Ariel Booksellers

An independent bookshop on Oxford Street in Paddington, near the markets, opened in 1985 by Jane Blanks and now run by her daughter Julia. One of Sydney's oldest booksellers, it's known above all for art, design and architecture, with poetry, plays, film and literature alongside, plus cards and small gifts. In its early years it traded until midnight seven days a week and ran all-night events, among them a three-day reading of Don Quixote in 2007. The family left Oxford Street in 2016 and has since brought Ariel back to it.