Coach House Printing Company

Most small businesses add something to their city, but Coach House Books can honestly say that it actually helped change Toronto’s cultural landscape. Founded in 1965 by artist Stan Bevington, the independent publishing company released early works by Michael Ondaatje, bpNichol and Anne-Marie MacDonald.

Historically, and on a more local scale, Coach House helped shape its Yorkville community. When the press took over a series of Victorian-era carriage house buildings tucked away in an alley just below Bloor Street, the neighbourhood was the centre of counter-culture in Canada. “Stan started in a different coach house,” says editorial director Alana Wilcox. “The poet Dennis Lee found this place for him in 1967.” Coach House’s commitment to producing innovative and challenging work helped make Yorkville more than just a hippie hangout, and over the years the business has evolved along with its surroundings.

Nowadays, Coach House’s proximity to the University of Toronto campus helps bridge the school and the high-end retail boutiques of Bloor Street. “Students are always gazing enviously into our windows,” says Alana. “We exist as a counterpoint to what happens in academia.”