Beloved Dartmouth bookstore to remain open after surge in community support

An iconic bookstore in Dartmouth, N.S., that faced eviction over two months of unpaid rent was able to raise the money it needed to get caught up, thanks to an outpouring of support from the community.

John W. Doull, Bookseller has been an institution in the city since 1987. It specializes in rare and out-of-print books, but carries a wide selection of literature on almost every topic imaginable.

The deadline for the bookstore to get caught up was Friday. It was previously estimated the store needed to bring in $15,000 to $20,000 to raise enough revenue to pay for outstanding rent and next month's rent. Books were discounted by 40 per cent to entice people to come out.

In a post on its website, the business thanked the public for the surge in support and said it would reopen Monday.

"It has been enough to keep us open for another month, has given us a HUGE boost to our morale, and we have great plans for the future!" it said.

CBC News contacted the business for comment, but has not heard back.

The business was previously located on Barrington Street in Halifax, but moved to Main Street in Dartmouth in 2012.

Its landlord, Yellowstone Commercial Developments, confirmed the bookstore paid what was owed.

"We were very surprised and kind of happy to see how many vehicles were in the parking lot and how many people were coming in through the building. It hasn't been like that for as long as we can remember," said controller Will Radford.

With nearly four decades in business, owner John W. Doull estimated in 2023 that the store has between two million and three million books in its collection.