Hi friends, happy Tuesday! I hope all is well. Today I’m so excited to be bringing to you guys, my seventh (😱) bookstores across Ontario post! I will be diving into 8 bookstores across a bunch of small towns I went to this summer, let’s get into it!

Over the course of the summer, my boyfriend and I have been traveling locally (still need to get on renewing the passports!!!), but while traveling around Ontario, meant going to small towns that inevitably had a bookstore… sometimes 2!

I thought it would be a great round-up post to share them all with you today as we wind down summer.

In this blog I went to bookstores in Grimsby, Haliburton, Cobourg, Port Hope, Creemore, Stayner and Collingwood.

If you’re curious about parts 1 – 6 you can check out my trips to:
Mississauga, Etobicoke, Bolton and Orangeville
Burlington and Hamilton
Toronto (part 1)
St. Catherines, Niagara, Fort Erie and Port Colborne
Toronto (part 2)
Guelph/Waterloo/Kitchener

Grimsby

In July we took a day trip to the town of Grimsby… to be honest, it was because I wanted to go to this bookstore, Grimsby Books, because I missed it. But I’m kinda glad I missed it because it was the perfect day out. The town was great, the beach was quiet and of course the bookshop was amazing! It’s super small, and kinda tucked away but they have a decent selection. I wanted to take a lot home, but I did buy a book and some bookish stickers. They are located at 4 Ontario Street.

Website: Grimsby Books
Facebook: Grimsby Books
Instagram: @grimsbybooks

Haliburton

This was a bit of a last minute decision to go to Haliburton. We spent the August long weekend in Dorset, and made a day trip going to Haliburton on the way home. It’s a cute little town. I’d love to go back and spend more time there… I feel like I missed a bookstore. But anyways, Master’s Book Store is located in this barn, and it’s tiny, but packed with loads of books. Everywhere you look there are books. All of them are used books, from what I remember, and the lady who works there is super friendly! They are located at 195 Highland St.

Website: Master’s Book Store
Facebook: Master’s Book Store

Cobourg

During the Labour Day long weekend, we took a trip up to Cobourg. We spent the day in the town and on the beach, but of course we hit up the bookstore, Let’s Talk Books, now called Readers’ Nook. They are in the process of moving and name change, so the place was a little bare, but they still had a great selection. I should go back when they’ve moved. I loved the chair they had; it was this reading chair with a book print, so cute! I had a great time looking around and of course, buying a book! They are currently (but might have changed since) located at 25 King St E.

Website: Readers’ Nook
Facebook: Reader’s Nook
Instagram: @readersnookcobourg

Port Hope

The following day we went to Port Hope to do exactly what we did in Cobourg, check out the town and go to the beach. The thing about Port Hope was that the whole downtown is under construction so it was a bit of struggle to walk around, but we did it. The first bookstore we went to was Furby House Books. I loved the way this looked inside and out; it felt so grand and beautiful. I had such a hard time choosing what to buy because there was so much to look at! From new releases to classics and everything in between, there was something for everyone. I could have bought so much, but I refrained! They are located at 65 Walton St.

Website: Furby House Books
Facebook: Furby House Books
Instagram: @furbyhousebooks

Just down the street was our second stop that day to Gryphon Books. This one was tucked away, and was very small, but again, lots to look at. This was all used books with shelves upon shelves of books, plus piles of books on the floor… there was so much to look at. I enjoyed looking through the stacks and in the end picking up 2 books! They are located at 28 John St.

Website: Gryphon Books
Facebook: Gryphon Books

Creemore

On the last weekend of summer we took advantage of the beautiful weather and made a trip to the Georgian Bay region and we first went to the town of Creemore. It was quaint and quiet. We walked up and down the main strip and of course went to the bookstore, a store that definitely stood out among the rest. Curiosity House Books is bright pink and hard to miss. It’s a cute little house that felt very spacious. It wasn’t overcrowded with books, but had just enough that I didn’t know what to choose. Also, the front was all dedicated to local authors, art and crafts. They are located at 122 Mill St.

Website: Curiosity House Books
Facebook: Curiosity House Books
Instagram: @curiosityhousebooks
Twitter: @curiosityhouse

Stayner

After our morning in Creemore we took a nice 15 minute drive to the town of Stayner to visit the bookstore, Torn Pages. This bookstore packed a punch, because it was small, but had SO much. There were floor-to-ceiling piles and shelves of books. I’m not complaining because I left with 2 books! There are little nooks of books categorized by genre. The book seller is super friendly and I spent a good 20 minutes talking Stephen King (and about my project)… which then led to talking about this bookstore project… let’s just say he was impressed, haha! He also gave me a bookstore to add to my list, so win-win! They are located at 7314 Hwy 26.

Website: Torn Pages
Facebook: Torn Pages
Instagram: @torn.pagesstayner

Collingwood

Our last stop was to Read It Again New and Used Books in Collingwood. Somehow I’ve never been to Collingwood before, despite it being a very popular vacation destination, better late than never. This bookstore looks small on the outside, but it’s long and just keeps going. Even when we walked in my boyfriend went ‘I thought that was a mirror’ nope the store was that long. Again, floor-to-ceiling shelves of books. There was so much to see, I definitely took my time… in which I ended up with 2 books. A really cozy place! They are located at 33 Hurontario St. Unit 3.

Website: Read It Again New and Used Books
Facebook: Read It Again New and Used Books

And we have made it to the end! Thanks for reading! Have you been to any of these stores? Any independent bookstores you’d recommend in Ontario? Hit me up in the comments!