The best all-around hobby store within proximity to Ottawa. Covers pretty much all the bases in the…read moremodel domain; trains (HO and N, DCC & DC), plastic kits (cars, boats, planes, motorcycles etc), diecasts, magazines, etc. Especially well stocked in model building raw materials. Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff. Of special note for the model train community is their train expert who does repairs, upgrades and general maintenance at reasonable rates. Glad to have this store in our city.

A nice, little, local store with lots of selection and very friendly service. They have a ton of…read morehobby-related products (with a focus on model trains and other vehicles) and a very well-organized setup. Those products aren't my particular area of expertise so I can't comment on their specifics. I do know, however, that they have a good selection of tools and scenery items available if you're into tabletop gaming. Basically every hobby tool you could need, they have, as well as an okay selection of paint as well (they are missing some of the ultra-high quality acrylic brands used for wargames, e.g. p3, vgc, citadel). I went in looking specifically for some terrain items from the Woodland Scenics brand and they have a ton of those in stock. Their prices for those items (flock, bushes, etc.) are also very good as well, beating both Amazon and Wal-Mart. There's also a bunch of other items in the store (puzzles, magazines, other collectibles) that I didn't really pay close attention to. Overall, it looks like a great place to go for a wide selection of general hobby supplies.

This is such a cool store right from the entrance that's filled with manga (in English and French),…read morefigures of all sizes, and even has two floors. You could spend so much time wandering and taking it all in.

Imaginaire opened on October 21, 2023. It's a chain from Quebec and this location is the first one…read moreoutside of Quebec. It is located in the Rideau Centre and spans 2 floors. It's huge. It has board games, comics, collectible cards, Funko Pop, LARP gear, dice and so much more. Prices are a bit on the high side, and I didn't see any sales while I was there, but their inventory is huge and it's fun to poke around. (66)

We used to frequent Fandom II when we lived here, but moved to Vancouver about a decade ago and…read morehaven't been back. Walking by it last night, we decided to stop in and take a look around. There was a desk parked in front of the door, and someone waiting by it. They let us know that while you could take a walk around, they preferred you know exactly what you were looking for and they'd fetch it for you. Completely understandable, considering the small store and the state of the pandemic. No problem on our end, whatsoever. We let him know we weren't looking for anything in particular, and would just come back another time, and thank you, but he was adamant that there must be one particular thing we'd be looking for. He was getting weirdly accusatory about it, when we had not at all been aggressive towards him. He asked which particular fandom we liked, and my husband said "pretty much all of them - comics, D&D, mini painting-" to which the shopkeeper responded by interrupting, with no levity at all, "that's what someone who's not actually a geek would say." The hell, guy? Rather then try and defend our extensive nerd cred with this uppity troll, we told him we'd rather spend our money elsewhere and happily visited The Comic Book Shoppe, fighting the urge to swing by on the way back with our purchases, shouting "BIG MISTAKE", Pretty-Woman-Style.

Though I have patronized Fandom II for decades and spent hundreds of dollars here, I was…read moreconsistently treated badly. I think I was willing to put up with this when I shouldn't have. It is every single time I go there that I feel the seething hostility of the owner, for no reason I could imagine. I used to think he was like Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, surly and acted like you were lucky to be in his store, but I think he's more like the Ice King from Adventure Time, more of a misanthropic sociopath I have reached my limit for how much I can take, I would rather shop online then go here, I will never shop here again and I hope it shuts down, Ottawa would be better served by an empty lot.

March 15, 2025 -- unfortunately, this store at this address apparently no longer is in business…read more Drove by today to visit it and was unable to locate it at the address given (725 de la Carriere Blvd Gatineau, QC J8Y 6T9). The listed telephone number ((819) 770-5050) is for a private residence.

This was my second time heading to this store in hopes if finding a board game, and the second time…read moreI have been absolutely floored by the lack of customer service. When we walked in at around 6:30pm on a weeknight, the entire store was deserted but there was a tournament of some sort going on. Te same thing happened the last time we came. I'm all about having tournaments, but these instances majorly hindered the business. The first time we went in there was literally no staff at the counter. Even after waiting, no one ever came and no one asked us if we needed help. The second time we came, there was someone behind the counter, but when we asked for help he said "I can't help you, I don't work here," in an incredibly rude tone. I couldn't believe this! We then wandered around looking for the board game we were on the hunt for, and still, no one seemed to be available to help us. On our way out the door, someone told us to "have a good night." When we asked him if he actually worked there, he said yes and asked if he could help us. He told is he had the game we were looking for, but not the version we wanted because "no one carries it anymore." (Note: we found it down the street at Mastermind Toys - ha!) Unless you enjoy the tournaments they host here, I would avoid this place. That is, unless you check their schedule and make sure not to go during one of their events.

Love this place! Super friendly and helpful! They have a great selection of anime and gundam :)read more

I realized during this trip that I missed reviewing a number of places that I had stopped by during…read moremy last trip to Ottawa nearly four years ago. One of them was Paper Papier. Oops! Back in November 2015, I stayed in ByWard Market and walked around. I stumbled across this gem. The store sells stationery, greeting cards, fountain pens, and more. I ended up getting two greeting cards. I got one with a polar bear for a friend who absolutely loved it. I got another one that showed the Rideau Canal during the winter for another friend. I love unique cards and she was thrilled that I thought about her during my trip. I have always loved stationery and pens. This store has a fantastic selection of fountain pens. I remember longingly looking at all the Lamy pens and ink refills. There are plenty of notebooks to choose from if you like scribbling notes here and there. It's nice adopting the old-school method of doing things, especially when you cell phone, laptop, or tablet runs out of battery power. I'm so glad that this store continues to exist and thrive. It's closer to the U.S. Embassy. It's worth dropping by, especially when you are looking for cool gift ideas. (212)

This store is gorgeous! Lovely cards, decorative paper, and notebooks. They have a huge selection…read moreof the popular Leuchtturm1917 bullet journals and planners. In the back corner of the store, there's a beautiful selection of assorted plants and flowers. I also saw a couple of Filofaxes for sale hidden in a cart at the front of the store!

I felt accepted there like one of the regulars as soon as i stepped in. The people are warm and…read morefriendly, they are accepting of anyone. The comics are of high quality. It's not cheap pulp crap you see elsewhere. It's printed on real nice paper. People love these books. You can tell people there are having the time of their life. I would go everyday if I could but believe me, I have a busy schedule. I do.

The Comic Book Shoppe is a solid place for anything geek-related…read more Among the stuff you can find here are trading cards, great for me since I wanted to get some MtG boosters. In fact, there must've been a promotion going on, since my friend who doesn't play was given a free draft booster, probably in an attempt to keep the noble tradition alive. The other stuff you can get are varied. You have comics (evidently) in the style of manga and western graphic novels. I also noticed some magazines and art books. Aside from these are some interesting board games, apparel, figurines, action figures, and miscellaneous accessories. There's also a place for games; I saw people playing with cards (likely also Magic). The store is completely judgment-free, so don't worry if you feel like you stick out. The staff here are very friendly and will help you find what you need.