Bookstores in Waterloo
If you judge a town by its bookshops, Waterloo, Ontario gives you 29 to judge by. That's 29 bookshops mapped around Waterloo, each with its own shelves and specialties. The used sections are where the real bargains hide. Staff picks shelves are the fastest way to read a shop's personality.
This guide covers every bookstore we could verify in and around Waterloo (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Lookin' For Heroes and Carry-On Comics, plus Cambridge Book Nook. If a bookshop's missing from Waterloo's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Waterloo bookstore lineup
29 mapped within about 40 km:
Lookin' For Heroes
Bookstore
Lookin' For Heroes is Bookstore on 83 Ontario Street South, Kitchener. Lookin' For Heroes also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo,Tu 10:00-18:00; We-Fr 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-17:30; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
83 Ontario Street South, Kitchener, N2G 1X5
Hours: Mo,Tu 10:00-18:00; We-Fr 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-17:30; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1-519-570-0873
Carry-On Comics
Bookstore
Carry-On Comics — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Carry-On Comics: the map lists its hours as Mo, Fr, Sa 11:00-17:00; Tu 12:00-17:00; We, Th 11:00-18:00; Su 12:00-16:00.
Hours: Mo, Fr, Sa 11:00-17:00; Tu 12:00-17:00; We, Th 11:00-18:00; Su 12:00-16:00
Cambridge Book Nook
Bookstore
Cambridge Book Nook is Bookstore on 649 King Street East.
649 King Street East
A Second Look
Used bookstore
A Second Look — Used bookstore, found on 109 King Street West in Kitchener. Also worth knowing about A Second Look: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
109 King Street West, Kitchener, N2G 1A7
Phone: +1-519-744-2274
Old Goat Books
Bookstore
Old Goat Books — Bookstore, found on 8 William Street East in Waterloo. Also worth knowing about Old Goat Books: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 10:00-18:00; Fr 10:00-21:00; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
8 William Street East, Waterloo, N2J 1K9
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-18:00; Fr 10:00-21:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1 519-880-9595
Bookery
Bookstore
Bookery is Bookstore. Bookery also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
The Book Stage
Bookstore
The Book Stage — Bookstore on 126 Waterloo Street South. Also worth knowing about The Book Stage: it has a website with more detail.
126 Waterloo Street South
The Wee Book & Photho Shop
Bookstore
The Wee Book & Photho Shop — Bookstore.
KW Bookstore
Bookstore
KW Bookstore is Bookstore on 308 King Street West, Kitchener. KW Bookstore also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Th 10:00-18:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-19:00; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
308 King Street West, Kitchener, N2G 1B7
Hours: Mo-Th 10:00-18:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-19:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1 519-742-1261
Christian Science Reading Room
Bookstore
Christian Science Reading Room is Bookstore.
Fundamentals Books & Toys
Bookstore
Fundamentals Books & Toys is Bookstore on 52 Ontario Street, Stratford.
52 Ontario Street, Stratford
Gospel Lighthouse Christian Bookstore
Bookstore
Gospel Lighthouse Christian Bookstore — Bookstore, found on 176 Speedvale Ave W in Guelph. Also worth knowing about Gospel Lighthouse Christian Bookstore: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
176 Speedvale Ave W, Guelph
Phone: +1-519-265-8877
Comic Book Warehouse
Bookstore
Comic Book Warehouse — Bookstore.
Indigo
Bookstore
Indigo — Bookstore.
Indigo
Bookstore
Indigo — Bookstore.
Coles
Bookstore
Coles is Bookstore.
Coles
Bookstore
Coles is Bookstore.
Janus Books
Bookstore
Janus Books is Bookstore on 10 Paisley Street, Guelph. Janus Books also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Tu-Sa 10:00-19:00; Su 12:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
10 Paisley Street, Guelph, N1H 2N6
Hours: Tu-Sa 10:00-19:00; Su 12:00-18:00
Phone: +1 226-486-1255
Words Worth Books
Bookstore
Words Worth Books is Bookstore on 96 King Street South, Waterloo. Words Worth Books also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-21:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 12:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
96 King Street South, Waterloo, N2J 1P5
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-21:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 12:00-17:00
Phone: +1-519-884-2665
Sunrise Books
Bookstore
Sunrise Books is Bookstore.
Twice Loved Books
Bookstore
Twice Loved Books — Bookstore, found on 62 Metcalfe Street in Elora. Also worth knowing about Twice Loved Books: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 11:00-17:00; Tu-We closed.
62 Metcalfe Street, Elora, N0B 1S0
Hours: Mo-Su 11:00-17:00; Tu-We closed
The Gospel Lighthouse
Bookstore
The Gospel Lighthouse — Bookstore.
Indigo
Bookstore
Indigo — Bookstore.
St.Jacobs book store
Bookstore
St.Jacobs book store — Bookstore.
Aloura
Bookstore
Aloura is Bookstore. Aloura also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
Riverside Bookshelf
Bookstore
Riverside Bookshelf — Bookstore on 32a Dundas Street West. Also worth knowing about Riverside Bookshelf: the map lists its hours as We-Su 10:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
32a Dundas Street West
Hours: We-Su 10:00-18:00
Phone: +15194429799
Brantford Bookworm
Bookstore
Brantford Bookworm is Bookstore on 331 Brant Avenue. Brantford Bookworm also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
331 Brant Avenue, N3T 3J9
The Bookshelf
Bookstore
The Bookshelf is Bookstore on 41 Quebec Street, Guelph. The Bookshelf also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Th, Su 11:00-18:30; Fr, Sa 11:00-20:30; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
41 Quebec Street, Guelph, N1H 2T1
Hours: Mo-Th, Su 11:00-18:30; Fr, Sa 11:00-20:30
Phone: +1 519-821-3311
Indigo
Bookstore
Indigo — Bookstore on 550 King Street North. Also worth knowing about Indigo: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 10:00-21:00; Sa 10:00-18:00; Su 11:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
550 King Street North
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-21:00; Sa 10:00-18:00; Su 11:00-17:00
Phone: +1-519-746-0641
What the map tells us about bookstores in Waterloo
10 of the 29 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — bookshops keep civilised hours, so the listed ones are usually reliable.
11 have websites listed. Worth a look for events — readings and signings get announced there first.
The Waterloo bookstore crawl
Plot these on a map and the day plans itself: Lookin' For Heroes on 83 Ontario Street South, Carry-On Comics, Cambridge Book Nook on 649 King Street East, A Second Look on 109 King Street West, Old Goat Books on 8 William Street East, Bookery, The Book Stage on 126 Waterloo Street South, and The Wee Book & Photho Shop. That's 29 stops on the Waterloo bookstore crawl. 21 more are listed below.
Bookstore tips for Waterloo
Browsing in Waterloo? A little strategy helps:
- Learn your editions at Lookin' For Heroes. A first edition, first printing is the collectible one. Booksellers will show you how to check the copyright page.
- Check the bargain carts outside at Carry-On Comics. Sidewalk carts are the shop's clearance rack. A dollar a book, and the turnover is fast.
- Don't judge by the window display. The front table is marketing. The back shelves are the shop's real taste. Walk the whole floor.
- Read the first page in the shop. The first-page test never lies. If it doesn't grab you standing there, it won't grab you at home.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Waterloo — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new bookstore in Waterloo can take a while to appear. The 29 above are only as current as the community map. A bookstore that's shut, or a new one nobody's added yet, gets fixed with a single OpenStreetMap edit.
We don't list prices — they change constantly and vary by edition. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers, in alphabetical order with no favourites.
If you run one of the 29 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Bookstore listings for Waterloo: 29 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.