Supernova is new again!

For anyone who’s actually been following the Saga of Supernova Books on this blog: it’s finally reopened in its new premises. Located at shop number 8, Shafto Lane, it’s now known as Fantastic Planet (take a look at their LiveJournal page for more information and some pictures; the manager told M that their website is being done at the moment). It’s close to the Murray Street end of Shafto Lane. So we have gone from almost having no science fiction/fantasy bookshop in Perth, to having one bookshop, and now TWO.

Window of Fantastic Planet, the new Supernova.

The shelves in Fantastic Planet are fully stocked and the shop is light and airy and generally pleasant to be in. I like the display shelves in the window, which are definitely an improvement on the rickety old shelves in the old Supernova. They have also kept the old Supernova sign, which has been stuck to one of the walls in the shop.

I wonder how both shops will go, given the size of this town. Fantastic Planet is situated near a few ‘fun’ shops, “close to 78 Records, Quality Comics, Empire Toys, and Millenium Products*” (to quote the shop’s managers), but some might argue that White Dwarf Books is a little more centrally located, and it is very near the old location of Supernova. It may be that each shop will have slightly different clientele. Judging from their LJ site, Fantastic Planet’s managers are writers and have a fair few writer friends, while White Dwarf’s managers seem to be more your regular run-of-the-mill geekboys (hopefully this does not get me banned from either shop!). Not that I am all that sure how this ‘difference’ will make any difference at all. Such incisive analysis of the SF/Fantasy market in Perth. Uh huh.

*AKA Millenium Exposition of Wonders. They don’t seem to have a website, but Perthites wandering or driving along Hay Street may have seen the shop with the full suits of armour, swords, pikes and halberds in the window.

Categories: Fantastic Planet, Supernova, science fiction, fantasy, Tim’s White Dwarf Books, bookshop, Perth, Western Australia