The Neighbourhood Bookstore & Cafe

One of the things my girlfriend and I are doing are looking for places to go and explore on date nights. One of those places happens to be any book store and with the help of Yelp, I found one nearby and with positive reviews.

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed.

Now, we mainly went there for the books, so I cannot comment on the coffee or any other food and drink items, so my Rating may go up a notch if I decide to go back for said items.

The basic layout is this. There is about 5 or 6 small tables with about four chairs, which means between 20 o 30 people can sit down. There is also about four tables outside with about four chairs each, which means an additional 16 people or so can sit. About 75% of there walls were books, excluding the kitchen, entrance, etc.

Now, lets start with what I found negative about my experience.

The store\cafe is small. If it was just a used book store or just a cafe, I think it would be fine. However, since it is both, it seems like it would be cramped if it was full. When I was searching through the books, I can just tell that I would be bumping into someone sitting at the table. My girlfriend agrees.

The atmosphere felt a little weird. Not bad, just weird. As one reviewer put, an artsy, granola type place. A place of hipsters, if you will. Now, I am not judging, just saying that is how I felt. I mean, as soon as I entered there was a guy wearing a black top hat and what looked like a fake ruffled tux, but if that's his thing then that's his thing. I am sure I would get used to it though and find it comforting and friendly.

Even if I did stay for coffee and read, I don't think I would be able to. As said before, its a small place and with such size, the peoples conversation would be loud. There were four people there and one guy was quite loud and a bit annoying. Think he was talking about live bands or art shows. Point is that it does not feel like a place to sit down and read in peace.

Now with the good.

As said before, we went there for the books and they had a decent collection of used books. They seem to have mainly regular fiction, like mysteries and thrillers, but they had others too such as Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, etc. They even have Poetry, Self Helps. I was mainly looking through the Horror and Fantasy sections.

Although I must say, I find it kind of odd that they would have How-to books in such a place. Why sit at a coffee place and read how to make a shelf? Shrug, not me I guess.

I normally don't buy used books for various reasons, but I still like to look to see if I can find a book I would enjoy and cannot find anymore new. Despite being used, the books seemed in quite good condition. Some even in Like New condition. Obviously I cannot say this is true for all books, but the books I looked through. Found two Ravenloft books that I believe I would enjoy and would never be able to find anywhere else.

Prices are another good thing. One sign said the Hard Covers were $7.50. Not sure if that is all of them, but I assume between $7.50-$10.00+tax. The Paperbacks on the other hand seemed like they were less then $5+tax. Both my books ended up being just under $8 after tax.

Although I did not buy any drinks or food, the prices seemed cheap.

Last good thing is friendly staff. Although we only spoke for a minute, I got the imprecision of friendly helpful staff. I even found out there was more books in the basement, but only regular book staff can help me if I wish to find a particular book.

Bottom line:

Its definitely an interesting place, despite its size, and I would ask you to go check out and see if its your thing. Perhaps even find a book you have been looking for. The food and drink seemed inexpensive too, so you may find a new hangout and coffee place. I found it enjoyable and may even return for some books and maybe even a coffee and snack, which means I will have to revise my review at some point.

Hope you enjoy my review and experience.

Goodbye and God bless.

They should rename this place "The Plastic Cafe." All the baked goods are swaddled in copious amounts of plastic wrap and the boiling hot tea is served to you in a container that is also made of plastic. Yikes.

Being inside this place feels a little bit like being wrapped in plastic as well. Sometimes they open the back door to allow air to circulate, but none of the windows open, nor does the front door have a window that opens to allow a cross-breeze.

Invest in some glass containers under which to place your baked goods. They will look better and be healthier for your customers. Could be 4 stars if they were more green.

Don't believe all this plastic is really bad for you? Think again:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trace-chemicals-in-everyday-food-packaging-cause-worry-over-cumulative-threat/2012/04/16/gIQAUILvMT_story.html

I really, really, really like this place. It has become my new favorite coffee place hangout. They serve great loose leaf tea, organic fair trade coffee, and matcha tea. The people who work there are great also. I don't feel like i'm coming into an impersonal Starbucks but rather into a community setting that feels welcoming. Plus they got basically free wifi. Also great salads, vegan treats, and the books...almost forgot, lots and lots of used books at decent prices. I wish it was open earlier as it only opens at 8am cause i would probably stop by for more morning coffees but i guess they want to sleep in which is fine. The owner bill is great also, really friendly guy with great energy. So yeah, support this great local cafe!

I was here tonight and the woman working was just so, so nice. My tea pot (the type that you put on top of the cup to dispense) was leaky, so she came over with a cloth to clean up and get me a refill. She brought me my refill back and then I managed to put it on the edge of the cloth and the whole thing drained out on to my table before I even noticed. She was really helpful in getting it cleaned up and very concerned about my laptop and then brought me a whole fresh pot and cup, which was super nice, even though it was my own stupid fault for spilling the whole pot.

It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday evening - there was only one other table there when I arrived around 8:30. Oh well, it was nice to have the place mostly to myself :)

Beautiful neighbourhood, perfect for a stroll to this cute cafe. Best London Fog in Winnipeg.

I am back here at least once a month an always find the staff pleasant and helpful, and they know how to make coffee. They have recently add cold press coffee which is on the list to try next time.

Good tea, hi priced pastries. Books are hard to look for as cafe tables are next to shelves. Prices are reasonably inexpensive ($5 to $20) but the selection is extremely poor. Last time I went there it was closed.

Great atmosphere! It is exactly what one would expect from a "neighbourhood" cafe! Tons of books to buy or read while you sip/eat. Will definitely go back. The owner and staff are also very friendly and welcoming.