Second-hand bookshop lease in former convent ending

The lease for Hard To Find Books at St Benedict’s Street in Newton will lapse at the end of February next year. Housed in a former convent, the building is owned by the Catholic Church, which decided not to renew the lease because it intends to sell the property.

The bookshop has occupied the building since 2018, but has had a presence in Auckland for more than 40 years. The contents of the Auckland store could fill an estimated 20 shipping containers – roughly half a million books, said owner Warwick Jordan.

He did not believe there was another suitable building in Auckland to house the bookshop; he had wanted to stay at the current location. Renting a larger premises was also out of the question.

Another option he was looking at was relocating all of its stock down to Dunedin, where Hard to Find has another bookshop, but they were already “pushing it” for space.

James van Schie, general manager of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland, told Stuff that the diocese regularly reviews its property holdings and told Mr Jordan it was their “intention” to sell the building.

“We make decisions based on how we believe the Catholic Church’s mission across the region can best be carried out.”

Mr van Schie also said representatives of the diocese met with Mr Jordan “multiple times” to discuss his tenancy. The lease for the bookshop was for up to eight years and was always due to expire at the end of this year.

“The diocese has provided a two-month extension until February 2026, at Mr Jordan’s request, to allow him to trade over the busy Christmas period. We hope that the business can continue trading at another location,” Mr van Schie said.

FULL STORY

Shop set for influx of half a million books (By Tim Scott/Otago Daily Times)

‘Soul-destroying’: Iconic bookstore facing closure after 42 years (Stuff)