Agricola Street Books. Halifax’s Independent Used Bookstore
From a Podcast Inspiration to One of Halifax’s Most Beautiful Bookstores
It started with a podcast and a vision: to create a space where books deserve beautiful surroundings and people deserve genuine connections. We're authentic. We're intentional. We're independent. And we're grateful you're here.
Agricola Street Books
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OUR STORY
How Agricola Street Books Came to Be
Founded by Oona Craig, Educator & Book Lover
Our founder, Oona Craig, spent years as a teacher with an MA in Classics from Dalhousie University before opening Agricola Street Books. Her background in education and her love for reading, books, and learning shaped everything about our store. When she and her husband Nick moved to Halifax from Toronto in 2015 with their two sons, they bought a building on Agricola Street and began renovating it slowly. With family roots deep in Nova Scotia, putting down roots here felt like coming home.
The building is also home to the family's other business, Debate Camp Canada. While Oona continued teaching, she heard an episode of the podcast Don't Keep Your Day Job about a woman who opened a book truck. Something clicked. She wanted to create a space in Halifax that felt like the big bookstores where families could wander and discover something exciting, but without the pressure and complexity of dealing with new book returns and wholesale orders. Used books made sense. They offer incredible variety, lower prices, and genuine accessibility. More than that, they allow us to work directly with Halifax readers.
What happened next was truly a community effort. Nick designed and built all the custom wooden bookshelves throughout the space. Oona's sons, former students, and friends helped with construction. Every wooden shelf, every architectural detail, every design choice was intentional.
The open second floor overlooking the main level. The antique stained glass pieces. The two-story pendant light fixture. The natural light flooding the children's room with its original oak floors. These weren't just decorative choices. They were designed to make you feel like you belong. We wanted to create a space that was peaceful, uncluttered, and beautiful. A space where the experience of discovering books mattered just as much as the books themselves.
The buyback program works the same way. Books come directly from Halifax readers. About 85% of our inventory comes through this program. Our collection is constantly changing, carefully chosen, and reflects what people are actually reading. We're not trying to stock every bestseller or compete with big box stores. We're offering you discovery. The kind of browsing experience where you find books you didn't know you needed.
When COVID hit, it tested everything. Teaching Latin online helped us stay afloat and reinforced why books, education, and genuine human connection matter so much. Oona's teaching background continues to shape everything about how we operate, from how we interact with you to what causes we support in the community.
DID YOU KNOW
Why a Tractor?
Agricola is Latin for "farmer," representing cultivation and growth. Since our founder's background is in Classics, and teaching Latin helped us survive COVID, we wanted to honour that connection.
The tractor in our logo represents building something from the ground up, and the female farmer driving it? That's Oona.
2024 RECOGNITION
Recognition & Awards
Forbes recognized us as one of Halifax's beautiful bookstores, and The Coast named us Best Independent Bookstore in 2024.
But the real recognition comes from you walking in and immediately feeling relaxed. That's when we know we've created what we set out to build.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Supporting What Matters in Halifax
We believe in education, supporting kids, caring for animals, and standing up for human rights. We partner with Halifax schools for reading programs, support Hope for Wildlife and Bide Awhile Cat Shelter, donate to Feed Nova Scotia, and sponsor Dalhousie University's O-week. We also support UNHCR Canada.
We don’t say yes to every request, but when something aligns with who we are, we show up.
Our community is our neighbours on Agricola Street, our regular visitors, the families in our loyalty program, our book club members, and everyone who genuinely appreciates books and connection.
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HALIFAX BEST BOOK STORE
Come Discover Us!
When you walk into Agricola Street Books, we want you to feel relaxed, excited, and curious. This is a peaceful space with quiet music, comfortable seating, and room to wander. You're welcome to browse without purchasing. You're welcome to bring your family, your dog, or come alone. Everyone belongs here.