Newtown’s beloved bookshop lives on as a multipurpose community hub

Earlier this year, longstanding Newtown bookshop Gould’s announced they’d be closing the doors of their beloved building at 32 King Street due to rising rental costs. There was a cry of grief from locals who consider the crumbling secondhand bookstore a local institution. Thankfully, Gould’s won’t be leaving the suburb for good – they’re moving south to 536 King, near New Theatre, with a proposed opening date of late September.

So what will become of the building that’s been home for Gould’s since the late '80s? The site was pegged for demolition and redevelopment as housing, but it's been saved from that fate thanks to the founders of Commune – the creative and collaborative minds behind Erskineville and Waterloo’s warehouse buildings, which regularly host Middle Eastern markets, craft workshops, yoga by donation and experiential cinema screenings.

Earlier this year, longstanding Newtown bookshop Gould’s announced they’d be closing the doors of their beloved building at 32 King Street due to rising rental costs. There was a cry of grief from locals who consider the crumbling secondhand bookstore a local institution. Thankfully, Gould’s won’t be leaving the suburb for good – they’re moving south to 536 King, near New Theatre, with a proposed opening date of late September.

So what will become of the building that’s been home for Gould’s since the late '80s? The site was pegged for demolition and redevelopment as housing, but it's been saved from that fate thanks to the founders of Commune – the creative and collaborative minds behind Erskineville and Waterloo’s warehouse buildings, which regularly host Middle Eastern markets, craft workshops, yoga by donation and experiential cinema screenings.