The lure of the books was too strong for Patrick

Patrick McKenna has opened another bookshop, this time in Bulls. Photo / Paul Brooks

Patrick McKenna loves books. He loves seeking them out, buying them, and he doesn’t mind selling them, either. He had a very successful second-hand bookshop in Masterton, then Waverley, moved it to Whanganui, where it thrived, then sold it, thinking he would retire from the book trade.

Nope. Barely a year has gone by, and he is now setting up another bookshop in Bulls, in a building that once sold confections of a very different nature. Now there are bookshelves — made by Patrick, with help from Whanganui craftsman and artist Roger Marriott — and a growing collection of collectibles and read-ables in soft and hard cover formats. A piece of Roger’s mixed media craftsmanship sits on a high shelf.

There are books there that, by their very old and sought-after nature, can only be described as beautiful. There are treasures there, but there are also books you just want to pick up and read.

“I was still out there, looking,” Patrick says of the time when he was supposed to be pursuing other interests, like music and theatre.

“I was getting bored, and people were still ringing me up offering and wanting to buy books.” And so ended retirement. The other interests remain, as does his connection to Whanganui. Next month, he will be in the cast of The Merry Wives of Windsor at Bason Botanic Gardens.

Patrick and his wife Raewyn were looking around in Bulls and found the shop - with a very nice house behind it. It’s on State Highway 1, and so easy to find.

“It’s got a good feel, and I’ll get a lot of books in here.” He’s called the shop Patrick’s Books, telling it like it is.

He used to have an antique shop called Traders of the Lost Arts, a clever play on words, and someone suggested Readers of the Lost Arts would be a good name for a second-hand bookshop. Patrick is considering it.

He would love to concentrate on New Zealand books and collectible rarities, but it’s a business, and pulp fiction is turnover. He has a revolving bookcase — bought from Hayward’s Auctions — in which he has stacked children’s books.

“I had about 15 years in the antique business, and books, they’re kind of like the ultimate, I think,” he says.

It will grow into a really good bookshop, but the real attraction is Patrick. He can talk for hours about books, authors and all the things he has learned from reading. He can talk you into checking out a new author or an old author and he can chat about favourite characters and the way they are portrayed. He has the skill and personality to engage the customer.

He knows people, they know him, and he will always be interesting.

Patrick’s Books opens for business this weekend. Look out for it on the right as you’re driving south, just opposite the petrol station.