Bookshop Day at Beattie & Forbes

Beattie and Forbes Booksellers started life as The Office Supply Company, Napier. Opened by Tom Sullivan in 1924 on the corner of Hastings and Tennyson Streets. When the Earthquake struck in 1931 the shop was open. Tom and one of his assistants, Aline Buckley, got out, but tragically his other assistant, Nellie Rolls, was killed. Aline then worked in the store (by now on the opposite corner) for about 50 years. When she finally retired the store had become Beattie and Forbes Booksellers, so named by Graham Beattie and Barry Forbes in 1968. Since then the shop has changed hands a couple of times and is now owned by James and Megan Landon, both bibliophiles and from retail, (James) and academic (Megan) backgrounds.