This bookstore is what dreams are made of…read more Serendipity books on San Juan Island is hands down my favorite bookstore. Not only does it have small town flare, but it also has the largest assortment of used books that I've personally seen. The store sits inside a small house on the main strip of San Juan Island. It looks tiny from the outside, but, oh wow, does it hold entire worlds inside. There's a multitude of rooms all themed after each genre. You'll find everything from cookbooks, history, fantasy, young adult, sci-fi, history, fiction, self help, and autobiographies. Like other reviewers have mentioned you might have to do a bit of digging, as most of the books are stacked since they do not have the space on the shelves. Something else to note is that they do not allow food and drink inside, but they do have the cutest fireplace for you to place your hot coffee or tea on to keep it warm. Highly recommend checking out this spot when you're on San Juan Island, and be sure to stop by next-door to pick up a homie style lunch.

Wow! I'm glad I stumbled upon this cute book shop - serendipity, indeed! I did find a lot of…read moredifferent genres, so it's worth exploring. Personally, I was looking for the science fiction / fantasy section, and yep, I found one of interest! It was perfect. Others were stopping by and were couples. Unfortunately due to scheduled travel times, I could not spend unmarked amounts of time getting lost and wandering amongst the tomes. I will have to stumble my way back sometime in the future!

Love this place, I was visiting from out of town and felt very at home here. They have a great…read moreselection of books (I prefer fantasy and history) and the man at the desk and his daughter are very friendly and know where the book your looking for is. The place has that old musty book smell that I love and makes me want to go back again and again, I looked around there for an hour and it felt that no time had passed.

What a great book shop! The piles of books stacked…read moreeverywhere makes it even more magical. It is like you stepped into an adventure! So many great old books and the proprietor and his lovely assistant knows where each and every book can be found. I was lucky enough to get three hardcover mystery books from the 1950's!

Great bookstore with a nice kids bookstore attached to it…read more The staff was more than helpful, very pleasant and even sent me to a different store when they did not have what I was looking for. They have a large assortment of books, nice selection of book bags, a great travel section filled with all kinds of maps..., a few games, and wall filled with magazines. The kid's bookstore is attached, and you can walk through to it. They definitely had local customers they had made special orders for as well as many of we tourist looking for gifts and good reads. If you have children or need a great kids gift you have to check out the kids shop!

I love coming to this huge bookstore! Large sections dedicated to travel and children's literature…read more In the travel section, they have maps you can buy from all over the world. So neat! They also have a gigantic section if magazines, anything you can imagine - they have it. The staff have always been super friendly and knowledgable. I'm not a huge reader, but boy do I love the smell of books!

I've been several times. I love the selection, ambience and prices.i also…read more Like the selection of historical books. The only thing I don't love is the lack of gailrosseker@.com

Best for: discounts on new cookbooks…read more Huge space, lots of books and yet... their selection seems small. I can't usually find what I'm looking for, new or used. Shelves are a bit too close together for browsing. More signs indicating genre and letter of alphabet would be nice. As for browsing.. I wish they had displays and handwritten reviews, tables highlighting new releases by genres, etc. Their new releases shelves are shockingly small and oddly placed upstairs. What a great space! It just needs help with the browsing experience.

So deceptive from the outside. Before walking in, I assumed the interior would be as unassuming As…read morethe outside! I was clearly very wrong. Beautiful build in bookcases and shelves. Really engaging and helpful staff, many nook to bury your Nose in silence! We came and spent about 1.5 hours just being at peace with the stillness this place has to offer!

How do they do it?! Do the literary hounds of SSI simply have better taste then most? And take…read morebetter, much more gentle care of their books? Does the gulf island air make them give up their mint condition hard copies freely? Whatever Black Sheep Books is putting in the water - continue on, continue on. My guess is there is more then SSI generosity in the mix but that doesn't change the fact that this is perhaps my favorite used book store. Period. Why? Well first off, their staff picks section is a gold mine. Seriously. Every time I poke my head in the door I could easily take the entire four shelves of staff picks happily home with me. Second - they are organizational wizards. Their expansive fiction section is alphabetized to perfection, poetry is broken down by region, photography by subject, hobbies by... well hobbies. This two story building is a prime example of the right way to use a label maker. Thirdly - they have an excellent eye for rare and eccentric oldies. I will be honest, I am not the most astute when it comes to limited edition novellas but the section front and centre when you walk through the door boasts everything from full edition encyclopedias, to hard cover, leather bound copies of Gatsby, and on occasion, 50's smut... hellooo peek of a garter! Behave you! It's a playground of eye candy and definitely worth the shuffle through. Lastly, the prices are fantastic. Sure, the aren't the rock bottom prices you can find at some used book haunts but for the quality and condition of the books, it can't be beat - a hard copy version of the complete Maus series? $20. Most novels - big or small - $6-8. Plus, if there's something specific you seek they are absolutely excellent with making note and calling you... even if you happen to live in a completely different city. This place is aces. Book worms take note and pop in when you run away to the island...

Great store! I was visiting Victoria and the sign attracted my attention! The cozy cat and…read moreChronicles of Crime! What can sound better for the crime lover who is traveling! Books are reasonably priced and huge selection sorted by by country, gender of detective and even includes section with cat/dogs assisting sleuth. I got few books. The sales person man is really helpful.

From the owner: New used and rare books, photos, postcards and booklets. Historical Letters and documents related…read moreto BC. Always looking to buy vintage photos from Vancouver Island relating to old homesteads and business history as well as railway and logging. Signed Emily Carr books or unique items. Nautical and Exploration. We also Appraise libraries and private collections. Buying and selling rare books since 1991.

This is a wonderful store with great selection, friendly staff, and a great layout in a historic…read moreformer bank building.

Big fan of bookstores and architecture so this was such a treat! Didn't spend a lot of time in it…read morebut from what I can tell, it's a huge bookstore with a huge selection of books. At the least, it has all of the most popular books right now. It has quite a bit of bookish items like stickers, postcards, and bags, and I always find those items to be fun to browse. I love the history behind the place that it was designed for the Royal Bank of Canada. The stained glass and brightness of the place made it look so beautiful. I didn't end up getting anything so I can't comment on the service but the books were averagely priced. Really cool for a pop in and out!