Booklovers’ Paradise
Nestled next to Tusmore Park is a bibliophile’s dream, an old red brick building packed to the rafters with books, and the largest second hand bookshop in South Australia.
The Lions Club of Glenside Bookmart is run by volunteers and contains thousands of books meticulously organised in categories and by author. Whether you love fiction, history, romance, sci-fi, crime or lifestyle there is a book for you. All books are donated and sell for an average of $4 each. All profits are returned to the community by way of donations.
During 2018/19 the Lions Club of Glenside supported more than 30 charities and groups with donations totaling $174,000. “That’s a lot of books!” says Yee Cheng Leong, retired pharmacist and member of the Lions Club for 25 years. He points out that other fundraising initiatives contribute to that amount.
Glenunga resident Yee Cheng, 72, volunteers at the bookmart twice a month. “I love the satisfaction of giving back to the community,” he says. “Our Lions motto is ‘We Serve’”.
“There are books here in excellent condition, which would retail for up to $40 but all we ask for is $3 - $5.”
In the treasure trove of books are multiple titles by popular authors such as James Patterson, Danielle Steel, Clive Cussler and Liane Moriarty. But there are also some collector’s editions of rare books, safely locked in a display cabinet.
“We have volunteers who research these books and see what they would retail for then we sell them at a fraction of the cost,” says Yee Cheng.
Yee Cheng says although they rely solely on donations, they have a comprehensive range of titles and authors. “We cater for everyone,” he says. “We have aviation, sports, history, cooking, autobiographies and more.” There are also leather bound sets of Shakespeare and Dickens.
It is easy to find what you are looking for as all titles are grouped and labelled according to specific topics. Children of all ages are also catered for with a collection of books suitable for toddlers through to teenagers. The colourful collection is housed in a distinct section with child sized tables and chairs.
There is also a small collection of CDs, DVDs, vinyl records and some recent magazines.
The Club is always accepting donations of good quality second hand books and is calling for extra volunteers.
The Bookmart has a team of volunteers who sort and price the books before they are put on the shelves for sale and Lions members work on a roster at the sales desk.
Glenside Lions Bookmart
4 Kennaway Street Tusmore, adjacent Tusmore Park. Opening hours are: Mondays and Fridays 10 am – 1 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 10 am-3 pm
Bookmart manager - Evan Jenkins, Assistant manager - Ann Mattschoss
Contact: info@glensidelions.org.au
Phone 8332 1738
Website: www.glensidelions.org.au
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/glensidelionsbookmart
