Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
An empty shopfront on Freo’s bustling Cappuccino Strip has gained a new lease on life as a travel bookstore.
The bright blue storefront opened four weeks ago as the Maritime and Travel Bookshop. It is stocked with maps and travel guides and offers customers a unique deep dive into maritime history.
The city-owned site has sat vacant for years. It was previously leased to hospitality businesses, such as The Meatball Bar, and hosted pop-up activations through Spacemarket.
But when Fremantle’s iconic Chart and Map Shop went into liquidation earlier this year and the new owners moved the business to Jolimont, the original staff saw an opportunity to rebrand.
Store manager Liz Poulton started working at the High Street Chart and Map Shop 25 years ago. She said when she and her staff realised they weren’t going to be involved in the Jolimont venture, they decided to find a way to stay in Fremantle and continue sharing their knowledge.
“A group of local business people saw the need and importance of that shop … myself and my staff were all brought back in, which they were really happy for,” she said.
“I’ve accrued a lot of knowledge, and my staff have a lot of knowledge you can’t really study for. It’s just something you accrue over the years.
“We’re this little niche industry, and the real value is in the knowledge that the staff and I hold.”
Ms Poulton started talking to the city about leasing the site in April, and said it was a community effort to pull everything together to open by July. Boffins Books – which closed its CBD store in June – donated shelving, while The Map Shop in Adelaide – which closed in April after 80 years – sold her all their remaining stock.
The Maritime and Travel Bookshop is now sitting between the vacant Ben & Jerry’s store and popular Gino’s cafe on South Terrace.
Ms Poulton said it’s a prime location and breaks up the line of hospitality venues.
“The location is really good because it activates this part of Fremantle that was always such a strong part of the city’s identity. If it was somebody else opening here and doing something similar, I’d be happy because the city itself needs to close these gaps,” she said.
“If you start filling these pockets of Fremantle that are empty, it’s just going to create a better atmosphere and it does bring down antisocial behaviour.
“It’s a wonderful space and people are so happy that we’re here.”
Maritime retail options are also a significant part of Perth’s famous port city, particularly as local schools recognise the importance of analogue mapping in the digital era.
“The maritime industry, ships and sea rescue, they still need paper charts and equipment, so we’re re-establishing that. Ships can’t move without the right publications,” Ms Poulton said.
“I also realised over the past few years that schools are getting back into orientation and teaching their students how to read maps. Even though digital is really popular, people are realising that we still need to have paper and hard copies – you need to have some sort of fundamental understanding of how to read a compass and how to read a map.”
The shop will also act as a learning opportunity for the community, with plans to host info nights on the first Thursday of each month. Specialists, professors, authors and travellers will be invited to come in store and share their knowledge.
The shop is currently open from 9am to 5pm every day except Sundays, when they open at 10am. They plan to eventually trade late nights, hopefully in time for the Christmas period.
“The shop is a pop-up at the moment, and I said I need to go past Christmas to see if it’s viable. The city has been wonderful about it, and I think it fell in line at the same time they’re trying to support local businesses,” Ms Poulton said.
Fremantle director of city business Matt Hammond said the city had been in negotiations with “several prospective tenants” to fill the prominent property.
“A lease was previously approved for a major food and beverage operator, however the tenant opted not to proceed with the opportunity,” he said.
“The city has since run several public (expression of interest) processes to identify suitable tenants and has also made the space available for pop-up activations via Spacemarket in 2024 and 2025.
“We’ve been in discussions with the Maritime & Travel Bookshop since April 2026 and we’re pleased to see this unique business now operating from the premises.”
This marks the end of the City of Fremantle’s vacant commercial properties, as the empty Ben & Jerry’s is also currently being fitted out for a new tenant.
