Beautiful Bookstores

Berkelouw Books

09.15.15

When I visited Australia in February of this year, I was lucky enough to be staying at my friend Dave’s beautiful beach-front apartment in Rose Bay. A habourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, Rose Bay lies between North Bondi and Watson’s Bay, and its tranquil stretch of beach has views of the famous harbour bridge. But perhaps one of my favourite things about our stay in Rose Bay, was that we were just minutes away from its beloved bookshop – Berkelouw Books.

A family-run business whose story began in Holland in over two centuries ago in 1812, Berkelouw Books have stores all over Sydney, each of them boasting their own unique charm. While I spent many, many hours browsing the shelves of the Rose Bay store, today I visited Berkelouw Books in Paddington, which is just as enchanting, but, much to my delight, a whole lot bigger.

From staff recommendations, to travel books, to leather satchels and the finest of stationary, Berkelouw Books is an Aladdin’s Cave for anyone interested in the written word – whatever form it takes. Its worn floor and the period clock hanging behind the counter offer the shop a homely, vintage feel; its shelves are the kind any bookworm could happily get lost in for hours.

It was near impossible to buy just one thing, but I left with Axel and Ash’s Wanderlust journal, safe in the knowledge that I’ll be returning for more, very, very soon.

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