Dartmouth Book Exchange is a book store located at 1187 Cole Harbour Road, just East of Forest Hills Parkway that sells quality used books and a collection of new books by local authors. Independently owned and operated by Amy McIsaac since 2000, we have over 2000 square feet of retail space to shop and browse. We mainly sell popular fiction, similar to what you might find at Chapters.
We have a large selection of Paranormal & Erotic Romance, Young Adult Fiction, Sci-Fi, and fantasy as well as Manga and Graphic Novels. We have a Children’s Room that contains over 2,000 books, including some French ones. These are but a few of the types of books we carry and all of our books are searchable in our database. We have some specialty tables such as Canada Reads, “Blind Date with a Book”, Book Club table, High Demand Table, & our Seasonal Table. The books on our specialty tables change regularly. Sometimes you’ll find an author spotlighted if their Birthday is around the corner or they are celebrating some other Milestone. We are constantly evolving to make a better shopping experience for our customers. The store also supports Local Authors and provides a “Space” for the community to meet not just Local Authors, but other community members with a similar interest in reading.
Our regular hours of operation are:
Monday-Friday 10:00am – 8:00pm.
Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm & Sunday 11:00am – 5:00pm.
In general, the prices of our mass market paperbacks are half the cover price. Trade Paperbacks (larger soft covers) and Hardcovers sell for between $6.00 and $12.00 each (generally). Most books are in very good to like new condition. We have a large selection of Paranormal & Erotic Romance, Young Adult Fiction, Sci-Fi & Fantasy as well as Manga & Graphic Novels. We have a Children’s Room that contains over 2,000 books, including a section with French ones. These are but a few of the types of books we carry and all of our books are searchable in our database. All our books are organized by Genre and are in Alphabetical order. We have some specialty tables such as Canada Reads, “Blind Date with a Book”, High Demand Table, and Reese- Hello Sunshine Book Club Table. We are constantly evolving to make a better shopping experience for our customers. The store also supports Local Authors and provides a “Space” for the community to meet not just Local Authors, but other community members with a similar interest in reading
Moonlight shone in the windows of the building where all the books were kept. Nestled beside Legends Barber Shop, the unassuming brick storefront was easy to miss. In modest letters, the lit sign read Dartmouth Book Exchange, with a neon open sign above the door. To most passersby, the place was neither remarkable nor inviting. To a select society, who listened to the whispers of friends and followed the store on social media, it was their happy place, a treasure trove for book lovers. The space inside was much bigger than what can be discerned from the outside, and the shelves were exceptionally organized. The women working behind the counter were highly knowledgeable, and supportive of the local craft, and with a little whispered magic, they ensured their customer’s book needs were met. A hidden gem. Inspired by the description of the teashop in ‘The Witches of New York’ by Ami McKay
“I absolutely love the Dartmouth Book Exchange! Staff is friendly and helpful and there is always a wide variety of books available from more recent releases to old favourites. The shop looks small on the outside, but inside there’s a lot to look at and browse through. Every time I’m in, I always find something new and interesting to take home with me. I also think it’s great how they support authors in the local writing community and provide opportunities for them to connect with the public. A true gem!”
-Nichole Ashley July 2020
“The Dartmouth Book Exchange is charming and unique with an abundance of well-organized, fabulous books. Plan to spend some time there, you can’t help yourself, there is so much to explore.”
-Cindy Lou July 2020.