PASSIONATE bookworm Anna Tweed is a long way from her home town on the South Island of New Zealand. She has spent years working through a number of jobs across her homeland and Australia, before settling on the Surf Coast and making her dreams come true in Geelong.

She has recently followed a lifelong desire to own a store, opening the doors of The Book Bird on Pakington Street late last year, sharing her love of reading with the Geelong West community.

“Having my own shop is something I have always daydreamed about, ever since playing shops as a kid with my Monopoly money,” Anna remembers.

“The idea really began to gather some momentum during my time as a bookseller in Melbourne when I realised that I had the capabilities to call the shots and establish my own bookstore, doing things my way.”

Leaving school early, Anna was running a record store in Dunedin at just 18 years old. She first ventured to Australia a year later, heading to Queensland where she moved around a lot working odd jobs and trying to dodge the humidity.

“After a brief and terrifying stint as a soul-destroying telemarketer, I returned home seeking salvation, which I found through my first bookselling role at the Otago University Bookshop,” Anna says, smiling.

“I have spent the past five-plus years honing my bookselling skills in Melbourne before moving down to Anglesea with my partner, biding my time until The Book Bird was ready to take flight.”

media_camera New book shop owner Anna Tweed. Pic: Cormac Hanrahan

To Anna, reading is as important as breathing – she finds it to be an intimate, solitary activity. She enjoys the moment she opens up a book and is immediately seeing through someone else’s eyes.

“You are alone yet completely connected at the same time and all through words on a page that some clever person has so carefully considered,” she says. “For me, reading is complete magic, a sheer delight.”

The hyped-up threat of tablets and technology does not worry her. Anna says she knows there will always be a need for books in the world.

“There will always be the naysayers who love so very much to naysay but the reality is, regardless of the advances in technology, there is no substitute for a real book or a real bricks-and-mortar bookstore.”

media_camera The Book Bird. Pic: Cormac Hanrahan

The store has something for everyone, Anna insists. There is a range of fiction, a kids corner and toy box, cookbooks to salivate over and then there is extensive nonfiction covering art and design, history, military, science, music and even business and politics.

“The Book Bird is a book shop with a twist. We specialise in hand-picked remainders of publishers’ overstock, so we have an eclectic range of titles at great prices,” she says. “In addition to books we also have gift vouchers and greeting cards as well as the beautiful Cavallini gift wrap that makes an excellent poster.”

There are currently bold plans for the future of the store. Anna’s short term goal is to eventually introduce an informal book club. Long term, she would like to expand into a cafe and bookstore operation and introduce an after-school literacy program providing the right location and the right staff could be found.

She has found the interest since opening to be overwhelmingly positive, supportive and encouraging, particularly from the local community and local retailers.

“I love the unique and open-air shopping environment of Pakington Street,” Anna smiles.

“It is relaxed, has everything you need, including beautiful trees, and the people are down to earth and friendly.

“It’s so wonderful to finally be a part of the street and to have the opportunity to provide the community with a bookshop with a twist.”

The Book Bird is located at Shop 1, Pakington Village, 109-111 Pakington Street, Geelong West.