Riverbend Books opened its doors in 1998 on the corner of Oxford and Cambridge Streets.
The literary allusions that came along with the address were welcome but the name
Riverbend harkens back to the early days in Bulimba when Indigenous Australians
called the area Tugulawah, which translates as Riverbend. And that is exactly what
the river does in Bulimba. It takes a 90 degree right hand turn as it winds its
way out to Moreton Bay, and the river itself forms two of the boundaries of this
suburb. Older residents of Bulimba refer to their suburb as the Island because of
its watery boundaries. There is a sense of community that is engendered because
people do not travel through Bulimba on their way to somewhere else, Bulimba is
always the destination.
Riverbend is proud to be part of this community and one of the stores that takes
its place amongst the many stores, cafes, cinemas and the beautiful Oxford Memorial
Park that line the Oxford St strip down to the river. Many of our customers love
to travel here by City Cat or ferry and wander up the street to visit us. The ambience
of the shop is warm and friendly with a beautiful deck out the front where you can
enjoy some lovely light, fresh meals and of course great coffee or a glass of some
lovely Australian wines.
In the thirteen years since we have opened we have very much enjoyed being part
of the local community. Our raison d’etre has always been to encourage a culture
of reading in the local and wider community, and we run an extensive program of
author events, workshops, host bookclubs and then there are the regular bookchats
that our staff give to a wide variety of groups from Teacher librarian network groups,
social groups, work colleagues and bookclubs.
A strong team with a broad knowledge of books is
one of the fundamental traits of Riverbend. From children’s literature, to literary
fiction and non fiction, all of Riverbend’s staff are big readers whom love to try
and find just the right book for their customers.
In 2004 Riverbend launched a project within the local community that was aimed at
raising funds to support literacy in remote Indigenous communities where literacy
levels are very low. This project attracted enormous support and a snowballing of
goodwill. In 2006 it became a national book industry initiative in partnership with
The Fred Hollows Foudation and you can find out all about it at:
www.indigenousliteracyproject.org.au
Recognition by our peers in the publishing industry has provided us with some highlights
along the way. Riverbend has won Queensland Independent Bookshop of the Year 6 times
and Australian Independent Bookshop of the Year twice.