Bookstore writes story of success

TRACEY and Lyle Willersdorf have returned from the recent Collins Booksellers Conference with the Australian Franchise of the Year Award.

As owner-operators of Collins Booksellers on Lydiard, the couple were celebrated for their high customer satisfaction, community engagement, story-time initiative, and heritage bookstore-style merchandising and window displays, which the shop has become known for across the country.

“We are absolutely thrilled to win this award, and it was wonderful to be recognised for the passion that we have for books,” Mrs Willersdorf said.

“It’s a big testament to the fact that people love the store, we love the store, and we love our customers.

“When we moved in here, we wanted to create something that no Ballarat store, or any store in Australia has, where you can really feel that old bookshop experience. We based it on Hatchards in London which has been there since 1797.

“The Old Colonists’ building had the perfect ceiling height for the bookshelves, and the wooden floors, so it lended itself well to the beautiful vision we had.”

Mr Willersdorf said he likes his role working behind the scenes, and front of house, serving the customers.

“It’s great knowing that when they come in, they’ll enjoy what we present to them,” he said.

“Knowing we have a great range to choose from, for them to gift, or to have for themselves, is satisfying.”

The happiness on the faces of children and adults alike is Ms Willersdorf’s highlight.

“I love the joy the kids have when they walk in, and the pleasure they have when selecting a book in the children’s room,” she said. “That’s my favourite room.”

Collins Booksellers group managing director William Smith said the award is a reflection of the Willersdorfs’ “unwavering dedication” to good customer service, and the promotion of reading and literacy in the community.

“This recognition highlights the franchise’s commitment to excellence and its consistent efforts to exceed customer expectations,” he said.

Ms and Mr Willersdorf, a former teacher and farmer respectively, have operated a bookshop in Ballarat since 2008, previously running Book City, before it became Collins on Sturt.

In 2018, they moved into the ground floor shopfronts of the Old Colonists’ Club on Lydiard Street, and have won various national awards in that time, including first prize in Scholastic Australia’s Possum Magic Window Display Competition.

The couple recently renovated and moved into the building’s fourth shopfront. This was Margaret Muller’s umbrella shop in the late 19th century and will be named Mrs Muller’s room.

“This space is the cherry on the cake for us,” Ms Willersdorf said. “It’s made all our sections bigger, and we have new sections; Bodleian Library, refence literature, and popular science.

“It’s as perfect as we can get it.”

The pair said they’ve loved the journey so far, and they’re looking forward to sharing their “special” shop for many years into the future.

“We love it,” Ms Willersdorf said. “We’d like to thank our customers for supporting us, and our staff, because without them, it wouldn’t be possible.”