Thrift stores in Ontario
159 thrift stores and used bookstores across Ontario, mapped city by city for book hunters. Pick a city and plan a route between the shops worth the walk.
Ottawa
44 shops · 2 used bookstores
Start at The Free Store in Ottawa, a 9 minute walk from Barely Bruised Books.
Toronto
39 shops · 2 used bookstores
Start on Bloor Street West in Toronto, a 5 minute walk past Bloor Army Surplus and Tara Thrift.
London
21 shops · 1 used bookstore
Start near Master liquidation and binz in London, a 5 minute walk from Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Value Village.
Kitchener
19 shops · 2 used bookstores
Start on King Street West in Kitchener, a 7 minute walk that ends at KW Bookstore.
Hamilton
14 shops · 2 used bookstores
Start on King Street East in Hamilton, a 10 minute walk that passes J.H. Gordon Books and Vintage Geek.
Guelph
11 shops
Start at Goodwill in Guelph.
Mississauga
11 shops
Start on Dixie Road in Mississauga, a 12 minute walk past Talize and Mission Thrift Store.
Why thrift stores are the best book hunting there is
Every thrift store shelf is stocked by donation, priced to move, and re-shelved constantly, which makes it the least predictable and most rewarding bookstore format there is. The same shelf can hold airport thrillers, a Giller winner, and an out-of-print favourite someone finally let go of. The catch is volume: reading a few hundred spines shop after shop is where good intentions go to die. That's the bit Spines takes off your hands: photograph the shelf and it identifies every book, pulls ratings, and flags the ones that match your taste. If you're new to the hunt, start with our guide to finding good books in thrift and charity shops.
Hunt smarter in any of them
Spines reads a whole shelf from one photo and shows you which books are worth grabbing — tailored to your taste. Free to try.
Elsewhere? charity shops by city in the UK · thrift stores by state in the US, or all directories.
Shop data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License. Shop details can drift out of date — check opening hours before travelling.