CalgaryHorror bookstore Nocturne Books opened its doors in Calgary this month. It’s part of a growing number of independent bookstores opening in Canada dedicated solely to one genre. More stores popping up in Canadian cities that are dedicated solely to one genreJennifer Keiller · CBC News · Posted: Nov 29, 2025 8:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Nocturne Books, a new horror-themed bookstore in Calgary, opened its doors in Marda Loop on Nov. 22. (Jennifer Keiller/CBC News )When Nocturne Books, Calgary’s new horror-themed bookstore, opened its doors this month, co-owner Scott Ross-Molyneux brought a book of his own to read on opening day, thinking he might have some downtime.He did not.“I haven’t had a chance to read at all,” said Ross-Molyneux. “I’ve just been doing transactions and chatting with people.” Ross-Molyneux opened the store in Marda Loop with his wife, Allison Iriye, who he said is a horror fanatic. He had his doubts. He wondered if independent bookstores are still a viable business. And are there even enough horror books in existence to fill an entire store? “Then over the year, my wife proceeded to bring home so many books that I realized, yeah, we can make this work,” he said. Husband and wife Scott Ross-Molyneux and Allison Iriye opened horror-themed Nocturne Books this month. Ross-Molyneux says he was surprised how busy they were opening day. (Jennifer Keiller/CBC News )Nocturne Books is part of a growing trend of niche bookstores dedicated to one genre.Little Ghosts serves up horror books in Toronto. Raven’s End Books does the same in Winnipeg. Edmonton has the romance-themed Book Boudoir, while in Toronto, Hopeless Romantic Bookshop is “where love stories reign supreme,” according to its website.Supporting independent For years, it seems a steady drumbeat has foretold the death of the independent bookstore. You’ve Got Mail warned us about the threat of the big chain stamping out the little guy — and that was before Amazon evolved into the e-commerce behemoth it’s become. But that demise has not materialized. “The independent bookselling sector is thriving and very healthy,” said Laura Carter, executive director of the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association. Carter said the “buy Canadian” movement has helped buoy sales this year, and a desire to buy local and a preference for physical books has kept customers coming back. The association counts more than 200 independent retailers among its members, and there are more still that are unaffiliated with the organization. Carter said there are roughly 200 French sellers as well. The organization does not track the number of genre-specific stores, but Carter said she is seeing more and more pop up. “If you go into a regular bookstore, you might see a shelf of horror books or a small section of the store devoted to romance,” said Carter. “But this is a chance to go into a store with like-minded people, see what you love in much greater numbers than you normally get to experience and then get new suggestions for books that you might have missed.” LISTEN | The return of the bookstore:Cost of Living8:55The return of the bookstoreFantasy, sports, monster romance (yes, monster romance!) — these are some of the reasons why more independent bookstores are popping up across Canada. Producer Tracy Johnson looks at the return of the bookstore and how e-books and Amazon didn’t kill them after all.The power of happy endingsRoss-Molyneux and Iriye got the idea to open their store after visiting Slow Burn Books, just a couple of steps away from their new business.Nicola MacNaughton opened it in 2023 with her sister, inspired by similar ventures she had seen in countries like the U.S. and Australia. She describes it as Canada’s first brick-and-mortar romance book shop. Traffic has been steady over the past two years — even through Marda Loop construction frustrations — so much so that in recent months, the shop moved to a new spot a few doors down that is double its original size. Nicola MacNaughton opened Slow Burn Books with her sister in 2023. She says the store was Canada’s first brick-and-mortar shop dedicated exclusively to romance books. (Jennifer Keiller/CBC News)So what is it about romance that MacNaughton thinks draws those crowds? “In times like these, when life is a little challenging sometimes, it’s nice to have an escape and know that the ending of a book is going to have that happily ever after,” she said.”Even if the middle of the book puts you through the ringer.”A sense of community Happy endings aside, MacNaughton said there is something else that attracts customers to her store. “It becomes a community,” said MacNaughton. “So I think that is why, yes, people can get books for cheaper elsewhere, but the community aspect is what really drives people to come back over and again.” Readers can choose their own adventure with these surprise books wrapped up at Slow Burn Books, featuring a blurb about the plot and common tropes it contains. (Jennifer Keiller/CBC News)Paula Russel was one of the customers on opening day at Nocturne Books. A self-described lifelong horror lover, she wanted to support an independent seller curating books to her taste. “Honestly, it’s just nice to have kind of shared spaces with people with similar interests,” said Russel. Despite his earlier doubts, Ross-Molyneux feels confident there is a market for stores like his. “I think in a world saturated with digital products and digital subscriptions — that kind of thing — it’s really calming in a way, which is kind of ironic because we’re doing horror books … to just go in, purchase a physical item,” said Ross-Molyneux, “and take it home.” ABOUT THE AUTHORJennifer is a reporter with CBC Calgary. Previously, she worked for CTV News in Toronto. You can reach her at jennifer.keiller@cbc.ca
From love stories to horror: the rise of themed bookstores
