A long-time Dartmouth bookstore is in danger of closing.
John W. Doull Bookseller opened in 1987 but they have to payoff about $20,000 in back rent and other payments by Friday.
Jacob Smith has worked at the store for five years and he’s more optimistic than he was earlier in the week.
“People have been showing up. It’s been incredible. The community seems to be coming together for it. And we’re appreciating every little
bit,” says Smith.
The John W. Doull Bookseller store is pictured on July 23, 2025. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
The store is the largest used bookstore in Atlantic Canada, with lots of rare and out-of-print finds.
Michael Herchan walked out of the store on Thursday morning with a new-to-him gardening book.
It was his first time in the store, but he saw a news report about the store and thought he would stop in.
It was “beautiful, big store,” he said.
“If you’re looking for a book, and you can’t find it here, it’s not made.”
A man squats in a hall of books at the John W. Doull Bookseller store in Dartmouth on July 23, 2025. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
Smith says being a secondhand bookstore, they often struggle to keep up with the bills, but they are behind enough that a bailiff came on Friday last week and changed their locks.
If they cannot find the money, then they will lose the store and the stock in it, and the books could be thrown away or auctioned off.
Smith says if they make their money back, they will make changes.
“I would say we’ve been here for a little while, but I know we haven’t really had a social media presence or anything, or maybe the best reputation in the past. But if we can make the money, then we’re going to change a lot of things about how the store was run and hopefully keep a better face for the business.”
