The company was founded at the end of World War II by Alice Kenner, her husband Mac, with the assistance of her brother, Aaron as A&A Bookstore after Alice and Aaron's first initials, at 351 Yonge Street in a building that had been purchased by Kenner and her husband, Mac.
In 1974, its operations consisted of the main store at 351 Yonge Street in Toronto, another flagship store on rue Sainte-Catherine in Montreal and six franchise stores in Ontario.