Caloundra’s oldest bookshop has a story of its own.
The store helped shape the town’s literary scene before relocating towards the new town centre, at the “Downtown” end of Bulcock Street.
Noone remembers exactly when it first appeared, but locals recall visiting the original location at the top of town, “Uptown” on Bulcock St in the 1940s. Some still have the books they received shopping for their school graduation or birthday present.
It has had many names:
AA&R Books (owned by Art & Rose)
Caloundra Book Exchange (Andrew & Alea Cadzow)
You Bastards: by another local bookstore
Now at the lower end of Bulcock St, the mornings in particular are a hive buzzing with constant trade-ins. The shelves are always shifting and the titles forever changing.
One thing is constant though: the store always reflects Caloundra's readership trends, past and present
Regular visitors and tourists make this bookshop a ritual stop, often leaving with that unexpected read or long-lost title they didn’t think they’d find.
If you have any more history to add, we'd love to hear from you
