Forget quiet retirement. Ray Bonner chose shelves, stories, and community. His bookshop era proves passion makes the best next chapter.
Let’s face it: the classic picture of retirement: sandy beaches, endless TV reruns, and naps at 3 p.m. is getting old. Increasingly, folks are trading their rocking chairs for rolling book carts, and retirement isn’t really retirement anymore. It’s more like buying a bookstore and never looking back.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend their golden years surrounded by stories, curious customers, and the comforting smell of fresh coffee and old paper? Welcome to the bookshop buying era, where “retirement plan” might as well read “open a bookstore.” Well, for this man, anyway.
From Law and War Zones to Paperback Paradise
Ray Bonner’s life didn’t begin in a bookstore aisle. In fact, he started out in law school: a path that led to degrees and a pretty solid early career. But it wasn’t long before he realized that the world was calling him elsewhere. So he pivoted, stepped into journalism, and soon found himself covering some of the most intense stories of his generation.
Civil wars, political unrest, and global upheavals became part of his daily professional landscape. As a journalist, Ray’s assignments took him to places most of us would never imagine, and his stories were powerful enough to earn him prestigious recognition, including a Pulitzer Prize.
It sounds like the sort of life most people might dream about: adventure, purpose, impact. But after decades on the frontlines of newsrooms and global crises, something inside him beckoned for something different. He didn’t want a slow retirement. He wanted a life that still mattered, one filled with connection, conversation, and curiosity. And so a new idea began to take shape.
Why a Bookstore?
The decision might seem surprising at first; after all, Ray had never run a retail business before in his life. But if you think about it, it makes total sense: he spent his career surrounded by stories, by words that mattered, by human experiences captured on the page. Books had been central to his life as a journalist, both as tools for understanding the world and as gateways to the worlds of others.
When the opportunity to buy Bookoccino, an independent bookstore in Avalon Beach, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, came up, Ray didn’t just see it as a business.
Bookoccino: More Than Just a Store
When Ray stepped into Bookoccino as its new owner, he wasn’t just buying a retail space; he was inheriting a personality. Bookoccino wasn’t just a shop; it was a hub where books met coffee, where conversations flourished, where local writers and readers could cross paths.
One of the smartest moves he made early on was embracing the social part of bookstore culture. He focused on author events, curated recommendations, book clubs, and friendly chats over cappuccinos. Because let’s be honest, a bookstore that smells like freshly brewed coffee and feels like home is hard to resist.
Ray quickly learned that running a bookstore wasn’t just about stocking bestsellers; it was about curating experiences. He got to know his regulars, learned what they were excited about, listened to what they wanted next, and made thoughtful choices about what would line his shelves.
Customers didn’t just come to buy books; they came to connect. To linger. To discover something unexpected. And that’s exactly what Ray wanted: a place where stories were shared not just one-on-one, but with the whole community.
The Business of Books (With Heart)
Let’s be honest: owning a bookstore isn’t always easy. Big online retailers and discount pricing can make profits thin, and running a small business involves a lot of hats: inventory manager, event planner, barista, social media promoter, customer service agent, and more.
Ray embraced all of it.
But there’s one thing that sets him apart from the stereotype of the “reluctant small-business owner”: he genuinely loves what he does. He loves recommending a book that hits just right. He loves introducing someone to an author they’ve never heard of. He loves seeing kids’ eyes light up when they find a story that speaks to them.
In other words, he didn’t just buy a bookstore because he wanted a place to hang out; he bought it because he truly believes in the magic of books and what they can do for people.
Retirement as Reinvention
Ray Bonner’s story reminds us that retirement doesn’t have to look like a slowing down. It can be a turning toward, toward passions, toward community, toward projects that matter.
He didn’t just buy a bookstore. He embraced a new chapter full of curiosity and connection. He found that books can do more than tell stories; they can build bridges between people.
And maybe that’s the best lesson of all: life after work doesn’t have to be quiet. It can be loud with laughter, buzzing with conversation, and rich with discovery.
So if you ever catch yourself thinking about what comes next, whether retirement or reinvention, maybe take a cue from Ray: pick a path you love. Then get comfortable among books, coffee, and community, and see where that story takes you.
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Millie Ramm
Millie has been writing since she was a child, and has spent more time with her nose in books than anywhere else. She has been ghostwriting novels and editing for the past few years, and when not working she is curled up with her cats, looking for her next read.
