There was Coles.
In 1940, brothers Jack and Carl Cole opened their first bookstore on Bloor Street in Toronto. What began as a small family business would grow into Canada's largest bookstore chain and become a familiar sight in shopping malls from coast to coast.
The Cole brothers didn't start with a grand retail empire. As young entrepreneurs, they bought used textbooks from university students at the end of each school year and resold them when classes began again in the fall. It was a simple idea that proved remarkably successful.
As the business grew, so did their vision. Coles expanded into selling new books, magazines and bestsellers, becoming a favourite destination for Canadian readers. For decades, a trip to the mall often included a stop at Coles, where the smell of fresh books greeted customers the moment they walked through the door.
One of the company's greatest innovations came almost by accident.
In the late 1940s, students were looking for help understanding difficult literary classics. The Cole brothers published a study guide that summarized and explained a novel in plain language. It was an instant hit.
That booklet became the first Coles Notes.
Over the following decades, millions of Canadian students relied on the distinctive black-and-yellow guides to better understand Shakespeare, Dickens, Steinbeck and countless other authors. The success of Coles Notes even inspired similar study guides in other countries.
The company continued expanding throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, opening stores across Canada. By then, the Coles name had become synonymous with books.
In 1978, the Cole brothers sold the company, but the name lived on. In 1995, Coles merged with SmithBooks to form Chapters, and in 2001, Chapters became part of Indigo Books & Music.
Today, many Coles stores still operate inside Canadian shopping malls as part of the Indigo family, carrying on a tradition that began more than 85 years ago.
For many Canadians, Coles wasn't just a bookstore.
It was where you bought your first novel, found the next book in your favourite series, picked up a birthday gift, or, if we're being honest, grabbed a Coles Notes guide the night before an English exam.
