Book Bazaar

Friendly, helpful, not really easy to find anything nor cheap… but heck, that’s just character for a used book store. And we’ve lost too many of those…

There are so few used book stores around anymore that this is a real gem. Originally dealing with collector and rare editions when it opened, it now carries thousands of books of all types.
The sci-​fi section is particularly large and noteworthy, but there are also many classics, poetry, mysteries, plays and everything else. They even have sheet music available.
Prices vary from excellent (~$ 6) for some books to almost the same as new book prices, which would normally make me take off a star or two but just the sheer selection and fact that they are always bringing in more books bumps those stars back up. In fact I have been able to find some books here that are out of print and can’t be ordered through Chapters or Amazon. But if you don’t want to spend too much you still shouldn’t have any difficulty finding something to satisfy you.
The down side? Well, only the rare books are catalogued so you have to scour the shelves for what you’re looking for, no looking up inventory online. In my opinion that is the only down side.
The owners are very nice and let you browse in peace but are willing to help if you ask. This is a definite must visit store for any book lover.

I can’t help but spend nearly an hour looking around this place every time I go. It’s a great bookstore and the staff are very helpful. I will keep going here for sure.

When I am looking for classic literature in hardcover or paper, or biography and history I often come here. It’s a big space on two floors and the stock is impressive (they have a warehouse as well, so ask about this if you don’t see your title on the shelves). I probably buy 10 – 20 books here in a year. The owners are always helpful.

I bought a book from The Book Bazaar online. I am an academic, and a book collector. I buy dozens of books a year, and sell quite a few myself as an Amazon bookseller. Overall, my experience with Book Bazaar rates as the worst customer service experience I have ever experienced in this industry.
It’s a long story, and I’ll spare you the gory details, but I’ll say that I was left deeply puzzled. If this were a random person selling a book online, fine. But a professional bookseller? What professional bookseller would argue with a customer who complains that a book’s condition was misdescribed without even asking to see the book? What professional bookseller would argue with a customer at all? What professional bookseller would stop responding after the customer sent them, on their own initiative, digital photos of the damage to the book? What professional bookseller would write (to a courteous customer) discourteous, misspelled messages in large-​size fonts saying things like: «THAT’S REDICULOUS!» [sic]
Overall, I was left with the impression that I tried to extract customer service from an ill-​mannered and ill-​tempered adolescent. Is that what happened? I wonder.

It’s true the Book Bazaar offers many rare editions of titles from many literary eras. They have a great selection of fiction, non-​fiction, poetry and a children’s section downstairs. They also have a small selection of popular paperbacks by the usual authors you could find in droves at other used book stores, but for higher prices. Actually, the prices here are somewhat steep. There isn’t a lot taken off the blacked out original Canadian price, so I would mainly recommend this place to people looking for rare or older titles or perhaps those who like to find a unique edition of their favourite book. If you don’t mind owning a mass produced copy of a classic piece of literature, there’s a great cheap section of Penguin Classics where I managed to find The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Breakfast at Tiffany’s for $ 6 each. Unfortunately, my non-​Penguin copy of Blood Meridian was $ 15 (marked down from $ 21).
This place is cozy, but I didn’t get the feeling it was cozy enough that I could sit at the couch that faces the counter and read for an hour without some glares from staff members.
I would definitely come back again, but probably after checking some other cheaper used book stores for certain titles first.

The Book Bazaar has such a plethora of works in classic literature and historical non-​fiction, it is an absolute haven for anyone interested in these subjects.
A quiet, charming place on an otherwise bustling Bank Street, this store has titles on a wide range of selections for adult reading (I did not see much children or adolescent titles), but focuses especially on classic authors such as Mark Twain, Tolstoy, and Hemmingway. Some of the historical copies are visibly from the era of their original publication, adding historical authenticity to it. Yet they have been preserved well and are in excellent condition.
Definitely a nice place to visit on a weekend afternoon and catch up on some classic literature!

My wife and I are avid readers — especially my wife. She devours a book every two days. That makes reading a potentially expensive hobby. We decided to give up on new books (the US and Canadian dollars were at par and yet the exact same books were 40% higher in price in Canada than they were south of the border!!!). We found the Book Bazaar one afternoon as we strolled along what is known as The Promenade district — Bank north of the 417. If you are looking for your popular/​big name paperback authors (Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Michael Crichton) Book Bazaar carries them… but not in crazy numbers. What this store really specializes in is early editions of classic literature and non-​fiction (mostly historical) titles. In fact, they have one of the largest collections of Second World War espionage tales and memoirs this side of the Canadian War Museum. The Book Bazaar has something for everyone (except children!) — so you can satisfy your urge for history as well as your secret yearning for mystery.