ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
AN outpour of public thanks has come for Steve McNeilly as the community says a bittersweet goodbye to the Variety Bookroom, which closed its doors for the very last time on Monday, June 26. In the heart of Moe on Albert Street, wedged between petite shopfronts, one of every colour rested the Variety Bookroom. Locals know and love this shop and the owner, Mr McNeilly, a local pastor and all-around community person. Since its former days as an ABC centre, for the past nine years, the store has provided the utmost service and the best books for Moe and beyond. Operating since June 25, 2014, Variety Bookroom was Moe’s first-ever ABC Centre, selling a range of CDs, DVDs and Audio Books up until 2018, when ABC ceased their license agreements. Variety Bookroom continued to stock a wide range of digital media alongside its extensive print media range and unsurprisingly, a large collection of Bibles and Christian books. The store grew immensely in its nine-year tenure. From its humble beginnings, Mr McNeilly had to learn how to operate a cash register and manage stock, but he did just that to run a great store for the last near decade. Taking to Facebook to notify the community of Variety Bookrooms closing, Mr McNeilly regretfully informed customers in early June. “It was just a question more of time than anything else but something had to give,” Mr McNeilly explained. “As a business, we’ve been doing okay but we haven’t been making a living, and it takes up a lot of time and I have other responsibilities, I have church responsibilities, I really want to get back to doing some writing and also I have family responsibilities.” Having had the business up for sale since the middle of 2022 with no real offers, Mr McNeilly had no other option but to shut up shop. All Mr McNeilly’s favourite bookstore moments were when engaging with people of the Latrobe Valley. Mr McNeilly found it rewarding “just to see all the excitement in children when they come into the shop, the kids come in, and they go ‘Look, mum, look, dad, look what I found’,” he said. The bookstore owner loved helping people locate rare finds and special editions. “Even in these last couple of weeks, we’ve had so many people coming back here to say ‘Thank you for your tremendous service’, sometimes it’s almost a bit embarrassing,” he laughed. Still packing away his extensive book range, Mr McNeilly disclosed the workings of an independent bookseller. “There are many people who just find it simpler to order books online, but people who do come in are very much people who want to support local business,” he said. “People like to support local business, I don’t know about every town, but certainly in Moe, people like to support those having a go in the local town.” Extremely apologetic for having to close, Mr McNeilly swears to continue doing more work in and for the community, “I’ll be out and about in the community still well and truly, but I guess I’ll miss the friends who come in and have a chat. That’s been the thing over nine years, we’ve made a lot of friends in the town and got to meet a lot of people that we wouldn’t have otherwise.” A pastor at Moe New Life Christian Centre and at the Outreach program at Churchill, Mr McNeilly will look forward to some more time to focus on helping people spiritually. “There are a lot of people with a lot of needs at the moment, and the church is very active in helping people through times,” he said. When it comes to what motivated Mr McNeilly it was his keen interest in books and religion. “Sometimes people say, ‘Why did you want to open a bookshop?’” he said. “And my light-hearted response was, well ‘I’ve got two books, and I’ve got to find somewhere to sell them’.” “A theological book called ‘Our culture in Christ’ looks at Christianity through a cultural lens, and there is also a novel entitled ‘Contesting Faith’.” With Mr McNeilly’s new-found free time, he hints at the potential for a sequel to his two books in the future. “That’s my novel, and it’s kind of crying out for a sequel. I haven’t really had the time; by the time I come home, I’m too tired to do much writing, so I’m hoping this will be a new lease on life,” he said. If two books weren’t enough, the New Life Christian Centre celebrated 50 years in 2019, and the budding author wants to finish a book about its history. When asked about the future of print media and hard copy books in a time of technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mr McNeilly remained optimistic and hopeful. “I can see advantages in people writing their business letters, and goodness knows what, but I would really hate to see human creativity cancelled out by AI,” he said. “When we first started, we invited people to enter a competition to submit why they thought printed books would not die out in opposition to audiobooks and downloads. “The prize-winning response was ‘You can’t have a child sitting on your lap; reading it on your phone or iPad as it is not the same experience as reading a book, turning the pages and looking at the pictures.” “Someone also said that audiobooks are no good for propping up furniture,” he said as he laughed. “I think printed books are going to be around for a long time. Because we’ve got books in the store like 150 years old, and those things have value.” Mr McNeilly and his family would like to extend his appreciation to those who have visited and supported him over his many years in the bookstore. “Thanks to all of our friends who have loved sharing books and the whole experience of books, and I’ve been so thrilled to share that experience over the nine years.” Moe will miss the Variety Bookroom.
