Queenscliff bookseller named Australia’s best

THE owner of an independent Queenscliff bookshop has been named Australia’s Bookseller of the Year.

Matt Davis, of the Bookshop at Queenscliff, was honoured with the title at the BookPeople conference gala last week, beating out the five other booksellers shortlisted for the award, including Charlotte Guest from The Book Bird in Geelong.

The award recognises an individual bookseller for their outstanding achievements over the past 12 months, with a winner selected not only for their performance within the bookshop, but also for their work within the book industry and the local and wider community.

Mr Davis, who took over ownership of the bookshop with his wife Jayne Tuttle in 2019, said he was “genuinely shocked” to have received the award.

“I’ve never had anything like this before, so it’s kind of a new feeling.

“To have my work recognised like that, and our little bookshop in a small town to be recognised on a national level like that; it’s really beautiful.”

A well-known figure in Queenscliff, Mr Davis has created a space, described by his wife as a “haven of knowledge”, for children and adults alike and actively promotes the importance of books and the sharing of ideas through a variety of local initiatives.

He is a passionate advocate for independent bookstores, the “crucial” role they play within the industry – a little part in a “greater organism” – and the care they provide both their customers and the carefully curated selection of books they carry.

“We have a personal connection to every book that’s in that shop, and it’s there for a reason,” Mr Davis said.

“An algorithm can’t choose that book for you that you would only find in an independent bookshop and from an independent bookseller.

“We find new authors and we share those books with our customers and now all the authors that you know, all the famous authors, they were all built by independent booksellers.

“They’re not built by algorithms by Amazon and Booktopia. They’re built by people in shops handing them to readers.”

Mr Davis also serves as the official bookseller of the Queenscliffe Literary Festival, slated for October this year, and has provided valuable support to emerging bookshops and booksellers, such as Heads & Tails in Barwon Heads – a key factor in his award win.

Looking ahead, Mr Davis said he wants the Bookshop at Queenscliff to “keep being a force for good”, championing books, authors and ideas.

“The shop has become part of the cultural capital of the town… and I really just want to keep pushing that. I really want to go to the next level with that.

“My favourite is the kids coming in and getting passionate about books.

“There’s a lot of data at the moment…about literacy and distraction of kids with screens and things like that. My goal is to try and change that conversation a bit and just keep promoting books with kids.

“The kids that are into books, it’s just like they walk into Disneyland when they come into the bookshop, and I just love that. I really want to encourage more of that.”