Haere Ra, Christchurch Children’s Bookshop
Saturday was New Zealand Bookshop Day. It was also the day the Christchurch Children’s Bookshop closed it’s doors after 37 years — and that fact made me feel pretty durned sad.
I don’t know the in’s and out’s, but suspect that at least one factor in its demise was the locational change forced by the 2010-2011 Christchurch earthquakes and the fact that large sections of the city are still far from recovered, with people’ travel and basic living patterns (including retail) very much disrupted.
Be that as it may, I thought I’d like to say a few words about what the Children’s Bookshop has meant to me over many years. I first encountered it in a lovely historic house on Christchurch’s Victoria Street, where books lurked in nooks around every corner. It really was a magical place and I loved to drop in on my lunch break and browse for the next best gift for the young readers in my life.
That building went long before the earthquakes and the bookshop moved to another premises in Victoria Street — by no means as magical but still very accessible for that lunchtime and weekend browsing.
My first novel, Thornspell, was published during this time and although the launch was not held in the shop, the shop did support it with a book table, which was very much appreciated.
After the earthquake the bookshop had to relocate to Blenheim Road in Riccarton, putting it well off my post-earthquake flight path, which meant an end to lunch time and weekend browsing although I did continue to make ‘specific purpose’ visits.
I am very sad indeed that those good old days will now never return, but I will also never forget the magic of the Children’s Bookshop over many years and will always be grateful for their support for Thornspell.
Haere ra, Christchurch Children’s Bookshop — you’re already greatly missed.