A family-run second-hand bookshop tucked behind an ancient pōhutukawa at 2 Wallis Street in Raglan, Well Read sells used, rare and collectible books, each with a history of its own. The shelves run from well-loved fiction to New Zealand history, art and architecture, and the shop also has the odd genuine rarity, such as an early Tolkien edition. Book lovers are welcome, and so are dogs: the shop's miniature dachshund, Pumpkin, is part of the place. The shop says it is a little shop by the sea, so the books are chosen with care rather than in bulk.
The shop also ships weekly throughout New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US and Canada, so people who cannot make it to Raglan can still browse the stock online. Buying second-hand keeps older books in circulation and gives them a new reader, which suits a town where many visitors come for the surf and the cafes and leave with something unexpected. The shop takes book enquiries, existing orders, and book sales, and will also help with anything else visitors ask about.