Munro’s Books in Victoria is getting international recognition thanks to National Geographic.
The publication recently released a list of the top 10 bookstores in the world.
Coming in third is the B.C. bookstore, placing behind one in Santorini, Greece, and one in Mexico City.
The 53-year-old business is now located in the centre of Victoria’s Old Town and was started by Jim Munro and his wife at the time, Nobel Prize winning writer Alice Munro.
According to the bookstore’s website, they started out carrying almost all paperbacks, when many booksellers only thought hardcovers were respectable.
They had humble beginnings by the movie theatres on Yates Street, but moved to their current location in 1984, which was designed for a Royal Bank of Canada location in 1909.
The building, which has stunning 24-foot ceilings, was restored and refurbished within 8 weeks before reopening as the bookstore, which earned them two heritage awards.
Munro’s posted the National Geographic list to their Facebook page on Wednesday night, which has almost 250 likes.
One commenter wrote, “Munro's has been a favourite always…everyone already knows it is the BEST bookstore in the world!!!”
Photo Credit: Munro's Books.The staff of Munro's Books in 2015.
For more on Munro’s, visit their website.
