Book Bazaar

I love coming here and shopping for books. prices are decent, books are in good condition, and the atmosphere is nice. the only issue I have is that the store is organized by genre and that's it. it's not the place to go if you're in a rush or looking for something specific, as it will take you a while to find. Nonetheless I would check out if you're in the area and have the time to do so.

Yes, you have to be a bit of a self-sufficient shopper, but that's part of the fun. If you go in open-minded, you'll find more books than you can carry out. I love browsing in here, and find lots of books under $10

It’s like stepping into another time period, in a absolutely fantastic way. You can tell that there is a lot of heart put in to the place. I spent 30+ minutes there and only scratched the surface. I missed out on the basement, which is apparently all history. The guy running it is awesome, 5/5 customer service and was quite helpful finding me some Icelandic/ Old Norse Sagas. Seems like a very knowledgeable human being. When I go back to Ottawa, I’m going there first thing, I have some unfinished business.

All praise to the book bazaar what a exceptional used book store. Very organized, friendly staff and a huge selection of books. I've been going to different used book stores all over Ottawa trying to find specific books by certain authors who are not as well know or are just obscure. It's been a painful task trying to find them but I found some of them here at the book bazaar. So if your looking maybe for some obscure titles just like me maybe you might find them here or find other hidden gems to take home too. 😇

this bookstore is lovely. there's an upstairs and a downstairs with tons of books. a bit busy when I went at 3pm but I could still navigate myself well enough. the owner was very helpful and friendly.

The store itself is nice and gives off a great old-school authentic bookstore vibe however the staff member I asked for help (an older gentleman) was rude, unhelpful and basically waved me off to find the book I was looking for myself in the basement without offering any help. This is the second time I've had an experience like this with a staff person from this store. It's one thing to not want to help a customer but it's additionally a bit mind boggling to have an attitude about it as well.

Great selection of rare finds, which is obviously how they stay in business. The staff however, is generally very snooty and rude. I’ve walked in a few times to try and sell some books, only to be greeted by very loud classical music drowning out conversation and a man at the front desk who just gives off this energy that you’re wasting his time. They no longer offer cash, only store credit which is fair enough I guess, but the manner in which this was said was quite rude. He also shook his head like 20 times and said “no I’m not taking those” for what I thought were pretty popular books (Mark Manson). No apologies, pleasantries, small talk, anything.

This is the place where your book hunt ends. Has a wide variety of books, including the classics on all kind of subjects.

Came here for the first time the other day. I must say, this place is pretty cool. This store is big and has a lot of variety. They have a lot of new and old books. I got lucky and found a first edition book I was looking for. Staff was nice and helped with any questions I had. This stores prices are a bit higher then most used book stores. But they aren't unreasonable. The books are all in fair-good condition, some even look new. I would suggest this store to any book lovers.

It always makes me happy to find a great, well-organized second-hand bookshop given how rare they are these days and how many of them have disappeared the past few years due to on-line ordering. Spent the weekend with my cousin, who is also a bibliophile like myself and he brought me here since he wanted to get a book for me (which he found almost immediately) . While browsing, I saw some fantastic titles and noticed how extremely organized and labelled all the sections were. Another great Ottawa spot to hit up, the next time I'm in town.

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!

This is a quaint store filled to the brim with books - some old, some new, some rare, some not. You can find a nice selection of works in most genres. I wound up getting Tender is the Night, A Canticle for Leibowitz, and Heart of Darkness for just under $30. Most books are priced between $6-20, with newer/popular books typically being $20 and obviously the others falling below that. Apparently there is parking for customers in the back, but I didn't check it out.

A staple of the Ottawa book scene. Prices can be on the expensive side, but care is taken in presentation, and many books are wrapped in protective plastic. Two floors give a deep browsing experience, and most categories are represented outside the genres of business, self-help, and related. Would recommend.

Visiting this store is the kind of old-fashioned pleasure one still wants from a good used bookshop. I always find several desirable finds when I pass through its doors. The store is well laid out, and the stock is beautifully arranged. The prices may seem steep in some cases, but these are often for volumes in good condition that you won't find anywhere else. Highly recommended

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.

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.

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...

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 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.

Terrible store, the customer service is very poor and unhelpful. In addition, do not take what is written on their website and accounts on other shipping sites for facts. They change their policies and go back on their word to suit themselves in a instance. Overall very unprofessional and I highly recommend you go to another book store/site or you will most likely get screwed over. Could honestly not be more disappointed in the service and quality provided. Altogether awful experience, will never return to this establishment.