Kathy Sloss has wanted to own a book shop since she was five years old.
On Tuesday, the former librarian's dream became reality when she opened the doors to MacLean's Booksellers as the new proprietor of the Hamilton institution.
"Books are my first love," she said.
"I tried to get a job in a book store as a teenager and wasn't successful, so I went to uni and became a librarian instead, but new books have always been my love."
Ms Sloss bought the Beaumont Street business from long-time owners Amanda and Max Shirley.
"I've long thought about opening a book store in Newcastle, but I always wondered what I would do to make it different to MacLean's, because we already had one, and I procrastinated long enough that it came up for sale," she said.
"I've always enjoyed spending time in book stores.
"The first thing I do when I travel and go to a new city is to check out the book shops."
She said the store's book selection would not change significantly, but she would build up its literary fiction section.
"My passion is literary fiction. I read the classics still.
"I'll probably read a contemporary novel and then a classic.
"I guess these days I think of classics as mid last century and mid to late last century as well like Milan Kundera, Ian McEwan.
"Martin Amis was a favourite of mine."
The former student support officer at Kotara High School said not much would change at the city's only independent book store and she would continue employing the same staff.
"We will do a bit of a freshen-up of the store.
"I have a friend who's a local budding artist coming to do some painting.
"We'll freshen up the kids' section and move things around a bit in the shop. Similar kind of titles."
Ms Sloss said she was keen to maintain the relationships the Shirleys had established with schools, libraries and Newcastle Writers Festival.
She said the store would continue to support local self-published and emerging writers.
Ms Shirley said she was happy the store had been bought by someone "keen to be part of the community".
She and Max put the business on the market in May after several years of battling through pandemic lockdowns.
Ms Shirley said the shop needed someone with "new energy".
"Owning this business and being part of this amazing community of creatives and readers has been an absolute pleasure and we will miss it, but it is now time to have a new owner come in and inject the store with some energy and renewed enthusiasm," the Shirleys wrote on Facebook.
Book sales in Australia rose 7.2 per cent last year to $1.3 billion, according to research by Nielsen BookData.
