Aaron Thorne was always destined to own a bookshop, he mused as he explained how Lithgow Community Book Shop came to open its doors to the community.
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"It's always been a running joke that we're going to end up running a bookshop somewhere," Mr Thorne said.
The bookstore is located on Main Street and has that trademark musty smell, accompanied by an atmosphere any book lover could lose hours of their day in.
The store features a piano that anybody is welcome to play and an art window that displays the work of local artists.
Sometimes, the popular store snake named Luna amuses customers with her presence.
Vinyl has made a comeback in recent times, and there is a vast range of records available for the keen collector.
According to Mr Thornes wife Jasmine, herself and family friend Vicki work alongside him and share the visions of what the group want the store to look like in the future.
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"It's not just about the books. We're hoping to do other community things as well, because we have the space for it," Ms Thorne said.
"We've been hoping we can have artists come in if they want to rent space or people who want office space. There's just that much room."
Mr Thorne said the store has already began hosting roleplaying and board game groups, but would also like to become a hub for the local art scene.
"As we clear out the back, we'll have enough space to have things like book clubs, author readings, writing groups as well," Mr Thorne said.
According to both Mr and Mrs Thorne, Lithgow locals have been enjoying the store but the rush has been altered due to the weather.
"Business was doing really good until the cold hit, then it slowed down," Mr Thorne said.
We're still getting a lot of people coming in,but it's sort of that bit in the middle of the day rather than all day."
A self-confessed bibliophile, Mr Thorne said he has a home collection he could possibly stock half the store from.
"Running here is actually kind of dangerous, because my home collection slowly builds," Mr Thorne said.
"It's like, oh, that's interesting. Let's take that home and read it."
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
