Meet the family behind South Australia's largest independent bookstore

Most teenagers can only dream of meeting their musical idols, but for Angus Dillon it was all part of the job growing up in the family business.

Dillons Bookshop has seen countless changes since Sue and Ross Dillon opened a small bookstore at 160 The Parade more than 40 years ago, and their sons were lucky enough to come of age when the store still sold CDs.

“My brother Alistair and I both grew up working in the music section, which was such a great job,” recalls Angus.

“I even got to meet Tom Jones when he was in Adelaide for a concert.”

Sue and Ross opened the bookstore as an Angus & Robertson in the early 1980s, not long after Ross' stint as a premiership-winning Redleg.

Over the decades, they expanded into the neighbouring premises and rebranded the store as Dillons, overseeing seven renovations as the footprint grew from 65 to 700 square metres.

In the process, they became South Australia's largest independent bookseller and saw the store featured everywhere from The Advertiser to The Wall Street Journal.

And while the CD racks have been made way for a growing children's section, the store remains as busy as ever.

“A lot of people thought books were going to disappear when e-readers came out, but they've managed to keep going,” says Angus.

“People are still very passionate about their favourite authors and things like BookTok have really changed the book industry.”

Young influencers posting reviews and recommendations on TikTok have built huge followings and helped to reinvigorate genres like romance, while also introducing a new generation to the joy of reading.

In-store appearances by pop stars may be a thing of the past, but Dillons still has a busy calendar of events.

“We had Trent Dalton in the shop recently for a signing, and we have regular events with authors at the Norwood Town Hall that often sell out,” says Angus.

But while those events are important, he insists that there's an even more important factor in Dillons' longevity.

“Our staff really are the secret to our success – everyone talks about how great and knowledgeable the team is.

A lot of them have been there for more than ten years, and having all those familiar faces is a key part of why customers keep coming back”

Add to that the wide range, which includes a huge selection of new releases and back-order books alongside cards, gifts, board games and children's toys, and Angus predicts a rosy future for the store, as well as books in general.

“The publishing industry is in a very healthy place these days, with many Australian publishers putting out a broad range of books.

So I think there's always a role for an independent bookseller, especially one with such a great location at the heart of The Parade.”

Visit today

160-166 The Parade, Norwood
W: dillonsbookshop.com.au
I: /dillonsbookshop