- From: The Australian
- March 12, 2011
Suzy Wilson, of Riverbend Books in Bulimba, Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen Source: The Australian
'WE'RE all a little bit crazy. We're all a little bit obsessive. We all work far too hard. We're really passionate about what we do. We all do a huge amount of unpaid work in the community. We're all literary award judges. We talk to schools. We're passionate about literacy."
Fiona Stager, co-founder of Avid Reader in Brisbane's inner south, is describing the sort of people who own and operate independent bookstores across the country.
Suzy Wilson, owner of Riverbend Books in Bulimba, an inner-east suburb of the Queensland capital, wouldn't argue with that assessment. There's "a certain addiction to doing this", she says. "I love it and believe in it. I believe in how important bookshops are in communities, to the extent that I'm not prepared to disappear." With a laugh, she adds an afterthought, "Which my accountant thinks would be a really good idea."
Entrance to Riverbend Books is gained by passing through the bustling Teahouse, Riverbend's cafe. Monday morning business is brisk and walk-ins are hard-pressed to find empty seats. Inside, dozens browse the shelves; among them, young professionals and mothers with babes in arms. The sound of children laughing and playing echoes throughout the space. Handwritten staff recommendations hang from every other shelf. Overhead, a jazz soundtrack is played at just the right volume.
A former schoolteacher, Wilson knows "a lot about literacy and the ways of leading children towards books", but had "less than zero" business knowledge when she decided to open the store in 1998. Based on what she gleaned from books on the subject -- and what other medium would a prospective bookshop owner use to increase her knowledge? -- it became clear that since her business would not be based in a shopping centre or an area with a high passing trade, Wilson needed "some other thing to make it a destination".
Hence the Teahouse. Initially, a relaxation of Bulimba's town planning laws allowed her to sell coffee, sushi and sandwiches, but not hot food. Since then, the overall store space has doubled and the Teahouse is now a restaurant in its own right, serving breakfast and lunch daily. Its earnings account for about 30 per cent of Riverbend's overall business, but Wilson hopes the books and food split will return to 50-50, as it was in recent years. The two operations "complement each other really nicely", she says.
Visiting authors have commented on the bookstore's atmosphere. Children's author James Maloney regards it as the "community church", and another writer compared it with an English pub, referring to the store's power as a social space. "I really like that role," says Wilson, eloquent and generous in conversation, and with her praise of others.
Last year Wilson travelled to New York with Stager and two other bookshop owners, Mark Rubbo and Derek Dryden. Dryden is owner of Better Read Than Dead, in Sydney's Newtown and Rubbo is general manager of independent chain Readings, which operates six shops across Melbourne. "He's one of the few who's significantly increased his online sales," Wilson says, with unbridled admiration.
Rubbo makes the point that "people will always want to have some face-to-face contact and the pleasure of going into a bookshop, discovering things and talking to people. I think it will always be important. But that aspect of the business is losing market share to internet retailers."
Wilson nevertheless gives the impression she would rather not have to deal with questions about her business and its future, whether asked by her accountant, her customers or a journalist. The mere existence of pleasant, inviting bookshops such as her own should be punctuated with an exclamation point, not a question mark. After all, what else but passion could fuel the pursuit of an endeavour such as hers?
Read the full piece at The Australian.
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