![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/angelapulp_02670-rotated.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d just seen that movie, and I just decided to follow my passions and open up a bookstore, because I really liked reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the film inspired the name, \u2018pulp\u2019 would later take on a literal meaning after consecutive floods in 2017 and 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the floods came through it looked like a poltergeist had been through the shop,\u201d Angela recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBooks and water don\u2019t mix, and we lost everything at belly-button height.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swollen books buckled the shelves, mud coated everything, and crowbars were used to retrieve what little could be salvaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just such a nightmare,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d think it would never be clean again.\u201d<\/p>\n
But with determination and strong community support, Pulp Fiction lived on.<\/p>\n
Angela raised the building above flood level, while locals helped clear debris and donate stock so the shop could reopen.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople turned up in droves to help clear debris and donate books so we could restock,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The store\u2019s bright blue shopfront, retro mannequin dolls and a 1980s post-punk soundtrack featuring bands like Jesus and the Mary Chain and Joy Division give it a distinctive personality.<\/p>\n \u201cIndependent shops with a bit of personality are a big part of what gives the Northern Rivers its character,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n \u201cSecond-hand bookshops are becoming rarer, so we feel quite determined to keep this one going.\u201d<\/p>\n Floor-to-ceiling shelves form an inner labyrinth that Angela says heightens the thrill of discovery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a kind of an ordered chaos,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is categorised, but half the fun is wandering through and seeing what you discover.\u201d<\/p>\n Regulars, writers, artists and curious travellers wander the aisles, drawn by the shop\u2019s quirky charm.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get people coming through from Byron, Nimbin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and even Brisbane just to see it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n While Murwillumbah continues to evolve with new cafes and boutiques, Angela believes places like Pulp Fiction will always play an important role in shaping the town.<\/p>\n \u201cTowns need both new businesses and their older, slightly quirky institutions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WHEN Angela Pereira first stepped inside the building that would become Murwillumbah\u2019s beloved second-hand bookstore Pulp Fiction, she found holes in the walls, debris on the floor and a chained front door that barely worked. \u201cThere was this sort of front door with a chain wrapped around it,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt looked like Fort Knox, […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/pulp2_03032-rotated.jpeg\")