Beloved Perth business puts out distress call as cost of living bites

This article originally appeared on WAtoday. I republish it here with some exclusive extra info (in bold) for my subscribers at the end, as I know they are extra invested!

The owner of one of Perth’s best loved indie bookshops has put out a public distress signal, saying the city’s small businesses are doing it “tougher than during COVID”.

Rabble Books & Games Maylands’ shocking-pink presence on hipster high street Eighth Avenue is known for going further than welcoming browsers and gift hunters, representing a haven and events hub for Perth’s queer, First Nations and disability communities.

Natalie Latter and Sam Baker with their daughter Pip. Image: Stevie Lane.

In only 6½ years of operating it has amassed a whopping online following that’s helped it become one of Perth’s most significant bookshops, but that’s not been enough to stop financial bruising – to the point that it on Friday announced online that something had to change, as Rabble was no longer sustainable.

Natalie Latter, who works in the bookshop alongside partner and co-owner Sam Baker, is also a City of Bayswater councillor and further works another job to keep the family afloat financially as the shop is barely breaking even.

They said Baker had worked 26 days in a row and the situation had become untenable, affecting family life with their six-year-old.

It was this that prompted their call for help via social media, asking shoppers to consider their books and subscription services for any Christmas presents, school or workplace needs.

They were then inundated with messages from other nearby retailers and cafes saying they were also struggling.

Latter said Perth rent rises and inflation had hit hard, and they felt a responsibility to keep their staff members’ shifts up and wages in line with CPI, even amid worry about their own family’s financial future.

“We are being squeezed in a way we haven’t ever been,” they said.

“Other businesses who have contacted me are saying the same thing, even if they’ve been here longer.”

They asked people buying online this Christmas for the reason that it was cheaper, to instead consider spending less but spending it locally.

“During 2020-21 with COVID-19 there was such a big push to shop local,” they said.

“We’ve let that fade away, and now is when people need to start thinking about what businesses they want to see continue in their area.”

They said their family very rarely all saw each other at once unless at the shop.

“We insulate [our daughter] Pip from the doom of it,” they said.

“And she doesn’t mind spending time at the bookshop – she feels she has important jobs to do there! – but if we were to really talk about it, I’m sure she would also love to have all of us somewhere that wasn’t work, that we could give all our attention to.”

Asked why they kept going, Latter said they felt what they did was important, and Rabble helped sustain marginalised minority groups as well as the wider Maylands community.

“For a lot of people who don’t find the world a welcoming place, they find Rabble a welcoming place,” they said.

“Books can comfort and sustain us, can give us a vision for the world and the futures we want to create. Art and books are vital and accessible art forms for people of all ages.

“But we are not sure how to sustain it without more sales.”

They had been heartened, however, by other businesses and readers’ responses to her post with similar stories, support and ideas.

They encouraged people to challenge the idea that keeping up appearances was always paramount.

“It’s easy to think things are just ticking along for other people if they don’t talk about what they are experiencing,” they said.

“If people don’t know, they don’t know.”

Book fiends, want to know more?

Rabble, given the role it plays in the community is clearly not really about profit, has investigated becoming a not-for-profit. And the problem isn’t that they don’t qualify – it’s that to become a not-for-profit you need a board, and it would mean giving up enough power and control over decision-making in the shop that they don’t feel comfortable doing it. Clearly autonomy is important for a small business. Perhaps, though, other bookshops might sit differently on the comfort spectrum here, and could investigate it or talk to Rabble about it.

The other thing I wasn’t really able to fit in this story was a discussion of something potentially transformative. As I have noted in other interviews with Perth booksellers, a direct relationship with local schools could be a game changer for little shops. In Perth, quite uniquely from an Australian perspective I believe, this school library and library market is kind of locked down by a supplier called Westbooks, which makes this supply their main occupation. It has a small shopfront out front of its Burswood operation as a secondary thing. This is in no way a criticism of Westbooks and should not be taken as such. It is only a speculation that the status quo is not always set in stone and better relationships with schools particularly could be a lifeline for Perth bookshops. Maybe you’re in a position where you have to source books for a school classroom or library – it might be worth looking at where you get your books and whether “shopping local” is a possibility. Or for booksellers, simply approaching the school. Just some conversations could be key. Remember, a high street without a book shop is basically one without a soul.

I also wanted to mention that Typeface Books in Applecross has just been sold as its owner Guinevere has also been facing these kinds of issues, after years of hard slog, and decided enough was enough. Happily, the new owner is going to continue employing Guinevere, so this story has a happy ending! And if you are Christmas shopping, Typeface has amazing gifts, I always drool over everything in that shop. And for those who are into board games (or games of any kind), Sam at Rabble is a board/table top game expert and can give personal recommendations on what’s good, what’s new, what’s big, etc. They have an incredible range so check it out.

And finally, look out as I have another exciting and positive bookshop story for Perth that I hope to publish within the next week or two!