New bookshop Rabble Books & Games opens in Perth
A new bookshop has opened in the Perth suburb of Maylands.
Rabble Books & Games opened on 1 June and is situated on the Eighth Avenue shopping strip. The shop stocks books of all genres, including children’s books, and has an emphasis on titles that showcase inclusivity, diversity and under-represented groups.
Owners Sam Baker and Nat Latter said that the desire to open their own bookshop stemmed from wanting to be able to share parenting duties. ‘The biggest reason was that we wanted to raise our baby, Pippin, together. Neither wanted to be the one leaving our little family to go to work and neither of us wanted to be the only full-time parent, so we rolled it all together. Pip has her own room at the back of the shop and gets to meet our customers every day,’ said Baker, who has worked in bookshops around Perth for 12 years.
The pair also expressed excitement about ‘what Rabble could become’. ‘A big part of it was the giddy lure of self-determination that comes with quitting your job and forging your own path,’ said Baker.
Baker and Latter—who has a background in academia working in the fields of politics, accessibility and technology—both share the responsibilities of buying stock and managing the shop.
Rabble also specialises in games of all kinds, including card games, role-playing games and children’s games. Latter and Baker’s mutual interest in games spurred the decision to stock them at Rabble. ‘I love recommending games that will bring reluctant family members to the table and have them talk and laugh while pretending to be spies or werewolves or whatever else you can imagine,’ said Baker. ‘It’s play in every sense of the word.’
In the future, Baker and Latter plan to run more events at Rabble, once they have replaced the threshold step at the entrance with a ramp so that events can be inclusive. ‘Once this is resolved we’ll be excited to do more book launches and small, curated games events that may be a bit different to similar events elsewhere,’ said Baker.
To find out more about Rabble Books & Games, visit its Facebook and Instagram pages.
(Image credit: Jan Nicholls)
Tags: new bookshopnew bookstoreretailing
Category: Local news
