Beloved children’s bookstore in Toronto forced to move due to proposed condo development, owner says

Children's bookstore Mabel's Fables, currently located at 662 Mount Pleasant Road, is set to close by almost the end of August. (Courtesy of Eleanor LeFave)

An independent children’s bookstore, which has called one street corner of Toronto’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood home for more than three decades, is turning the page to a new chapter as it is forced to set up shop elsewhere to make way for a new condo building.

Mabel’s Fables, which has remained at 662 Mount Pleasant Road since September 1988, must move out by Aug. 23, as the store owner says their landlord informed them that the building is set to be demolished within the next couple of years for a new condo development.

“I’ve pretty much known for probably six or seven years since the building was sold,” Eleanor LeFave, the owner of Mabel’s Fables, told CTV News Toronto. “Since then, the developer has been purchasing all of the properties to the north of us with the intention of building. So, I certainly knew that the day would come at some point.”

According to LeFave, one of her landlords had offered to find the bookstore a temporary location for them as construction started. But, she says construction would last for at least a couple of years and that could cause a “massive disruption” for Mabel’s Fables customers.

So, LeFave hit the books and took matters into her own hands.

“I just said, ‘We have to be proactive and find a new home for Mabel’s Fables,’ and we were very lucky. We found a place on the (same) street,” LeFave said.

The site for the store’s new home is precisely 422 steps south, located at 540 Mount Pleasant Road.

LeFave says it was “pure luck” that they happened to find a spot just down the street, but the store owner said the opportunities on Yonge Street were too expensive.

“Mount Pleasant has this really nice, independent main street vibe with interesting shops, and I think we’re an anchor, kind of, on Mount Pleasant,” LeFave said.

Though they were quick to find a new store, LeFave says there are a lot of additional moving expenses that they are struggling to independently afford.

After the financial setbacks incurred from the COVID-19 pandemic and the slowing of general foot traffic with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction, LeFave says they have had their challenges.

“We have to do the GoFundMe because we don’t have a whole lot of money right now,” LeFave said, after going through those setbacks.

She says the goal is to raise enough money to cover expenses like new flooring, electrical work, building a story room to host their baby classes and store events, as well as custom bookshelves that fit the character of Mabel’s Fables.

“All the bookshelves that we have here—that kind of oddball, kind of fantasy bookshelves—they wouldn’t move very well. They’ll probably disintegrate, but we need to have all the bookshelves built and painted and stained,” LeFave said.

The store has nearly reached a quarter of its $150,000 fundraising goal. LeFave says they are planning to be closed for about a week to 10 days near the end of August to move into their new home.

“I just feel relieved that we’ve been able to move on the same street,” LeFave said. “I expect that everything will be a little exciting for a while, while everybody comes to see the new spot. We’ll just carry on and we’ll be looking after families for another generation or two.”