The Unity Books story – the start-up that aged happily – kicked off with book-loving, debate-hunger, and a strong will. Founder Alan Preston was a New Zealand rep sportsman, as well as a Philosophy, History and Accounts student who became the accounts manager at South’s Books.

With the support of his father Cyril he decided to open his own shop. He placed a small ad (in keeping with the smallness of the shop within the Oxford Uni Press showrooms) in the Dominion and Evening Post announcing a new bookshop opening on Willis St.

On 6 September 1967 while giving the books another tutu on the first day, the staff - Alan and his Dad and their friend Bob Dempsey - suddenly realised they were low on classics. Grabbing a trolley, Bob raced across the Wellington CBD to a warehouse supplier and came back laden and triumphant.

Then Unity Books grew. In the ‘70s, having made enough people happy and having moved enough books (of both the sober and radical persuasion) past the till, Unity Books moved to a bigger site on Willis St, next to Colin Morris Music.

The vibe was perfect. At the helm was Prue de Villiers, Jo Harris (now McColl) and author Nigel Cox. Alan was an accounts manager again, but with a busier floor to talk on. When that 12 year lease came up, a fatter and more radical Unity moved even further along Willis St to our 3rd site, Perrett’s corner, to the mega-glazed pink banana-shaped shop.

As all booksellers attest, it’s only the daily traffic of enquiring people (well OK, also some of their dogs) which produces the thrum. The events calendar is running amok, the awards arrived, the flowers are artful, the speeches are short, and the wine from the publishers is plentiful (though rarely gold medal).

And the Unity armchairs are still the only armchairs in the CBD where any person can just sit and think in public without feeling any pressure that they must be industrious or buy a book. Even now with constant streaming and numbers, plenty of others are covering that for them. And deep down we all know that sooner or later the welcome sloucher will feel the call of a (for instance) tempting iwi history or Ottolenghi or Metallica bio.

Alan died in 2004 and Jo and Lawrie McColl and Tilly Lloyd took Unity on, merging Alan’s idiosyncratic mentorship with our own and the staff’s heart and bookaholism, and between us all we’ve kept Alan’s precepts alive and well: responsiveness is the thing; talking about books is a bigger thing; having galvanising stock is even bigger; warm and knowledgeable bookselling service is the biggest thing; laughter and community are crucial; a welcome atmosphere is everything.

Enjoy our space, it’s yours.

All the best as always

Tilly Lloyd