The Book Grocer

The book grocer is the perfect little book shop. They have getting people back reading strongly on the agenda. With a good range of books spanning from Penguin classics right the way through to self-​help books such as ‘Sexercise’.
But what makes The Book Grocer truly great is the fact that they serve up coffee and muffins and have plenty of couches and seats for the avid browser to sit upon, sip their coffee and ponder what to buy. And perhaps an even better thing is the fact that (bar a few exceptions) every book in the shop costs under $ 10. I don’t know how they manage to be so cheap, but if you ask me $ 10 is a perfectly great price to pay for an entertaining book.

A visit to The Book Grocer is like falling down a rabbit hole into a bibliophile’s heaven.
A beautifully airy and modern bookshop replete with lots of seating and even a coffee machine, Northcote’s Book Grocer sells an incredible range of books ranging from fiction to biography, art to the social sciences and all for incredible prices.
Seemingly every time I visit The Book Grocer there are scores of people engrossed in a selection of this gorgeous little shop’s tomes and this behaviour isn’t just accepted, it’s encouraged.
The Book Grocer’s staff are friendly and welcoming and there are so many incredible books within this awesome book shop’s four walls that you can easily spend a good hour here giving each section no more than a cursory glance.
Prices tend to be around $ 6 for paperback fiction and as little as $ 15 for a gorgeous hardcover, coffee table type book or cookbook. I was looking for some art and design reference books today and the selection was nothing short of intimidating.
As a guide to the kind of discounts on offer, I found a beautifully put together book about legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland for $ 10 reduced from $ 40 and all stock is new and in impeccable condition. An incredible shop.

It’s hard to remember the world from which you came when you walk into the shop.
I don’t know how they’ve done it but it was peaceful and relaxing, and suddenly all I wanted to do was to buy a book and read and read and read.
Here’s a nice perspective on things: The books are generally around the $ 10 mark. And if you buy six you pay $ 50.
Christmas presents, anyone?
It’s a great store, and you can buy book themed coffee while you’re there to enjoy whilst you pour over the pages.
This isn’t like those typical discounted book stores. No sir. They have a fantastic collection of books, not just the crappy soppy romances and horribly cheese crime novels.
Staff suggestions hang from the shelves if you ever need a recommendation and the store is so well laid out it kind of feels like home.
Leaving was a little sad… maybe I’m a little sad…
Either way, it was an extremely pleasurable shopping experience.

Not the most obvious place to settle in for a coffee with a friend judging from the painted-​on fluroescent discount signs on the front windows, but a very nice little book store with a community vibe indeed. And a coffee machine of course, which means you can have a break from trawling through the many bargains on offer along the shelves.
It would almost seem a shame that they’ve had to offer discounts on their books, except that it certainly keeps you there longer and it’s a peaceful place to linger. There’s also a couch and some little stools for the kids to pick over the younger-​reader selection.