Melissa Capararo runs the business with her daughter Maddie and mum Carol Rose. Photos: Oliver Jacques.
What started as a small second-hand book stall at Yanco markets eight years ago has expanded into a flourishing store that’s now in Griffith’s main street, Banna Avenue.
After trading online and doing the outdoor market crawl, Wagga-born Melissa Capararo opened the town’s first second-hand bookshop in November 2022 in Olympic Street.
“We needed more room, as the Community Centre opposite was growing and there was nowhere for our customers to park,” Ms Capararo said.
“Even we couldn’t find a space, we’d have to park behind the courthouse and carry boxes of books to the store.”
Last month, Browse Books found a new home in Banna Avenue’s top block and is now decked out with 5000 titles, a small collection of new books, antique shelves bought through Facebook Marketplace, and a statue of Albert Einstein.
“Reading is having a resurgence,” Ms Capararo said.
“We want to make sure books are affordable to everyone. Eventually, we’d love to set up a book club; we have customers asking for it all the time. It’ll be a real community destination.”
The business is a three-generation family affair, with Ms Capararo assisted by her handyman husband Andrew, mother Carol Rose and five-year-old daughter Maddie.
“I want to run this shop when I grow up,” Maddie said.
Maddie serves a customer.
The team loves meeting new people and introducing residents to the joys of reading. Last year, they even had a celebrity visitor who Ms Capararo didn’t notice.
“A man came in and asked if we had any Chris Hammer books for sale. I told him we were sold out because Chris had just given an author talk at Griffith Library. He said, ‘That’s great’,” she said.
Later, she twigged that the mystery customer was in fact famed Australian crime-fiction novelist Chris Hammer himself.
“I love his books now, I’ve read them all. I can’t believe he was in my shop. Weird stuff happens here all the time,” she said.
The store has a wide collection of fiction and non-fiction titles.
The shop also has a website where people can order books and have them posted, but the team is keen to reverse the recent trend of shops disappearing from the main street.
“We want to get the message out there that people need to buy local. Don’t shop at Amazon, support local businesses,” Ms Capararo said.
Ms Rose said reading was not only healthy, but could save your life.
“It’s the best way to prevent dementia. We want everyone to enjoy reading as much as we do,” she said.
Browse Books is at 457 Banna Avenue and open weekdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. More information is available on its website.
