Curated, not exhaustive
We can't stock everything Amazon carries, and we don't try. We choose books we'd actually recommend — and we're honest when something isn't for us.
Our story
Why King Street West
Quay Street Books opened in the spring of 2019. Helen Marsh, who had managed a bookstore in Peterborough for twelve years, and her partner David Okonkwo, a retired high-school English teacher, spent a year looking for the right space in Cobourg before signing a lease on a narrow storefront near the old post office.
The name comes from the harbour quay a few blocks south — the town's original reason for being here. We wanted something that sounded local without being cute.
We opened with eight hundred titles on the shelves and a second-hand armchair by the window. Within a year, regulars were leaving coffee money in a jar and asking when we'd start hosting readings. So we cleared out the stockroom, added chairs, and put up a corkboard for community notices.
What we stand for
Independent, on purpose
Local first
Northumberland County authors get shelf space and event slots. We work with schools and the library on summer reading lists and class visits.
A third place
Bookshops should be somewhere you can come in without buying anything. Sit, browse, ask a question. That's the whole idea.
The team
Who you'll meet
Helen Marsh — Owner. Orders stock, runs events, and knows where every Margaret Atwood title is shelved.
David Okonkwo — Co-owner. Handles accounts, repairs chairs, and leads the mystery book club.
Jen Liu — Part-time bookseller since 2021. Runs story time and manages our children's section.
Marcus Bell — Weekend counter. University student, poetry reader, will talk your ear off about graphic novels if you let him.
We're a small crew. If you email or call, you'll usually get Helen or David — not a call centre.