In June 2021, with the help of Eden a local boutique furniture store owner I opened the doors of a small pop-up bookshop in Chelsea, Melbourne, Victoria. What followed was a year of new books, new faces, lockdowns, deliveries, and the kind of community warmth that makes a neighbourhood feel like home.
This is the story of that year.
June
July 3, 2026
From “coming soon” to shelves full of books. The pop-up takes shape, stock arrives, and the dream becomes real.
Read June →
July Open for Business
July 3, 2026
The shop finds its rhythm. Customers trickle in, the windows get dressed, and a community begins to gather around the shelves.
Read early July →
July Lockdown
July 3, 2026
When Melbourne locked down again, the shop adapted local deliveries, click and collect, and a window display that kept the lights on.
Read late July →
August Open for Business
July 5, 2026
The shop reopened after lockdown, expanded the children's section, and found its stride. Then lockdown hit again.
Read early August →
August Lockdown
July 5, 2026
The second lockdown settled in. Spring Reading guides, books for perspective, and a window that kept changing.
Read late August →