Bookshop

We have curated second-hand books for sale from $5 to $20.

Residents in the Illawarra old enough to remember a Prime Minister before John Howard will recall that Wollongong used to have a second-hand bookstore. Those of us who grew up in the northern suburbs might have fond memories of Oscar Wilde’s Cafe & Bookstore in Thirroul.

Sadly, both of those gems have passed away and ever since, rummaging through an appreciable amount of used books has been relegated to the dusty shelves of op-shops. The need for a local used bookstore has been felt keenly by booklovers for years, and if you’re wondering why one couldn’t just go to the library, then you’ve never taken your time strolling through a used bookstore and appreciating its unique vibe: the owner who clearly couldn’t care less about your presence, some quiet music to blend with your footfalls on the creaky floorboards, the eclectic genres packed in next to and on top of each other, the chance to strike up a conversation with a stranger about the politics of Germaine Greer, and always the familiar smell of dust, aged paper, and a lack of urgency.

In a world where our time is increasingly commodified, a bookstore defends a public space to be slow and cultivate the time to empathise with others. Deep reading is an experiment in collective thinking. A book which stands alone is an expression of a writer’s mind: a slice of the human condition. But in conversation with the ideas that gave rise to it, it is a part of our collective memory – the history and the future of our species. Curated by an evolving and revolving assortment of members, this is what the Society City bookstore aims to preserve. Of all our books we ask, ‘Does it have a place in our collective culture? Does it align with our values of diversity, inclusivity and creativity?’ Participatory curation is open to all members. Drop us a line to get involved.

At the time of opening, the Society City bookstore is the only independent bookstore in the Illawarra and as such is a uniquely political space. Not only do we as citizens have a right to elevate or relegate certain voices from the publishing industry, we can also publish our own. Society City stocks a growing list of local and independent publishers on consignment. Members take 100% of their sales and non-members take 90%. If you’re a writer with a box of your books in a cupboard we want to hear from you.

The bookstore is made from 100% donations, so please, think of us when you Marie Condoing!