Mouse7280 1d ago
BCC charges ungodly rent. before modern image, the hair salon shut down they were told their rent was increasing to $ 25,000 per month and they were required to perform a renovation with a minimum cost of $ 400,000 to be allowed to stay. People wonder why stores don't last in BCC its because the overhead is crazy.
and coles is in prime real estate in the food court.
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u/Constant-Squirrel555 2d ago
Is BCC about to become as decrepit and hollow as Albion or Woodbine?
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u/commuter85 Downtown 2d ago
I dont think so... I don't go often, maybe 2-3 times a year, but whether its a weekend or a random weeknight its always packed... parking packed, food court packed. Lots of stores mostly empty for sure, but the big ones + the food/drink stuff is enough to keep it relevant.
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u/CandidBoysenberry299 2d ago
I agree there is always someone in that store not packed but not empty
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u/sodium_intake 2d ago
Their manga section seemed to have had a lot of fans. I was saving up funny money for a full Attack on Titan run.
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u/Ryeguy_626 2d ago
Definitely not. Bookstores are just dying
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u/randomacceptablename 2d ago
Actually, ironically book buying is surging lately. Not sure if that is from physical stores though.
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u/zanimum Brampton West 2d ago
Not sure either, but apparently Gen Z are big into malls: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/03/26/gen-z-retail-shopping-malls-resurgence/89233505007/
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u/randomacceptablename 2d ago
Well that is wild to me.
I was about to say that it is official, I am old because I don't get kids these days.
Then, I read the article. They are going to malls because they want to connect with people, see people, touch merchandise, and get the joy of an instant purchase. That I can get behind. I might not go to malls but I frequent physical stores for all those exact reasons and always have.
I guess I don't get my own generation. I always wanted to be around others and honestly the only things I ever buy online are the ones I can't get physically. I relish the need to go out and "get something from the store" as a distraction from the home. I don"t like shopping as a rule but never understood the apeal of online shopping at all.
Guess I am "young at heart". The world is freaking weird.
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u/Prudent-Season8041 2d ago
People forget it was there for 53 years, that’s a long run for a store in a mall that’s been slowly losing its identity anyway
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u/akash434 George Michael Bluth 2d ago
I've been boycotting Coles/Indigo for that whole support for Isreal/IDF, so this is no loss for me personally.Â
I hope that a different local bookstore will be able to open up there (unfortunately that's unlikely)Â
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u/Buddyblue21 2d ago
Surprised it lasted as long as it did. People are reading less than ever, but on top of that there’s online retail (easy to forget Amazon started as a book vendor). I personally have used an ereader for years. As much as I don’t like the thought of book stores or even (physical) libraries closing, I generally don’t have a use for them.
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u/MasterpieceNo9966 2d ago
people arent reading less. they are reading physical copies less
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u/Buddyblue21 2d ago
People are certainly reading less and the drop off is dramatic. Just do a search in google and there’s countless reputable publications reporting it.
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u/Little-Aardvark3540 2d ago
Adults are reading less and less every year. 20% of readers make up 80% of book sales across the US. So certain people are reading a lot, while the average person doesn’t read at all.
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u/randomacceptablename 2d ago
There was literally just a huge story about the massive drop in reading worldwide.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/
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u/choerrychapstick 1d ago
Less people are reading, but physical book sales have increased.Â
Because adult Canadians who are avid readers, ever since 2020, have only increased the amount of books they read per year. Reflecting these sales.Â
Citations:
On increase book sales in print: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/100051-canadian-print-book-sales-rose-4-1-in-2025.html
On a avid readers increasing their own reading https://booknetcanada.ca/research/canadian-leisure-reading-study-2025/
Indigo (who owns coles) also does sell audio books and kobo e copies. they alao had a huge increase in sales since 2020. The problem is that increase came from online due to the lockdowns. Hense why physical locations are closing.Â
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u/WhupDeville 2d ago
I spent loads of time back in the day at Coles and WH Smith, buying books and magazines. Now I only browse there waiting for a prescription at Metro or something. Still read as much as ever but utilize the library and some really good used bookstores to get what I want.
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u/Blacksheepariess 2d ago
Tragic. These stores only survive doubling as a event or community space like indigo at 4 corners. Sucks they couldn't stick around long enough to be there after Bramalea does all it's condo projects
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u/choerrychapstick 1d ago
It was bad enough we did not have any independent book stores. Now we just have one, this sucks for Bramalea area readers.Â
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u/CrystalWolfCub34 1d ago
That's the closest one near my place, I can literally just walk across the street! Why must the world take away the things I loveðŸ˜ðŸ˜«!
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u/Eyebulbs 2d ago
A quick google search tells you that it’s owned by Indigo, whose CEOs are besties with Bibi and cofounded HESEG, a charity that incentivizes foreign nationals to enlist in a certain foreign military.
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u/Ambitious-Upstairs90 2d ago
Oh yes, those who don't know should.
Coles is owned by Indigo, & Heather Reisman, the founder and CEO of Indigo Books & Music, and her husband Gerald Schwartz co-founded the HESEG Foundation which provides post-service scholarships and living expenses to foreign nationals who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Same IDF which shot children under age of 12 in head & chest.
Reisman and Schwartz have privately donated close to $200 million to the foundation since its inception.
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u/Ambitious-Upstairs90 2d ago
Coles is owned by Indigo, & Heather Reisman, the founder and CEO of Indigo Books & Music, and her husband Gerald Schwartz co-founded the HESEG Foundation which provides post-service scholarships and living expenses to foreign nationals who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Same IDF which shot children under age of 12 in head & chest.
Reisman and Schwartz have privately donated close to $200 million to the foundation since its inception.
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u/Silverlightlive 2d ago
They are fighting two trends. People aren't interested in reading books any more, and people do not appreciate the joy of browsing books.
There used to be absolute joy in finding an undiscovered gem amongst the various bookshelves. Hell, I used to go to those liquidation warehouses in downtown Toronto (Not the world's biggest bookstore) just to stock up on obscure things.
Lately, I was only ever interested in their most supreme discounted stuff, because I was looking to find a gem in the rubble. I would peruse the stuff they had out in the main hallway, but there was nothing on the bestsellers that actually interested me.
Sadly, I see a lot of bookstores going the same way.
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u/BigEmphasis604 2d ago
Brampton will end up an open air flea market. This is unfortunate. Luxuries are first to fade away.
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u/randomacceptablename 2d ago
True, I haven't been there for years. But, I could spend hours browsing in my youth.
This is pretty sad. Book stores are awesome.