95bFM Auckland’s Hard to Find Bookshop potentially set to close down
12 June, 2025
Interview by Castor Chacko, adapted by Vivek Panchal
Founder of the Hard to Find Bookshop, Warwick Jordan, says the future of its Auckland store is unclear, given rising rent and operating costs, and its lease ending, and may not reopen.
The Hard to Find bookshop in Auckland has recently announced a potential closure next year due to its expiring lease, which is set to expire in February next year.
Because of rising rents and costs for businesses, it remains uncertain whether the bookshop will find a new home in the city.
The store, which started up in a Ponsonby garage in 1983, has seen various locations within Auckland, having been in its Eden Terrace location since 2018. The bookshop has a second location in Dunedin, where its internet stock is held.
The current location was provided with the help of former Auckland Bishop of the Catholic Church, Patrick Dunn, for a cheap rate, due to the building being in a dilapidated state. However, with a different bishop and property manager, the location is set to be sold.
Founder of the Hard to Find Bookshop, Warwick Jordan, told 95bFM’s The Wire that he does not believe the Church will find a new buyer for the location.
“[It’s] a building with a lot of problems. It suits us, but I doubt very much it will suit anyone else.”
Due to the site being a Heritage One building, it cannot be torn down to make way for different buildings or have modifications like wheelchair or lift access fitted.
“There are all sorts of developmental problems. I think developers will not be in the least bit interested in wasting money,” Jordan says.
He believes the current location of the Hard to Find bookshop blends with the philosophy of the original owner of the property; St Mary MacKillop, the only Australasian saint.
“[St Mary MacKillop] originally raised the funding for and paid for this property.”
“She wanted to create a place that was for education for all, basically. She was community-minded and education-minded.”
Jordan adds that the potential closure of the store will be the end of the heritage of all Auckland bookshops, mentioning other secondhand bookshops, such as Jason Books and Dominion Books.
Despite also having an online bookstore for his business, he prefers the idea of a physical location.
“It's a community hub.”
“... it's a gathering point for people who are reading. We get lots of customers ending up in conversations with each other about the most random things. They're complete strangers, but they end up meeting new people.”
Jordan says he has been in this business for over forty years; not to make money, but to preserve good books and create a knowledge base.
“We're very selective. Having said that, we stock a lot of books that aren't popular. Not popular for today, but for tomorrow. We stock a lot of stuff that's academic. We stock a lot of stuff that other bookshops don't take.”
He feels his job is even more important in our current society where facts are now a “negotiable product rather than actual reality”.
“Books are one of the few places where you can actually go and see what actually is true. Preserving all the books, and particularly where the facts don't change, is an important part of our society.”
Jordan recommends those wanting to help out to help out to buy books, and on a more “inflammatory” note, to “phone the bishop and say it’s a stupid idea”.
