Sad news. The Technical Book and Magazine shop has closed down. Located in Swanston Street, Melbourne for over 60 years it was a focal point for car enthusiasts from all over Australia. Memories of buying my first car magazine - a 1951 Autocourse with (coloured photographs of 159 Alfa Romeos) for five shillings, of standing shoulder to shoulder with a line of lunch time readers (and occasionally having a magazine firmly taken out of the readers hands, [if it had been a bit too over long], it being placed back on the rack with the words "Can we help you, Sir?"), the community atmosphere amongst the customers, the ready availability of assistants, the incredible range of books all come flooding back.
The unique and friendly (to the buyer) sprawled out tables of books was replaced by tall shelving and impersonal and detached customer service and partly as a result all was lost.
A particularly unique feature (kept as a secret by a lucky few in the know) was that outside the Tech Mag there was a strip of kerbing which was not in the bounds of any parking officers and as a result one could always immediately park in the heart of the city gratis and untouched, provided the car was removed at peak hours.
The Tech Mag enthusiastically bought in for me copies of the watercolor prints in the 1955 Autocourse Annual (300SLR, D type and 375+) (of which the 300 SLR one was signed at Sandown by Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Denny Hulme and John Surtees). The Tech Mag was like that.
As it had been it will be missed.
Tech Book and Mag closed.
Started by
sandy
, Jun 29 2006 02:58
4 replies to this topic
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#2
Ray Bell
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Posted 29 June 2006 - 04:06
But the bookshop at Camberwell is still going?
Friendly and casual, from what I saw of it a couple of years ago. And a place to bump into people we've once known...
Friendly and casual, from what I saw of it a couple of years ago. And a place to bump into people we've once known...
#3
Techbooks
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- 4 posts
- Joined: June 06
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Posted 29 June 2006 - 04:20
G'day there,
The Technical Book Shop is not RIP at all, we have just relocated to 323 Latrobe Street (two blocks away) in a garage-style building with the same range of automotive stock as before.
We even added a garage frontage in order to keep classic cars on display in the shop and so far have had an Aston Martin DB6 Mark II, Roaring Forties GT40, Land Crab Rally car, Austin Seven and currently have a genuine Porsche 904 GTS Carrera on display (along with various motorcycles).
Swanston Street will be missed - I remember buying my car mags there as a customer many years ago before joining the staff about five years ago - and there were great stories of customers parking outside in all manner of exotic machinery (the boss Paul Radford recalled Alec Copeland pulling up in his DB4 GT Zagato Aston Martin years ago) but a massive rent increase meant there was no possibility of remaining in that location.
For anyone who is trying to contact us, the old telephone number still works but we do have a new one - 03 9600 0922 - or email info@techbooks.com.au
Cheers,
Damien
The Technical Book Shop is not RIP at all, we have just relocated to 323 Latrobe Street (two blocks away) in a garage-style building with the same range of automotive stock as before.
We even added a garage frontage in order to keep classic cars on display in the shop and so far have had an Aston Martin DB6 Mark II, Roaring Forties GT40, Land Crab Rally car, Austin Seven and currently have a genuine Porsche 904 GTS Carrera on display (along with various motorcycles).
Swanston Street will be missed - I remember buying my car mags there as a customer many years ago before joining the staff about five years ago - and there were great stories of customers parking outside in all manner of exotic machinery (the boss Paul Radford recalled Alec Copeland pulling up in his DB4 GT Zagato Aston Martin years ago) but a massive rent increase meant there was no possibility of remaining in that location.
For anyone who is trying to contact us, the old telephone number still works but we do have a new one - 03 9600 0922 - or email info@techbooks.com.au
Cheers,
Damien
#4
David Shaw
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- 1,734 posts
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Posted 29 June 2006 - 05:35
Great news to hear that Tech Books merely has a new location.
The bookshop in Camberwell, http://www.carsonlin...au/motor_bk.htm Motor Book World is still going Ray. Yes, a nice place to find hard to get second hand publications.
The bookshop in Camberwell, http://www.carsonlin...au/motor_bk.htm Motor Book World is still going Ray. Yes, a nice place to find hard to get second hand publications.
#5
sandy
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- 1,091 posts
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Member
Posted 29 June 2006 - 08:17
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Techbooks
[B]G'day there,
The Technical Book Shop is not RIP at all, we have just relocated to 323 Latrobe Street (two blocks away) in a garage-style building with the same range of automotive stock as before.
Deeply apologetic - the old old story, unwisely relying on hearsay, absolutely wish you the very best for the future.
[B]G'day there,
The Technical Book Shop is not RIP at all, we have just relocated to 323 Latrobe Street (two blocks away) in a garage-style building with the same range of automotive stock as before.
Deeply apologetic - the old old story, unwisely relying on hearsay, absolutely wish you the very best for the future.
