The idea had been floating for a while. A small bookshop in Chelsea not a big chain, not a warehouse, just a warm little space where people could browse, discover, and maybe stay awhile. When the opportunity came to set up a pop-up alongside Rustique Furniture at 418 Nepean Highway, I didn't hesitate.
On June 7, I put out the first whisper: “Chelsea Bookshop coming soon.” The response was immediate and encouraging. Friends, neighbours, and strangers alike shared their excitement. A bookshop on the peninsula. Finally.
Three days later, the first delivery arrived. I remember standing among the boxes, breathing in that unmistakable new-book smell paper, ink, possibility. Each box held titles I had chosen myself, curated for the community I hoped would walk through the door. I sourced through Alliance Distribution and direct from publishers like Penguin Random House, Allen & Unwin, and Affirm Press, balancing bestsellers with smaller independent voices.
A quick trip to Imprint Rubber Stamps confirmed the shop stamp worked as advertised. Small victories.
Mid-June in Melbourne is winter proper. Grey skies, cold air, the kind of day that makes you want to stay indoors with a cup of tea and something good to read. But a delivery of colourful picture books arrived on one of those grey days, and suddenly the shop-to-be felt less like a dream and more like a destination.
The collaboration with Rustique Furniture gave the shop its character from the start. Their coastal provincial vintage style warm wood, soft linens, curated antiques became the backdrop for the books. Books in their natural habitat, as I put it on June 23.
By June 30, the fiction section was set up. Neat rows, colourful spines, categories taking shape. “Adding children's and non-fiction tomorrow,” I posted. The shop was almost ready. And Chelsea was ready too.