A spontaneous Friday morning coffee has saved one of Sale’s most vital community assets, following a last-minute decision by local couple David and Terese to purchase Collins Booksellers Sale just days before it was set to close permanently.
Officially opening its doors under the new ownership of the proud local couple on Monday, June 1, the beloved bookstore was on the brink of shutting down, which would have left the region without a specialty bookshop.
However, a series of quick decisions in May secured the store’s future.
While walking along Raymond Street, the couple spotted a notice in the window.
“On Friday morning, we were out getting a coffee and went to go for a walk up the street,” Terese recalled.
“David noticed the ‘for sale’ sign and the newspaper article in the front window.”
Intrigued, David stepped inside to speak with then-owner Natasha.
What was meant to be a brief inquiry turned into a 20-minute conversation about the future of the business.
“I went home, went into my office, and four hours later popped my head out and said, ‘Do you want to buy a bookshop?'” David said.
For Terese, the answer was immediate: “I said, ‘Can we? Absolutely!’ And it went from there.”
Both David and Terese are self-described avid readers, finishing dozens of books between them each year, however, their shared passion had recently hit a physical limit at home.
“He had put a stop to all my book buying and wasn’t allowing me to have any more bookshelves in the house,” Terese laughed.
“To then go, ‘Well, I’ll buy you a bookshop instead’ – I thought, that’s great!”
Owning the store has also brought unique professional joys for Terese.
“I actually get to look at the books, talk to the publishers’ representatives, get their opinions, and find out what is coming out,” she said.
“I get a little bit of that inside knowledge before the books are even released, which is pretty cool.”
Had the couple not stepped inside that Friday morning, the town of Sale would have lost its sole specialty bookshop, forcing residents to travel to Traralgon or Melbourne.
“They were a week away from making the decision to shut it down,” David explained.
“We made the inquiry, made them a verbal offer, and that was in May.
“It was literally one week away from this place not being here anymore. It would have closed at the end of May.”
David noted that once a specialty store like a bookshop leaves a regional town, high setup costs make it nearly impossible to bring back.
“If you were going from scratch in any building up and down this street, the cost of setting it up means you just couldn’t do it. If it went, you’d never get one back.”
The news of the store’s survival has brought immense relief to local schools and long-standing customers.
The couple has already welcomed back patrons from across Gippsland, including those who ordered from previous owners.
“We have a lot of customers from places like Warragul and Paynesville who are now ordering through us,” Terese said.
During a recent visit to the shop, Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester discussed the positive impact of physical books on younger generations.
Amid ongoing public discussions surrounding social media use among children, both David and Terese have noticed a distinct trend of young people returning to print.
“Nearly half of our shop is dedicated to children and teenagers aged 18 and under,” David said.
“Without social media and streaming constantly in the way, kids are diving back into books, which is a great thing to see.”
