Booktique to open store in Albury

Booktique—an independent bookshop currently operating in Wangaratta, Victoria—is opening a second store in Albury, NSW.

Michelle Delle Vergin, who owns both stores with husband Mark Bolsius, said that for the new Albury store, they have ‘replicated the look we have in Wangaratta—green walls, dark brown shelving and bunting on the ceiling. And of course, great customer service and friendly staff.’

Delle Vergin said, ’We hope to open our doors to the public this Thursday [28 March], but even at this stage I’m not sure we can get there!’

On social media, Delle Vergin said the team has ‘spent the past three weeks converting a blank canvas into a literary work of art’. ‘(Maybe that’s a stretch—really it was just a couple of cans of Goldenrod Green!) There has been a lot of hammering and sawing and painting, a little bit of pondering and wondering, and not a lot of time off—but we’re almost there.’

‘Our customer base will be accessible from both stores, and vouchers can be used interchangeably, so feel free to call in and visit if you are in AMP Lane, just off Dean Street, opposite the art gallery. In the short term, the Albury shop will be very similar to Booktique Wangaratta, but with time we hope that the book-lovers of Albury will mould and shape us into a bookshop that is truly theirs.’

Delle Vergin and Bolsius opened Booktique Wangaratta in 2017, after running the Booktique Merimbula store from 2009 to 2014. Wangaratta was a ‘green field’ site, having no existing bookshop in the location, as is the Albury site.

Category: Local news