Collins Booksellers Orange founders Margaret and Phillip Schwebel sell business to best-selling author Kelly Rimmer

Margaret and Phillip Schwebel opened Collins' in 2000, and have steered the business through countless highs and lows:

Four Harry Potter launches, two visiting prime ministers, a Jimmy Barnes meet-and-greet, the rise of online retail giants, back-to-back floods, a global financial crisis, and multiple COVID lockdowns.

"We're most proud of just surviving it all," Mr Schwebel said. " ... but we're getting to that age and stage - it's retirement time."

Prior to becoming small business owners, the duo had established careers - however Mr Schwebel's work as a geologist forced him to spend excessive time away from their young children.

After several years of trying and failing to find work closer to home, the idea of opening their own retail outlet in Orange emerged.

"We thought 'what's something we're really passionate about?' ... We weren't into clothes, shoes, or food - but we were really keen readers," Mrs Schwebel said.

At the time there were two other book sellers in Orange: "We thought there was room for another one with a focus on children's books."

Mr Schwebel estimates the best selling books at Collins have been The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

The busiest days were the launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, and a Jimmy Barnes promotional event in 2017.

"He came in a blacked out van with his entourage, signed every single book, and was the loveliest guy," Mr Schwebel said of the latter.

Mrs Schwebel added: "The quietest day we ever had was September 11 - people were just wandering in, and they were just wandering around and couldn't focus ... That was really strange."

As for running a shop as a married couple? "I really enjoyed working with Phil - we're best buddies, so it was really fun," Mrs Schwebel said, before her husband interjected: "We'll see how we go in retirement."

Mrs Schwebel will keep working part-time until the end of this year, but the couple plans to use new-found freedom to travel, renovate, visit friends, and spend more time with their now-grown-up children.

"Small businesses are really demanding it's really full on," said Mr Schwebel. "You've got to be here all the time ... it's not just nine-to-five [so we haven't been able to do all those things]."

Best-selling author Kelly Rimmer bought the shop earlier this year for about $255,000, and plans to keep its day to day operations largely unchanged.

"We just hope they can continue supporting the community," Mrs Schwebel said. "There are exciting things that could be done, but we're just a bit to tired to start thinking about them."

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