So Westboro Books is a bookstore that recently (October 2023) opened up where The Wild Child…read moreProject used to be (before that it was Cococo Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut). They obviously have books, of all genres, but they have so much more than books. They have board games/card games and they have toys too, including Celestial Buddies, which are plushies of planets, moons and all things, well... celestial, lol. I especially liked the Saturn plushie. They have "Every Child Matters" stuffed bears as well. They have really cool bookmarks (I especially liked the Spaghetti and Meatballs bookmark). They have earrings that are book covers! Perfect for the bibliophile in your life who also loves jewelry (and has their ears pierced). The bookstore is very open and not cluttered at all. They had some shelves still empty when I went the first week of November 2023, so I think they will be getting more merchandise. Prices are comparable to other regular bookstores. No bargain basement prices, but no huge markup for being in trendy Westboro, lol. Staff are friendly and pleasant. They leave you alone to browse, which I like, but seemed helpful with other customers who needed help (I did not need help, so did not interact too much with staff). Great place to pick up gifts. They are definitely a welcomed addition to Westboro! Street parking only.

This is an amazing new addition to our neighborhood. A new independent book store that is huge…read moreselection of books with a great kids section. Also a nice choice for unique small gifts. Prices are great and yiy have the added value of contributing to a local independent store..almost forgot to mention how nice and knowledgeable the owner is, I got great service a was able to get all my question answered. She also mentioned she intends to host book related events and have kids events which will be perfect for winter. Definitely added to my fevorite places list.

Legendary Ottawa record shop with a deep selection of records and other media, great staff, and…read moregreat prices. I always find something cool here!

Turning Point is one of the best music stores if you're looking for a wide selection. They have two…read morefloors of 20,000 titles, including 10,000 LPs on their second floor. They offer music from every genre and strive to sell hard to find music rather than mainstream CDs you could find anywhere in the city. Prices of LPs are generally $4-$6 and CDs range from $4-$11. If you're looking to sell, they claim to be one of the highest buyers of used CDs, records and movies. Turning Point also has a huge selection of DVDs and some VHS all categorized by genre. Their prices are reasonable with DVDs costing about $10 and VHS costing $2. You can sometimes find a rare film here, but their selection is mainly what you'd find in HMV.

All Books is a secondhand bookstore that contains bookshelves and stacks of books that are stacked…read moreliterally to the ceiling. As such, it can be a bit overwhelming to browse through everything, since there's not a lot of room to move around. Regardless, if there's something you can look for, you can ask a staff member who'll probably know where it's located. It's a broad assortment of varying genres, and you might find something you didn't know you wanted. Found myself a bunch of nonfiction history books that I keep promising myself I would read. There's also a selection of books for display at the front of the store with a deal going on: usually "$5 each, 3 for $10". The only point of concern is security, as it seems fairly susceptible to theft.

This bookstore is such a gem, they go above and beyond to accommodate every person. Amazing…read morecustomer service!! I hope everyone flocks to this bookstore, it will be worth your while!

This is a really tidy and well organized store. The new location is like a big airy house with…read moreseveral rooms. Although the record collection is large I was not impressed with the prices. CD prices are not bad. If you're looking for something new or sealed for a gift this place will have it. If you're looking for some vintage vinyl to fill a gap in your collection, be aware that anything decent quality will be priced accordingly (high) and they are not willing to negotiate. This is typical of most well established stores in major cities (eg: NYC) as they know their stuff. I think the standard domestic pressings are way overpriced though. My other gripe is I was in on Record Store Day and they had lots of fresh new material but they were playing some terrible 80's music (B-side of a really whiny singer) that made me want to run out of the store. I would still recommend having a look and I'll probably return eventually.

Vinyl albums seem to be in high demand This location had…read moremany varieties of music available They had sections for Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz and even Country Great place to browse, displays are interesting Saw many that I considered buying but passed at this time Will definitely return

One of the best academic used books in Ottawa. The staff is…read morevery knowledgeable and helpful. Great selection.

I came to the bookstore to search for some rare antiquarian books…read more I was met with a rude, condescending, and disrespectful man. He seemed to treat me like I was not worth his time. I was very disappointed with his attitude. After reading some reviews, it appears he's been like this for years. I won't go back.

What an inviting, interesting place to go if you're looking for an LP, a movie, a rock Tee and…read morerelated novelty items. My husband especially likes their Rock section and for me it's a great place to find gifts for the record collectors in my fam. Very knowledgeable staff and prices are reasonable. I like the little mall they are in. Comic book store right beside it, pub nearby etc.

This place has a great selection of music and movies as well as other related merch and prices are…read morepretty much on par with other local or national record stores. Staff are knowledgeable even yo the point of knowing exactly when certain out of stock items are expected in shipments. The only slight against this place for me is its location so please take this critique with a grain of salt. For me it is just as easy to hop on a bus and head downtown or to the Glebe where I have a few choices in record stores, than it is for me to walk to Odds and Sods (cause it's close enough that wasting bus fare to go here is nonsensical). This means that unfortunately the only time I head here is when I've exhausted options elsewhere.

The Village Quire is a cute little gift shop, specializing in greeting cards…read more They have lots of unique designs and cards for all occasions. Lots of funny and unique cards. Service was friendly. If you like giving greetings cards, I'd definitely recommend the Village Quire for your greeting card needs. Street parking only.

My friend was showing me around Westboro on a hot, sunny, humid day. We needed some relief. I saw…read moreThe Village Quire and wanted to take a look. We got relief and retail therapy in one shot! I love a good greeting card store. This one has the best selection of cards for any occasion. I got one for my friend saying, "Happy birthday to my favourite vegan friend." I can't wait to give this card to her next year. Yep, I plan that far in advance. The punny cards were hysterical. We were laughing so hard in a fairly quiet store. Luckily, we weren't kicked out. Excellent cards! I also liked the stationery and writing instruments. This store carries Lamy fountain pens, which I hadn't seen in ages. I also loved these huge puffy stickers. My laptop has no room for large stickers these days. If it did, I would have bought one in a heartbeat. I also liked the pencil sharpener that had three different pencil sizes to use. Fancy! If you are looking for a gift for someone, this store had a bunch of cool suggestions. Everything from Sun Jellies totes, to candles and drinkware can be found here. There were even astronaut-themed erasers and candles. So cool! I went to pay for my card. The woman indicated that there was a sticker on the back of the card that may be an issue. Maybe I'm so used to taking off stickers from any surface that I did it at the store without any hesitation. Done! I paid for my card with a debit card. The transaction was smooth. I got my card with an envelope in a small paper bag. The woman at this store was friendly and cared about the quality of her items that customers were about to possess. It was a wonderful find. I'd love to go back when I'm in the neighbourhood again. Cards and perhaps a new fountain pen await. (283)

Love this place. Anytime I'm in this store (shopping for my husband's collection), they know their…read moreinventory and they know records; newer, older, rare etc. Prices are about what you will find in other record stores and they don't mind you browsing, but they are very helpful, knowledgeable staff. Easy to get to and despite being on a busy street I can always find parking. I also found when I was looking for a couple of records I could call and as long as they weren't really busy they could answer questions about a couple of records I was looking for. But don't deny yourself the pleasure of browsing in this store!

My friend and I visited two different record stores on two different days. This one was in the…read moreGlebe. Out of the two, this one, Vertigo Records, was my favourite. This store has used records (vinyl for those who weren't around when records were hip the first time), CDs, cassette tapes, posters, and more. The selection of used and new music was decent. I'd say that roughly 70% of the collection is used and in great condition. I could have spent a good hour here, at least. I love browsing and finding albums or music that I don't have. I wanted to return, but I couldn't squeeze it in. It meant that my vacation was pretty good. The variety of genres was terrific. I saw everything from Belinda Carlisle to George Burns. No joke! You can get comedy records here. A mark of a good music store is whether I can find an album that I don't have. I love my music collection, but it's far from being complete. I doubt that it will ever be, which makes my frequenting music store even more worthwhile! I found Depeche Mode's People Are People album on CD. I oddly don't own it. I do now. This CD was going for $6.99. It's pretty good considering that this album came out in 1984 and I had not heard of this band back then. As a side node, Depeche Mode doesn't perform the first track off this album, "People Are People," in concert. I don't know why, as its message back then is relevant today. However, the band plays the last song on the album, "Everything Counts," at all live concerts. It's guaranteed. You can get albums for $1 here. It requires some time and patience to go through bins of hidden gems. Stopping here before I headed home would have been perfect because carefully moving records in a car is ideal. When I travel, I don't buy records. They are so fragile that I'd likely carry them on the plane and care for them like a little baby. There were two staff member at the counter. They were nice. I paid with a debit card. I tapped and was good. I had a bag with me, so I placed the CD in there. I thanked them and happily left with my purchase. I have played this album a few times since returning home and reuniting with my CD player. The CD is in excellent condition. I like this music store. I look forward to hibernating here next time. (263)