Archambault makes my nerd glands salivate. It is a mecca for all the cultural things that aren't cool anymore:
It is a huge bookstore. I can't think of another bookstore this big that isn't going out of business or subsidized by a university. It is also a huge music store. I've never seen so many scores outside of a conservatory or competitive sporting event.
They are old school. They still sell CDs. They have an enormous jazz/oldies/classical music collection, which they play over the intercom.
They are educational. It's basically a museum of vintage musical instruments as well. Their listening stations have demos and historical snippets so people can explore music they haven't previously been exposed to.
Side note: I saw a little girl staring blankly at the screen of one of these stations. Not long after, this avuncular staffer came up to her and walked her through the program the way a docent at a children's museum would. This was the cutest thing I've seen all week. Also, it means that the people who work here are (a) kind, (b) knowledgable, and (c) actually CARE.
Oh, and did I mention there is free wifi? Free listens and reads of pretty much anything available? And you can do this all this while relaxing on their comfy red couches?!
You must come to here if at all possible. Places likes these were rare to begin with and are now all but extinct. I could almost spend an entire trip to Montreal here. If they only had bathrooms.