#1. Trident Booksellers & Café
I’m currently in Halifax, Nova Scotia (where my husband is from!) so no better place to kick-off the official BOOKSHOP BUCKET LIST than on the east coast of Canada. The first place I went to was Trident Booksellers & Café on Hollis Street, as I used to frequent its New England sibling when I lived in Boston. Although the Halifax location is smaller, it’s got the same cozy brick exterior and signature faded vintage signage.
🏨 HISTORY
Trident Booksellers & Café is a longstanding neighbourhood second hand bookshop and speciality coffeehouse.
They’ve been in business for over three decades (!!!) after first opening in 1992 on Argyle Street, moving to Hollis Street in 2000.
Founded by former owners Hudson and Janet Shotwell, after they retired in 2015, they left their Halifax location in the hands of Tracy Stevens.
The bookshop’s history spans even further, with an original location in Boulder, Colorado, which continues to operate under the state’s magnificent skies and mountains. There’s also one in Boston on Newbury street (I used to go there a lot when I lived in Boston!)
📝 LOU’S NOTES:
Quaint, cozy ambience as soon as you walk inside
Decor-wise, I loved the checkerboard flooring and beautiful dark wood shelving.
The owner plays a selection of jazz (with hints of blues) from the ‘30s to early ‘60s throughout the bookshop, which instantly made me feel relaxed and also like maybe I should start sipping on a scotch and smoking a pipe
With tables and chairs placed throughout the shop, it seemed like a welcoming local haunt where people could stop in and stay awhile to skim the paper—(love that they stock multiple copies of The New Yorker, The New York Book Review, and various national newspapers)—read a book, or chat with friends over a pastry and a coffee (I got the chai tea latte and it was delicious, I hear the lemon pistachio cake & croissants are also to die for)
They’ve got a great selection of books that were well organized and easy to browse—everything from sci-fi to mystery to gardening to buddhism to fiction (and various collectible versions of Anne of Green Gables!)
Trident is a nice relaxing place for book lovers and I can see why it’s a much beloved neighbourhood staple enticing customers of all walks of life to frequent the bookshop & café
📍LOCATION: 1256 Hollis St, Halifax, NS B3J 1T6
🕰 HOURS:
Monday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Wednesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Thursday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
📲 SOCIAL LINKS:
Website/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tridenthalif
