Looking for the perfect gift for
your favourite bibliophile? Look no
further than downtown's own purveyor of out of print, first editions and
antiquarian books: Carteaux and Leslie.
In addition to the hundreds of books in the shop, reminiscent of great personal
libraries of a by-gone era, Carteaux and Leslie also offers custom framing
services.
Scott Carteaux is the classically
educated book buyer, and Tim Leslie, the partner of framing fame. If you're looking for a particular edition or
special book, just ask Scott to search for it.
Each request is treated like a special quest of Sherlockian
proportions. He has recently acquired
part of an eclectic collection of mathematics and science volumes owned by the
gentleman who developed the chemical formula for Benadryl. Where else could you hear such a great
anecdote?
As for custom framing, Tim more
than earns his name on the door with beautifully handmade frames. He has returned to the practice of French
matting, a rarely used technique which he hopes to restore to popularity.
He is unaware of anyone else in
Books and custom framing are not
enough for the pair and so they exhibit art collections from local artists and
others, and host events in their charming space. Scott
hopes to introduce a new collection mid-July (I'm anxiously waiting!). InkTank, a writer's group, will call the shop
its meeting place beginning July 3 and will meet the first and third Tuesday of
each month. Carteaux and Leslie also
participates in Final Fridays--an excellent opportunity to discuss books and art
with the remarkable store owners.
Visit Carteaux and Leslie at
I love this place! It's truly eclectic, has extensive inventory, and the highly personalized customer service is great. The owners are friendly and knowledgeable, too.