Hello, booklover
You have found a small locally owned business – an independent bookshop and café on the land of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation (a.k.a. West Footscray).
We are here to offer book-lovers a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to devour as many books as they like while contributing to reforestation of Australia and the world.
Our dream is to become the heart of the community, a place where words of wisdom are shared (and read), where friendships are made, where the magic of children’s story time lingers while poetry readings and book clubs gather.
We have a wide range of general fiction and non-fiction, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for just let us know and we can order it in for you!
Sign up to our newsletter, or join our membership to stay informed of bestselling titles and local events.
Here’s a little about me: my name is Reem, and my origins hail from the oldest capital city in the world – Damascus (Syria). My parents were emigrants who moved around a bit, so I ended up being born in the U.S.(along with my twin who lives in San Francisco), and was raised in London and the Middle East.
I met my husband while studying for my Masters degree in London- a charming Aussie who did his thing and lured me down under back in 2008. We’ve now been living in West Footscray for more than 10 years.
I’ve spent most of my professional career as a social policy researcher in universities and with government. I recently got my PhD from Deakin University, after which I (perhaps belatedly) realised that a full on academic career may not quite be my thing. I’ve also learned, in my various roles as a community leader (with the Muslim Collective) that a vibrant local community is so vital for healthy living.
Last year’s lockdown really clarified how much our little community needs a local bookshop. I hope that my endeavour will deliver. Thanks to everyone for their fantastic support and I hope to see you at the bookshop soon.
What we offer:
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop is committed to protecting our environment. So we’re pledging to plant one tree for every book we sell. Buy a book and help plant millions of trees across Australia to recover forests affected by the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires and restore native habitat vital for wildlife.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop is a proud member of the Australian Booksellers Association.
We acknowledge that the shop operates on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and the Bunurong of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to the traditional owners, their elders (past and present) and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.
© The Chestnut Tree 2021