Is there any greater pleasure than losing yourself in another universe, your own problems disintegrating with each turn of the page? Discover your next adventure via our local portals, the bookstores of Subiaco.
Subiaco has a rich history of bookstores, from second-hand to inspiration-centric book businesses in the past, but two remain stalwarts of the Rokeby shopping scene.
In 1989, The Subiaco Bookshop flung open its doors to readers with a mother-daughter duo at the helm. The mother, June Steen-Olsen, is now 97 and has left the business running to the daughter, Leigh Mann, who prefers not to discuss quite how many years they’ve been open but is very happy to still be there.
“My mum and I didn’t know anything at the time about selling books, but we wanted to own a business together so when this bookshop came up for sale, we took it on and that was it!” Leigh recalls. “Now I have my husband Gary running it with me and we’re still open seven days a week.”
The shop is an ode to Leigh’s diverse taste, with unusual and beautiful books lining the shelves and piled high upon the tables, like a treasure trove of gems to be discovered.
“I do all the buying and my eclectic taste seems to resonate with a lot of people who keep coming back, which I love,” Leigh says.
“If you look around, we really do only buy the books Leigh likes so we only have about four books on sport and nothing on cars – but a lot on cooking!” Gary says.
However, Leigh’s taste is often swayed by customer recommendations as much as she points them in the right direction. Whether people buy or not, Leigh and Gary welcome everyone into their store, and appreciate many just come in to have a look.
“If they buy a book, that’s just a bonus,” Leigh says. “But we find there is a lot support in Subiaco for local, independent businesses and we enjoy doing the same and shop regularly at Rokeby Road stores like Farmer Jacks and Dallimores.”
Another local friend is the other bookstore on Rokeby, with zero competitive vibes – Dymocks Subiaco.
“Dymocks and the Subiaco Bookshop complement each other – we regularly send people to each other’s stores and it just creates a bigger range of books rather than competition,” Leigh says.
Dymocks Subiaco owner Tim Thomas zings with positive energy about the industry and anything book-related.
“Rokeby Road is a great place to be, we support each other and if I need to get my stickers off and share the books around, I do it,” Tim says.
Running a bookshop has been a lifelong dream for Tim, who knew from a young age he had to work with books.
“I worked out very early on that I really loved working in books and the only way I could really do it long term would be if I owned a bookshop, so from the age of around 18 I started to figure out the path doing that,” Tim says.
From running a market book stall while studying business at university to working as a casual in bookshops to see what worked (and didn’t), Tim cut his teeth as a weekend casual at Subiaco’s Dymocks when the owner was ready to sell in 2017.
“I was a little ahead of schedule, but I had a lot of support from my co-workers to buy the business and by the time everything was signed over, we had very strong, detailed plans on the direction we wanted to take it,” Tim says.
His love for books and the readers who flooded in was quickly recognised, and by 2018, Dymocks Subiaco won the Chairman’s Award for Retail Excellence at the 2018 Dymocks national conference. Eight years into owning the bookshop, Tim continues to bring fun into the store each day.
“My general approach is mostly just to have fun,” Tim says. “I like introducing people to books that they are going to love and seeing their reaction when they come back and tell me ‘it was awesome, I loved it’. Finding the right book for someone, even if it’s not my style or something I would enjoy, is so much fun.”
When visiting either bookstore, both sets of owners love it when customers approach them for advice or to discuss the latest genre trends.
“Right now, the Romantasy section and any book that brings the good vibes are having big moments,” Tim says. “Cosy books across every genre, like Legends and Lattes, are like getting a giant bear hug while you read them.”
Down in the Subiaco Bookshop, readers are drawn to the non-fiction table where current affairs are explored from all angles.
“There’s a strong move towards current affairs and we like to get in books with different views on a topic, so you have a balanced view,” Gary says. “The more perspectives we open ourselves up to, the better.”
A beautiful life lesson indeed. Regardless of what genre you go in for, any visit to our Subiaco bookstores will uplift your spirit whether it’s via the perfectly chosen book or the discussion you’ll have amongst the shelves. Pop in and see for yourself.
