New beginnings for New Zealand’s Best Emerging Bookseller

Lisa Adler had her last day at the bookstore where she learned her trade last month. But for Lisa, it’s not the end—just another chapter.

A woman with glasses flicks through a large book in a bookstore.
Lisa Adler is a Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington alumna and former palliative care nurse, now working as a bookseller at Vic Books.

“I always say that if you think something is what you want to do or you want a change, do it.”

Last month, Lisa won Best Emerging Bookseller 2022 at the Aotearoa Book Trade Industry Awards. Organised jointly by Booksellers Aotearoa NZ and the Publishers Association of NZ Te Rau o Tākapu, it was the first time the annual awards had been presented in person since 2019.

“I was completely blindsided, I didn’t even know that I’d been nominated. The team did it all behind the scenes, they wrote these testimonials about me and I felt so honoured.”

It was a bittersweet moment, as she collected the award just one day after Vic Books Pipitea closed its doors for the last time. Located on Lambton Quay, the store where Lisa learned her trade closed to the public on 22 July.

“It was heartbreaking—it wasn’t anything anyone wanted, but the financial constraints were undeniable.

“I knew it would be hard to let go, but I also knew that becoming sad and curmogeondly would be no help. I’ve tried to reframe my perspective and look at this shift to Kelburn as a new opportunity for me.”

The store had been forced to close temporarily earlier in 2022 because of the parliamentary protests on its doorstep and had not been able to recover from the loss of revenue. Vic Books General Manager Jessica Godfrey says there was no way she was prepared to lose Lisa too.

“Lisa is unflappable. She wouldn’t let the loss of her beloved Pipitea get her down. She’s a voracious reader and loves to put the best book into the hands of readers, so we’re glad to have her continue to do so.”

Lisa is now the book buyer for Vic Books Kelburn, and her first day was at the beginning of August.

“I’m loving it here. One of my favourite things at Pipitea was making the place my own and building relationships with customers—this a chance to do that all over again”

But Lisa is no stranger to new beginnings. Before joining the Vic Books team in late 2018, Lisa had a thirty-year career in palliative care nursing.

“My nursing qualification had lapsed, and when I tried to go back to work I found out I had to retrain. Realistically, I could’ve done it—but I was already cultivating an idea of what else I could do.

“Reading had always been such a big part of my life and my childrens’ lives, and I thought, why don’t I go back to University and do something that I love? So that’s what I did.”

Lisa completed her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the University in 2018, and as she expected she would, loved every minute.

“I was being taught by great lecturers, Professor Harry Ricketts and Professor Jane Stafford from the English department, and Dr Simon Perris from Classics—everyone was incredible.

“Books are what we use to make sense of the world, to challenge or confirm our own thinking. You can learn so much and that’s what I love to do, and what I’m excited to keep doing.”