TASMANIA

Like something straight from a literary novel, this wondrous Hobart bookshop is hard to find. Hidden within the Imperial Arcade, which itself sits in the old Imperial Hotel on Collins Street, The Imperial Bookshop was opened in 1989 by eccentric Scottish collector, the late Ian Beveridge.

It’s now owned by business partners Richard Sprent and Mike Gray. Anyone who frequents the store, knows the pair live and breathe books. Richard came across the shop as a boy: “I would visit the place nearly every day after school… and on weekends, too. I would find stuff there that I would never find anywhere else,” he says. Of those early times, Richard explains “[Ian] somehow managed to cram around 50,000 used books, records and tapes into an area suited to maybe half that. It was incredible. And ridiculous. He didn’t really care if people bought stuff. He was a collector at heart and wanted a place for other collectors to come and fossick”. Richard worked under Ian at the shop “for four glorious years,” digging through endless piles of second-hand books and learning about authors. He then moved on to the world of new books for 15 years, before he was tracked down after Ian died. “Mike came and found me in 2013. We changed the shop’s name to Cracked and Spineless and we began to stock new books, too. I’d always wanted to own a store where it didn’t matter if the books were new or old. I just wanted to have the books that people wanted.” Though there’s seemingly something for everyone, from children’s tales and obscure horror fiction to wonderful literature and cookbooks, plus specialty Tasmanian history, Richard assures us he and Mike are very picky about what they stock. So, next time you’re in Hobart, visit this “cabinet of curiosities”, complete with walls of taxidermised bugs, spiders and moths, and do some fossicking for yourself! Imperial Arcade, 9/138 Collins Street, Hobart, (03) 6223 1663

The Foundry

Liz has been in the retail game for 14 years. It’s clear her experience and personal touch is what keeps this Ballarat business booming. She greets locals by name as they come in to enjoy organic coffee and cake, and is constantly rotating stock “so there’s always something new and fresh,” she explains. Trips throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe fuel Liz’s passion for textiles and colour. She sources pieces “from all corners of the globe, unseen in our regional centre” but also prides herself on longstanding relationships with some big-hitting Australian and international suppliers — Elk, Nancybird, American Vintage and Jones & Co to name a few. 411 Mair Street, Ballarat, (03) 5331 4192, foundry411.com.au

Barney & Fleur

“Like something from a literary novel, this wondrous Hobart bookshop is hard to find.”