RoseyRavelston was the first bookshop to stock Loose Parts Press books, something Sharon Baldwin says, “they'll always have a special place in my heart for”.

Sharon has lived in the Blue Mountains for five years and runs the independent children's publishing company, which she says would not have survived if not for the support of local bookshops, with a focus on local stories: "Our books who sell the best are the ones that have some kind of connection to the Blue Mountains, either with local author and/or the story has a connection to the mountains”. 

Whether it involves a crowd or getting ‘a little messy”, Sharon says “one of the reasons I love this space too, is because it's just so flexible in terms of where we can hold events and what we can do.” 

Sharon also teaches drama at Rosey’s, and her class' latest play - Murder in the Bookshop - was set here. It's not the only time Rosey has featured in local creative output – it is also mentioned in spooky children’s book The Lost Ghosts of Lawson by author, film maker and musician Antony Mann, who is often found playing guitar at Rosey's with his son Andy.

While the refugee issue in Australia is fraught with misconceptions, divisive rhetoric and human rights violations, the Blue Mountains area has a long tradition of supporting refugees. After the Tampa Affair, a woman named Marie Standen wrote a letter in the local weekly paper The Gazette calling a public meeting – it was held in Lawson– and the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group was born.

Twenty-three years later, their volunteers continue to assist with writing letters, appeals, and paying for essentials for asylum seekers who aren’t allowed to work.

RoseyRavelston donate half their profits to organisations supporting refugees including BMRSG and Rural Australians for Refugees. They also advocate on behalf of refugees, host events allowing refugees to speak for themselves including panels and workshops, and have a dedicated section in store and online for books by and about refugees. A lot of their support is informal and behind the scenes; stocking products that allow for spontaneous conversations about refugees, like Aunty's Ginger Tonic, providing free advice to refugees about writing and publishing books, and most recently, helping a young Afghan woman publish a book at no cost, documenting the history of animation in Afghanistan. 

Jo Hlavaty moved to Lawson a year ago with her partner and three kids for some stability, buying a home so their neurodivergent children “will not ever have to move again”.  

Living just a few doors down from Rosey, Jo and her kids visit often. She says, “even though with ADHD and Autism it's extremely difficult to form those bonds and more so, keep those, I've noted that the Ravelston’s events have actually been able to bring together the [diverse] people, and through that, (...) I've actually met a lot of people who I still talk to at those events - because that relationship bonds at the next event, (...) and that interaction, which is awkward especially when you are divergent, actually becomes a lot easier, because you've now got (...) a solid connection.” 

“My kids can go in there and not feel threatened, (...) they're actually free to be themselves”. Jo finds it to be helpful with reducing her neurodivergent kids’ screen time “getting kids off iPads is really important (...) because it makes them a bit grumpy, by moving that dopamine to a different outlet, such as reading, finding the joy in a book,  finding the joy in socialising, you actually get less of a tantrum when you take away that iPad”.  

Jo’s daughter wanders up, wrapped in a colourful blanket Jo crocheted for her as a baby. She loves the New Zealand Lolly Cake Rosey stocks, which she describes as “that cake-ish thingy that has marshmallows and coconut on the outside” a nod to Catherine’s childhood, Jo says Catherine “brought her own personality and story” to it, “it’s that personal touch that also helps.”