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Glad Day Bookshop

Google (1369) 4.7

Tripadvisor (8) 4.6

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GayOut Score

G4.7 🦉4.6

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Address

32 Lisgar Street, Toronto, ON (temporary home; historic 499 Church St)

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Phone

+1 416-961-4161

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Website

gladdaybookshop.com

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Price Range

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About this place Glad Day Bookshop

Glad Day Bookshop has been operating on Church Street since 1970, making it the oldest LGBTQ+ bookstore in the world — a distinction that carries genuine weight in the history of queer culture. The original store served a community that had almost no other access to queer literature, erotica, political writing, and community information; in the pre-internet era, bookshops like Glad Day were essential infrastructure for LGBTQ+ life. The current incarnation of Glad Day has expanded far beyond its original format: the ground floor now houses a café and bar alongside the bookshop itself, with an events programme that brings writers, performers, drag queens, and activists through the space on a regular basis. The stock remains comprehensive across the full range of LGBTQ+ publishing — fiction, theory, history, erotica, comics, zines, and community publications — and the curation reflects genuine expertise rather than token inclusion. The café and bar format means that Glad Day is a destination for a morning coffee, an afternoon browse, or an evening event; it functions as a community living room in a way that pure retail cannot achieve. For any visitor to Toronto with an interest in queer culture, Glad Day is mandatory.

Opening Hours

Open Now · closes 22:00

Monday 10:00-22:00

Tuesday 10:00-22:00

Wednesday 10:00-22:00

Thursday 10:00-22:00

Friday 10:00-23:00

Saturday 10:00-23:00

Sunday 10:00-21:00

Features

Gay Air conditioning Mixed LGBTQ+ Free entry Card payments accepted Walk-ins welcome WiFi Day venue Evening venue Year-round

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Community Reviews

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Google Reviews

Verified by Google

4.7

★★★★★

1,369 reviews

Based on 1,369 Google reviews.

102 WilliamDuncan Jul 2025

★★★★★

Closed, for lease sign

Abdulaziz Abdullahi (Aziz) Jul 2025

★★★★★

Samantha Dale Jul 2025

★★★★★

Lin Hodgkinson Jul 2025

★★★★★

This Institution is moving and I plan to visit the new location

Michaela Bannon Jul 2025

★★★★★

Paul Richard Jul 2025

★★★★★

Had a coffee and wonderful chat with friends. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. Staff was vee helpful with coffee choices and delivered it to our table. Quite impressive. Highly recommend.