Vancouver’s most enchanting used bookstores
There’s something to be said about going into a bookstore, running your fingers over the spines, and finding a copy of your favourite childhood tome or discovering a new author. The staff are usually hardcore bibliophiles and ready with a suggestion – you just have to ask. Vancouver’s charming used bookshops are the perfect places to wander on a rainy afternoon or pop into for last-minute gifts.
Canterbury Tales Secondhand Books
2010 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 4A9Whatever book you’re searching for, this delightful little bookstore probably has it. It’s so jammed to the gills that they’ve had to add shelves between the shelves to store and showcase books. The enthusiastic staff members always have fantastic recommendations, and you know it’s a great bookshop when the regulars bring in friends just to show it off.
Pulpfiction
1744 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 4A3This neatly organized and bright shop on Commercial Drive offers a blend of new and used books. Pick up the latest bestseller or an old favourite you like to read over and over. They’ve got a good selection of books, though the size of the shop keeps them from having a lot of stock. They do, however, offer good deals if you order books through them so if you don’t mind waiting, they can get almost anything for you.
People's Co-Op Bookstore
1391 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3X5Don’t be deceived by its unassuming exterior, this shop is larger than first thought when you step through the door. There are boxes of books on the floor throughout the space, as if they’re in a constant state of packing or unpacking the books. People’s boasts the city’s largest selection of poetry books, so if that’s your thing, stop by and take a gander.
Kestrel Books
3642 4th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6R 1P1Looking for a hard-to-find first edition? Kestrel Books, a quaint bookshop in the heart of Kitsilano, is known to carry the few and far between when it comes to rare and antiquarian books. If you’re looking for something you haven’t seen in bookstores for a long time but you’ve just gotta have it, this is the place for you. They’ve even got a great online database that you can browse through and order from if you’re not from Vancouver.
MacLeod's Books
455 Pender St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1V2If you’re ever downtown and want to kill some time, head over to MacLeod Books. The iconic Gastown bookstore is reminiscent of Powell’s Books in Portland with plenty of square footage and overflowing shelves that create a labyrinth of paperbacks. They deal in rare and antique books
The Paper Hound Bookshop
344 Pender St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1T1This small, well-organized shop is centrally located and includes both new and used books. It offers so much more than that though, making it a great place to explore with new discoveries every time you go in. They offer a touch of nostalgia with stacks of old postcards, back issues of magazines, maps and playbills.
