Readings won Australian Independent Bookseller of the Year at the 2009 Australian Book Industry Awards.

Readings was founded in 1969 by Ross Reading, his partner Dot and Peter Reid. The original shop at 366 Lygon Street was partly funded by Dot’s teaching wage. Occasionally, after a particularly busy day, the shelves would be temporarily restocked from Ross and Dot’s bookshelves at home.

In 1983, the growing business moved to larger premises on Lygon Street. Today, Readings is a major Australian business, employing over 140 staff in six shops around Melbourne. Despite its large-scale operations, each Readings shop retains an intimate feel, with strong community ties and carefully selected ranges that reflect the character of the area and the tastes of their customers.

Readings has a renowned and long-running music department and is becoming known for its burgeoning DVD range. However, the business is best known by its formidable reputation as one of Australia’s best bookshops. Managing Director Mark Rubbo, a former judge of the Miles Franklin Literary Award, is recognised as one of the book trade’s leading authorities. He was awarded a Medal (OAM) in the General Division for service to the community through fostering an awareness of Australian literature as a bookseller, literary critic, and promoter and supporter of Australian writers.

So, it’s slightly surprising to reflect that at the time Mark bought the business in 1976 with partners Steve Smith and Greg Young, he was the owner of Lygon Street’s Professor Longhairs’ Music Shop. (Greg owned the South Yarra Record Collector and Steve ran a mail-order music business.)

In 1983, the growing business moved to larger premises on Lygon Street. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, business boomed, leading to a final move in 1998, across the road to the former Commonwealth Bank building.

Readings has always been enlivened by a thriving events program. It’s not unusual to wander into a Readings shop on a weekday evening to discover a book launch or reading in progress, wine glasses in hands and an author at the mike. Readings also runs lively children’s events and an array of off-site events to accommodate the large crowds drawn by authors such as David Malouf and Peter Carey.

‘Promoting Australian writing has always been a personal passion,’ says Mark. ‘Our business has grown with the growth of Australian publishing.’

Readings is a gathering place for writers, publishers, artists and intellectuals. Long-time customers include the likes of cartoonist Michael Leunig, actor Sigrid Thornton and property developer Morry Schwartz, as well as a veritable ‘who’s who’ of local writers. Helen Garner, whose novel Monkey Grip, set in Carlton and Fitzroy, was one of Readings’ most successful titles ever (over 3000 sold) is a regular sight among the shelves of the Lygon Street store. And she’s passed the baton to the next generation: her daughter, actor and writer Alice Garner, chose the store to launch her own first book.

‘I’ve always wanted a Readings launch’ is a commonly voiced ambition among aspiring writers.

Today, Readings boasts stores at six locations, each with their own distinct character: Carlton, Hawthorn, Malvern, Port Melbourne St Kilda and the State Library of Victoria.

St Kilda also has iconic origins (formerly the Acland Street independent bookshop Cosmos) and its own famous clientele, including musicians Paul Kelly and Nick Cave.

Readings Hawthorn is a hub of community activity. The cafe is home to several book groups, (for children as well as grown-ups), as well as a knitting group and an ethics club. The cafe’s ‘events wall’ is signed by the many authors and musicians who have held events at Readings Hawthorn. Popular guests have included Don Watson, Lily Brett, Bob Graham, Kaz Cooke, Kathy Reichs, Helen Garner and Marion Keyes to name a few.

Readings Malvern moved to its current site on Glenferrie Rd almost ten years ago. Its loyal customer base is mostly drawn from the local community, with many regular customers who have been shopping there ‘for years’. In 2006, Readings Malvern won a Local Trader Award for Best Bookseller from the City of Stonnington.

Readings Port Melbourne is a friendly neighbourhood bookshop that is particularly known for its good range of fiction and ‘lifestyle’ books (cooking, craft, gardening) and its excellent kids’ section. And if you need a caffeine fix or a bite to eat, you don’t even need to leave the store! The shop’s award-winning cafe looks out onto bustling Bay Street.

The Readings shop at the State Library is the latest addition to the Readings business. Readings won the tender to run the shop in April 2009. It is the first permanent commercial bookshop in the Library’s 150-year history. The Readings State Library shop stocks a diverse range of books including bargain books, Australian fiction and gift books. It is a great place to stop and browse while visiting the State Library or on your way into the free exhibition, The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria.

Readings won Australian Independent Bookseller of the Year 1998, 2001 and 2009 and Australian Chain Bookseller of the Year 2006. Readings is Official Bookseller for the Melbourne Writers’ Festival.