Arcane Books provides safe haven for bookworms after opening in Kirwan
Bookworms and fans of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance are being attracted like a tractor beam into a independent bookstore that just opened in Townsville. See where.
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If the success of the sold-out inaugural Townsville Medieval and Fantasy Festival is anything to go by, North Queensland’s thriving subculture of fantasy fans and bookworms will be pulled like a tractor beam into a newly-opened independent bookstore in Kirwan.
Situated at 1/13 Tavern St, Arcane Books prides itself on being a “little bit different, a little bit weird, a little bit crazy, and a lot of fun”, stocking a wide range of genre specific titles in the realm of fantasy, romance, science fiction, young adult, and collector editions – leaning heavily into showcasing Australian titles and up-and-coming local authors.
Arcane Books also stocks a variety of teas sourced from the Townsville tea company, along with sleep masks, fans, 3D printed book nooks, tea cups, bookmarks, and “quirky little emotional support mushrooms, lattes, and nuggets”.
Preferring to dub herself a “book dragon” rather than a bookworm, Townsville mum Peta Weber said opening her own bookstore with the help of her husband Jason, was the realisation of her long-held dream stretching back to her childhood reading legendary fantasy authors J.R.R. Tolkien and Robin Hobb.
“I was that weird girl with the Lord of the Rings ring, walking around with a cape on. I grew up with fantasy. I love it. I love the world. I love that you can read to escape and go to a new destination every time you open a book,” Ms Weber said.
“I think Townsville is going to love this store … (the city) needs some more quirky destinations for the quirky reader. A lot of customers have already said how much they just want to come to this store and just hang out because they feel comfortable here.
“I wanted to create an ambience and a destination for your book needs … where you can have a cup of tea while you’re looking and have a sit in a chat and meet other readers.”
At night, she plans to host a book club, giving random people the opportunity to hang out and talk about books with like-minded people.
After initially planning to purchase an existing bookstore, the Webers stumbled across the vacant space on Tavern St, and deciding it was “perfect”, they reached out to Colliers sales and leasing executive Reagan Stokley to secure a lease.
The couple spent about $10,000 transforming the empty shell into a cosy, inviting space, with books artfully decorating the entranceway, and a custom-built counter which Mr Weber charcoaled with his burner.
Mr Stokley said Tavern Street offered enough exposure for a great flow of customers while being quiet enough to enjoy the serenity of their type of business.
“With like minded retailers along Tavern Street of coffee, Barber and a gaming store, this was the perfect location for another good retailer,” Mr Stokley said.
“The Kirwan area is highly sought after and we knew from listing the property that it would not last long on the market.”
For more information, visit: www.arcanebooks.com.au
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