Mewington's Book Shoppe is an independent bookshop on Main Street in Foxton, Manawatu, open seven days a week. It pairs a wide-ranging new and second-hand book selection with Brewington's Tea, Coffee & Cocoa Bar, so you can browse the shelves with a tea, coffee or cocoa in hand.
The catalogue runs from fiction, classics, biography and memoir and history to fantasy and sci-fi, poetry, true crime, graphic novels and young adult, with dedicated sections for Te Ao Māori, LGBTQ+ titles and neurodiversity. Beyond books there are games, jigsaw puzzles, gifts, stationery, journals, tarot and oracle cards, reading glasses and confectionary — plus a Blind Date Books range for readers who like a surprise.
The shop also runs an online store with search by title, author or ISBN, wishlists, Click & Collect and online gift vouchers, and keeps an Upcoming Events page for what's happening in-store.
On Main Street in Foxton, Manawatu, Mewington's Book Shoppe gives you a very good reason to slow down. Part bookstore, part tea, coffee and cocoa bar, it's the kind of place where a quick errand can turn into an unhurried hour of browsing — particularly once you've picked up something warm to drink. Open seven days a week, it's a browse-friendly stop for readers in Foxton and across the Manawatu.
For a small-town shop, the range is striking. Alongside the staples — fiction, classics, biography and memoir, history, fantasy and sci-fi, poetry and young adult — the catalogue reaches into true crime, graphic novels and comics, music and film, essays, and mythology, legend and folklore. There are dedicated sections for Te Ao Māori, LGBTQ+ titles and neurodiversity, alongside books on grief, faith and spirituality, health and wellbeing, family and parenting, and lifestyle and sustainability.
Specialist interests are covered too. Gardeners, cooks and travellers will find gardening, food and drink, and travel and language shelves; there's science and natural history, business and economics, sports and outdoor pursuits, pets and livestock, and humanities and social sciences. Art-minded browsers can dig into art, photography, architecture and interior design and fashion, while magical books, paranormal titles and tarot and oracle cards add a little mystery to the mix.
Second-hand books sit alongside the new titles, so there's always the chance of an unexpected find. Children get their own section, and there are games, jigsaw puzzles, gifts, stationery, journals and even reading glasses — the sort of practical extras that earn their place in a proper bookshop. Gift hunters do well here too: the shop's gilded pocket editions and ornate classics make handsome presents, and online gift vouchers take the pressure off if you're not sure which title someone already owns.
One of the shop's signatures is its Blind Date Books — mystery picks where you don't quite know which book you're taking home until you get there. They're a fun way to push your own reading habits, and an easy answer to being completely stuck for a gift.
The classics range is worth a browse in its own right. Recent additions have included The Princess Bride, Treasure Island, Mrs Dalloway, This Side of Paradise, Emma, Romeo and Juliet, Anne of Green Gables and The Poetry of John Keats in gilded pocket and ornate editions, plus collected World Classics Library volumes of Homer and Mark Twain for anyone building a serious shelf.
Local stories have a place on the shelves as well. The shop has backed Crossed Keys and Coffee Spoons: A Family History by Bernardine Vester, a multi-generational saga that follows the Stijnman bakers from their 19th-century artisanal roots in South Holland to wealth in Leiden — the city of the crossed keys. It's a good example of the biography and memoir titles you'll find among the new releases.
The in-store bar, Brewington's, serves tea, coffee and cocoa, with confectionary and drink products available alongside the books. It turns a bookshop visit into something closer to an outing — pick up a novel, grab a drink, and take your time. The shop also runs events; its Upcoming Events page is worth checking before you visit to see what's on.
You'll find Mewington's Book Shoppe at 24 Main Street, Foxton. It's open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. If you'd rather plan ahead, the website works as a full online store: you can search by keyword, title, author or ISBN, build wishlists, and use Click & Collect to have a book waiting for you. The shop is also on Facebook and Instagram if you'd like to follow along.
Whether you come away with a second-hand paperback, an ornate classic, a jigsaw puzzle or simply a good cocoa, the idea is the same: books, warmth and a bit of serendipity, right on Foxton's main street.