Well, now, Mrs Tickell’s Nanna’s trash can be your treasure, as the florist has slowly accumulated a book exchange in the past few months.
Mrs Tickell - who lives in Numurkah with her husband and three children – only bought the store in May last year.
She’s a florist by trade and a giftware sales guru, but Mrs Tickell said her book exchange gave the people of Cobram another reason to head into her store, say hello and grab a book.
“It doesn’t matter if people come in without a book for others to read; it started with one shelf and now it’s built to a whole bookshelf,” she said.
“There’s a lot more dropping off than picking up – people come in with four or five books but only pick up one.
“We’re probably going to have to find another one.”
Mrs Tickell is not much of a reader herself, but said her regular customers loved the book exchange and noticed it was growing each time they came in.
“It increases foot traffic in the store, I think people will come in and see the other things I sell in my store,” she said.
“If someone also needs to get flowers and other giftware, they’ll notice it’s in my store.”
With the rippling and crippling effects of coronavirus evident across the Cobram community, Mrs Tickell said it was a wise decision to go and pick up a free book at her shop.
“I think if we’re going to be put into isolation situations, a book will make life a lot more interesting,” she said.
“For those who have travelled for five or six weeks and have taken a book from the exchange, they won’t get those fees that you incur elsewhere.”
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