Encore Books and Records is hands down, my favorite spot in NDG. Located at 5670 Sherbrooke Ouest, this lovely spot is filled wall to wall with books, movies, CDs, VHS tapes, magazines, graphic novels, comics and vinyl records.
Once I found out that they also buy used books and films, they became the only place I went in order to sell my used goods. To give you an idea of how it works, I had offered about 20 DVDs and they were only able to take about five of them. However, it was the season for Spring cleaning, and there were several people getting rid of items. For those 20 DVDs, I would have received five dollars. However, I chose to do an exchange in which I was paid $7 and got that amount taken off of my purchase.
Yes, you can sell your items online for a bigger profit, but this was easier and faster to do. Anything that they would not take, I donated.
The staff is very polite and they make you feel like you’ve known them for years. I am definitely going back there for future purchases; they had a great selection.
Shaika Cafe [Now Permanently Closed]
A few blocks up from Encore, is Shaika Café. I have posted previously about Café TWIGS. Shaika is like the NDG version of TWIGS. It has a very artsy feel to it and I ran into two people I know while being there. I love NDG for being able to run into friends no matter where you are.
I enjoyed a delicious Vegan Wrap (House-made hummus, grated carrot, cucumber, mixed greens and snow pea shoots in a spinach tortilla). It was delicious. They also offer a wide variety of food from pizza and sandwiches to wraps, soup, cookies, muffins and bagels. They also serve alcoholic beverages and smoothies. Wi-Fi is available to those who wish to work in a great setting.
At night, they usually have performers who do live music from an assortment of genres. I will definitely be returning to enjoy this café again. You can also take your meal to go and head right across the street to enjoy Girouard park.