Stephanie Beck and Mischa Parkee, both 31-year-old full-time teachers, opened The Rose Read Bookshop in Sydney's Summer Hill using an inheritance from Beck's mother. 'I thought, this is not a money-making venture,' Beck said, but it felt like a 'meaningful way' to use the funds. The shop aims to be a community hub with children's events, parent and baby gatherings, free events, and affordable book clubs. 'A place where people meet others and expand their perspectives,' Parkee added.
Steep Decline in Australian Bookstores
Independent research published last year found the number of bookstores in Australia fell by 49% in a decade, from 2,879 in 2013 to 1,457 in 2023. Rising rents and competition from major retailers like Kmart and Amazon are blamed. The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) reports that 24% of independent booksellers do not pay themselves a wage.
ABA CEO Susannah Bowen said: 'We have so many bookshops running on empty. The typical owner-operator bookseller is working incredibly long hours, either not paying themselves at all or paying themselves way less than they could earn elsewhere.' About 40% of local bookshops report under $50,000 profit each year, according to the ABA.
Community Spaces vs. Economic Pressures
Surviving indie bookshops function as community gathering spaces, hosting live talks and events. But Bowen says the industry needs more government support. Earlier this year, the ABA proposed a cultural policy submission including tax offsets on Australian titles, price-fixing measures common in Europe (supported by author Richard Flanagan), and legislation to recognise bookshops as essential cultural spaces.
Terri-Jane Dow, owner of Cursive Knives bookstore in Fortitude Valley, Queensland, opened in December 2025 and hosts up to five book club nights a week plus workshops. 'I think it's quite reductive to say that it's just retail,' she said. 'Reading is a very solitary pastime, but books as a whole just is not.' Despite sold-out events, her store runs on tight margins. The recommended retail price for a book is about $36.99, but only 43% of books in Australia are purchased at that price, with the rest sold cheaper via Amazon or discount stores like Big W and Kmart.
New Bookshops Still Opening
Despite pressures, new bookshops continue to appear. Melbourne's Fino Books in Fitzroy North opened this month, selling new and secondhand titles plus vinyl. Owner Tessa Dwyer said: 'Bookshops are naturally a bit of a community space. People come and have a little pause from what's going on outside; they're not quite a library, but they're not quite a shop either.' Writing workshops, book launches, and talks add 'opportunities for creativity, discussion and critical thought.'
Bowen emphasised the role of bookshops in addressing Australia's literacy crisis: 'It's not really possible to browse and talk to someone about the books in an online environment or a discount department store. Bookshops drive literacy, they function as community gathering spaces, and they sustain Australian stories. Most people want to support that.'
