Toronto's beloved cookbook store that closed in 2018 has surprisingly reopened
A Toronto cookbook store that people loved is abruptly back open again after being closed for years, officially shutting its doors in 2018.
Good Egg may have closed in Kensington Market, but its Instagram account has been active again for about a year now. Known for their rare and funky finds, the store operated for a decade before closing.
In August 2020, the account posted a photo of a book called Blood by Jennifer McLagan after being silent since 2018. Naturally the post stirred up questions, with lots of comments asking if the store was back.
"Is there like, a physical retail space where one may procure this and other items formerly available at Good Egg?" one person asked. "Haha. Soon! Or maybe even in a very limited way already?" the store replied.
Since then they've been posting other photos of the kind of incredible cookbooks and kitchen items they used to be known for, dropping hints and even having thrift sales at Kensington businesses like 4 Life Natural Foods.
"After running a couple of pop-up shops in the neighbourhood during the worst parts of COVID, we decided it was time to get back to opening a store of our own," Good Egg owner Mika Bareket tells blogTO.
"We missed it. It's also been a particularly spectacular time for cookbook publishing. Since we were last open, there has been no less than a plethora of fantastic cookbooks to hit the market. Not to mention a renewed interest in cooking during the lockdowns."
In June 2021, the account posted a photo of a "reopening notebook," posting an "unsexy before shot" in August.
Later that month, they posted saying they'd be reopening with a new music section and items like potato clocks.
Suddenly, on Sept. 9, a post appeared on the Good Egg account announcing they were open.
"We're back," reads the store's website. "Our shelves are once again filled with cookbooks and kitchenwares to use and amuse. Some vintage too."
"We found the perfect location and the world's greatest store manager, Good Egg alum Lara Desjardins," says Bareket.
"The new shop is in a quieter part of Kensington Market, the south end of Augusta, just below Bellevue Square Park. We love it here, and thrilled to say that our landlord is a model citizen."
They're open every day of the week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 156 Augusta Ave., and there are lots of exciting new things in store for cooks.
There's now what Bareket calls a small "Dinner Music Collection" of CDs and vinyl, as well as a new thrift section of gently used kitchenware with 20 per cent of thrift sales going to a local soup kitchen.
They're also now going to be stocking Sam James coffee beans, New New Age chaga and teas, and Rosen's Cinnamon Buns spreads. They'll be doing book launches, starting with virtual ones, and will also be publishing books.
Good Egg
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