Time Out Bookstore

It’s no secret that I’ve got a thing for independent bookstores. They remind me of a time gone by (which is strange because I am still in my 20’s), when people weren’t glued to their phones or the television every night but instead conversed or read books in happy solitude.
Perhaps this is why I find it hard to go into a bookstore, like Timeout and not walk out with a book. Seriously, every time I find some excuse for buying a book. I also just love hearing the staff’s recommendations. More often that not they lead to the discovery of a brilliant new author or reading a book you would’ve otherwise never picked up.
Timeout seems to have more fiction than say, Novel in Herne Bay but they do also have a good number of design/​architecture coffee table books as well. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t despair, although it’s jam packed — floor to ceiling with books — the staff seem to miraculously know where everything is.

I have always found that my experience with a book doesn’t begin when you start reading it but when you acquired it. For example, if somebody gives you a book as a present, you associate that person with the experience of reading the book, same with the store you bought it in, you remember where you bought it each time you pick it up to read it. That’s why I am so fond of book stores like Timeout. It has a inspired quality, which you can’t find in the larger chain book stores. I prefer poking around smaller homely collections opposed to the florescent lit shelves of Whitculls.

Don’t be put off that this bookshop is in the hoity-​toity Mt Eden Village. The staff here are down-​to-​earth and well informed book-​lovers. This is a comfortable and relaxed bookstore, the type slowly being blotted out by corporate moguls.
Undeniably, I am a book glutton and should carry a warning about being distracted in unassuming bookstores like Timeout. My greatest acquisition from Timeout is an illustrated version of Dante’s Divine Comedy translated by Henry Longfellow, while I was looking for a version of Dangerous Liaisons. But any Kindle toting friend or TV series addict should be dragged along to a store like this.
This 25 year old book store is great for gifts or for self indulgence.

I have not purchased many books from Timeout, but I have wandered in on several occasions just incase. There is something that feels right about Timeout. It’s homely and cosy and the books line the walls from top to bottom and are stacked everywhere. There’s no sterility, it’s all ‘come in, we want to be your friend’, which is a welcome change to the ‘get your book and go, stop reading them without buying, our lighting is fluorescent and horrible’ bookstores that I am often seeing.
The last time I purchased a book from Timeout was when I called ahead to see if they had it (it was Dr Seuss’ ‘Oh the places you will go’) and they confirmed that they did, and in several versions. Hardback, etc. I raced over and they remembered me and Michelle giftwrapped it very nicely and the whole experience was very pleasant and I will remember it for a long time. I’m not even being sarcastic, I will actually remember it fondly for a very long time.

A charming and inspiring little bookstore nestled in Mt Eden. If Unity Books is the best bookstore in Auckland, this is a close runner up. It does what any good bookstore should do — it gets your creative juices flowing. We all need to support these little businesses as they add something special to the community. Another hallmark of a decent bookstore is that the staff are knowledgable about books and willing to impart some of their wisdom. If you are not in the habit of visiting Mt Eden, then Timeout have a very good website with lots of recommendations from their staff. But perhaps, if you are at a loss of where to go on the weekend, Mt. Eden is great place to while away the afternoon. If you do go, don’t miss this bookstore and make sure you buy something and give them a bit of support.

So first of all I’ll confess that I am friends with the manager here. Her name is Jenna Todd and when she’s not in this very cool independent bookstore, she is being a very talented photographer and doing many other fabulous things. Really. Sometimes I want to BE her.
Timeout though, even before Jenna, is its own legend. Battling in an industry where the littlies were mostly squashed a long time ago, this place is still here and I think that’s so important. It is the antithesis of the big faceless corporate-​owned bookstore; Timeout is small, perfectly formed, filled with personality and personalities. It has its own most awesomely cool cat Lucinda (I love you just the way I am) and the owner’s dog often hangs out here too. Even the Facebook posts are actually funny and informative which is a real achievement when most social media is just CRAP (not Unilocal of course, we’re critics providing a service. Big difference.) These are no doubt just some of the reasons Timeout is constantly winning awards.
The back room is given over entirely to children’s books and the staff (all of them) are knowledgeable and can recommend something for every age group. I think that Timeout is one of Mt Eden village’s key assets and one of the primary reasons the place actually feels like a village.
It’s bustling, buzzing and bursting with character and I find such a strange and profound pleasure in going in there and fondling the pile of brand new books stacked on the table. Does that make me weird?