Cole's Book Arcade, Bourke Street, C.1900
The Cole's Book Arcade was one of those great iconic stores of the city at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It opened in the year 1873 in Bourke Street close to Russell Street, and in 1883 moved to the site for which it became greater known, off what is now the Bourke Street Mall. The shop was unparalleled, jam packed full with new and second-hand books and other accessories and fine wares, but with the atmosphere of a enchanting circus. Cole enticed customers of all ages with a menagerie and fernery and fine decorative objects, a band, a clockwork symphonion and other mechanical delights. Readers could sit and relax in comfortable chairs, encouraged by a sign:
'Read for as Long as You Like - Nobody Asked to Buy'