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BooksPlus offers it all – adventures, romance, action, thrillers and tales to keep any book reader happy, and lovingly steering the helm for the past 30 years has been Kathryn Bancroft.
But, the store almost never opened.
Ms Bancroft and her then husband Mark were at a loose end when fate stepped in.
“I’d been a librarian for 10 years at Mitchell College [now Charles Sturt University] and he got a job in Sydney,” she said.
“His job didn’t work out and I was pregnant and we saw a tiny little ad in the Herald and thought that would be a good job to do for a couple of years until we work out what we want to do.
“We ended up opening the shop a fortnight before Jessie [Kathryn and Mark’s daughter] was born.”
You’re never, ever bored here. There’s always something to read.
Fast forward 30 years and Ms Bancroft, who now owns BooksPlus by herself, is still a familiar sight in the store and can often be found browsing the shelves looking for her next read.
“You’re never, ever bored here. There’s always something to read,” she said.
So what type of books does a book shop owner read.
“I like biographies, things that you learn something from. I don’t like fiction,” Ms Bancroft said.
“I will read anything in front of me.”
- VIDEO: Jimmy Barnes’ visit to BooksPlus Bathurst
When asked how many books she is currently reading, Ms Bancroft describes herself as a “dip reader” and said she will usually have a few books “on the go”.
Supporting Bathurst’s own writers and historians is important to her and the independent book seller, and the store has a range of local reads.
Among the highlights during her time at BooksPlus was a visit to the city years ago by writer and activist Germaine Greer, and a book signing by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes last November.
And, while modern technology has crept into all aspects of society’s lives, Ms Bancroft believes that book lovers will always read.
“Keen readers usually use more than one format, a lot use eReaders or Kindles or iPads,” she said.
Most people, in their heart of hearts, still like reading books. It’s more than just reading, it’s a whole tactile experience.
“Most people, in their heart of hearts, still like reading books. It’s more than just reading, it’s a whole tactile experience.”
Ms Bancroft said people seem to have less down time to read these days, but she could never imagine a world without books.
“Most beautifully produced books will still have a place, they give you so much pleasure,” she said.
Ms Bancroft said there are many reasons she has chosen to stay at BooksPlus for so long.
“It’s the people around me which keep me going,” she said.