New travelling children’s bookshop to open in Victoria in February
A new children’s bookshop housed in a vintage caravan will open in Victoria in February.
The Itty Bitty Book Van will appear at the NightJar In the City markets in Geelong each Friday in February, starting on 7 February, with further dates and locations to be announced soon. Founder and owner Kerri Bennett told Books+Publishing that she hopes the van will visit other regional areas in Victoria throughout the year, especially those without dedicated bookshops.
Bennett, who is currently on maternity leave from Hardie Grant’s digital team, said the Itty Bitty Book Van will initially stock between 200 and 250 titles, depending on how many individual titles fit within the van’s 2×3-metre space. The stock will be a mix of new releases and backlist titles from a range of Australian publishers, including all of the major publishers and some small presses, with Bennett planning to develop the store’s backlist catalogue based on feedback from customers.
Bennett purchased the van, nicknamed ‘Enid’, especially for the purpose of opening a bookstore. She will run the van herself with help from family members and performing arts students, who have been hired to perform storytelling sessions alongside the van.
Bennett said that she was initially interested in opening a traditional children’s bookshop with a fixed location in the Geelong region, but the idea evolved into a travelling bookshop when she looked at ways of reducing the business’ overheads. She was also interested in combining the pop-up retail model with the notion of a vintage, travelling business.
For more information about the Itty Bitty Book Van, visit the website here.
Category: Local news
