address: 1901 St-Catherine
phone number: 514.939.3676
payment methods: cash, debit, Visa
directions: between the Guy and Atwater metro stations (closest to Guy) on St-Catherine West (corner of St-Marc).

Mediaphile has the unmistakable, comforting smell of a Montréal dépanneur, with its heady mix of tobacco and candy. Unlike a typical dépanneur though, Mediaphile is stocked with “penny” candy and fine but reasonably priced Cuban cigars. More magazine emporium than dep, the place - with its red-slat ceiling and its Bazooka gum and Archie comics jostling for space - feels like an old-fashioned corner store.

Located on a strip of St-Catherine West well known to addicts of the printed form (not far from the esoterica of Mélange Magique, the rare books of Librairie Westcott, and the comic shop Capitaine Québec), Mediaphile stocks an impressive volume of magazines on a wide variety of subjects including art and photography, music, sports, home décor, and tattoos. Known for its local and alternative publications, the real secret of this store is that it allows customers to order from an extensive list of sometimes hard to find journals and magazines. Mediaphile’s eclectic interior is well worth a visit if you are looking for that hard to find title . . . or perhaps the latest copy of Worn Fashion.

profile by Alexandra Boutros
photography by Heather Utah