Chumleighs

I only review stores that sell retro-​games — see my other reviews if you want to see more.
If you are into gaming then you should check out this store when you are in the Ottawa area. I usually find popular titles for about $ 5 less than all game stores in Ottawa. The same goes for the movies or TV box sets.
The only caveat here are the trade-​ins; don’t expect to get a lot of cash for your items, no matter if the title is new or popular. To be fair, their shelf prices are pretty reasonable in relationship to the value accepted for trades.
They usually have a few consoles for sale (Sega Genesis, N64, PS3 and Wii) but not too much selection of retro games. Every so often, they will have complete in box (CIB) SNES and Sega games, so pop in once in a while to see what’s current because they don’t have an inventory of their stock on-​line.
Check it out if you’re into TV, movies or gaming. The staff are friendly too.

A great store overall! Here are the highlights — The store is quite small with narrow aisles but they make good use of space so you can still read all the titles — they don’t pile things in front of each other or just throw things in a bin. The prices are great — movies seem to range from about $ 4 – 7 and they often have promotions like buy 3 get one free. I have never had a problem with any DVDs I’ve bough in terms of them being scratched or damaged. I can’t really comment on the staff because I haven’t spoken to them anymore than to just buy my items — they let you browse in peace and I like that.
I use to go to Chumleigh’s a few times a month when it was further north on Bank Street, since it has moved to the Glebe I now go every few months, just because it is less convenient. It is still the same great store though, and in my opinion it is the best place in the downtown/​centretown area for used DVDs.
It was interesting to read the other reviewer’s opinion that it is a used video game store because I have always thought of it as a used DVD store, so I guess it must cater to both equally. I don’t really game so my review is primarily of the DVD part.
They have a fairly large selection of DVDs (movies, TV shows, music DVDs, etc). There is a good turnover of movies so if they don’t have what you’re looking for at the time they may have it in a month or so. However, it is mostly mainstream titles and some cult classics so if you’re looking for a copy of L’avventura or L’humanité to complete your collect of French films you may want to look elsewhere.
Finally, here’s my reason for dropping a star. Although when I dropped in this past weekend it wasn’t an issue, I do know that when it is very hot outside the store is almost unbearable. There is no air conditioning which would be okay if there was some sort of air circulation, a fan or something, otherwise it is exceedingly hot and stuffy — to the point where you want to leave just so you can breathe again.
Overall, I would recommend this store for its selection of DVDs and the prices.

This location didn’t open too too long ago. At first, there was no sign or anything outside, so it was a bit sketchy when you walked by thinking, «What is this place?». and then it’s not long before you realize there’s a couch in there with someone just sitting and playing N64, and anyone is welcome to play. Now their sign has a couple of original Nintendo controllers on it, so if you’ve ever played Nintendo in your life, you’d be well aware that this is a video game store.
Super low key and casual, it’s a pretty cool place to pop by and see what’s new (or old). You see, Chumleighs is basically a second-​hand store for video games, consoles and controllers, DVDs, and even some VHS tapes. It’s pretty awesome what you’ll find in there, and all of them are at pretty cheap prices. If you see something you like, buy it, because I’ve been here a couple of times where I thought that no one would pick up the game I wanted, and low and behold, gone. The sales people are really nice, and prices are completely affordable, and, in some cases, suspiciously way below what they’re worth. If you’re lucky, you can find new games that people have just ripped through, but resold at a completely reasonable price, and cheaper than what you would find in other stores, even those that sell used games as well. You’ll even get to see some old school Nintendo and Super NES games, along with original Playstation and the like. Solid place to take your chance at if you’re looking for something that is no longer as readily available as it used to be. They also buy your used games from you — score!
¹³⁄₃₀ #30DaysOfYelp