The Bodhi Tree Bookstore Cafe

When clients were offered a coffee while waiting on the
chesterfield, we considered this to be a micro version
of the book cafe we dreamed of becoming one day!

Photographed here is Ken Milling, one of
Integral Development's esteemed
Executive Coaches, checking out some
recommended reading for his clients.

2008
The online bookstore was launched at the beginning of 2008. With the redevelopment of the ECU Churchlands Campus, Integral Development relocated its offices to Osborne Park in August. Here, the Bodhi Tree was able to burst out of its glass casing onto a set of trendy shelves astride a beautiful stone Buddha with hands poised in the Vitarka mudra - the symbol of teaching and reason.

2009
Unable to contain itself any longer, on 3rd June 2009 the two-year gestation of The Bodhi Tree at last gave rise to a magnificent and inspiring bookstore cafe in Mt Hawthorn, one of Perth's trendy suburbs just north of the city.


July 2008: at last a home for The Bodhi Tree was found in this new building in Oxford St - built on the site of the old petrol station (and Ritz Theatre before that).		Jan 2009: Excitment mounts as the building nears completion. A beautiful gazebo in the park opposite was built by the council.

Karen at work on the fit-out plans in The Bodhi Tree "engine room" at home.		Ron (Karen's partner) sanding a teak table for the cafe. Much of the furniture was sourced by rummaging around auctions.

Sue (Karen's sister) finishes the table off with stain. This table was a real group effort!		Alyssa (Karen's daughter) unpacking and pricing the early book arrivals. Home was fast becoming a warehouse of cardboard boxes!

A somewhat unorthodox (but quite practical) method of measuring how tall the magazine shelf should be!		Karen spent many hours pacing around bookstores, guaging how high, deep and wide bookshelves needed to be - and then rushing back to the plans to measure up.

A hive of activity inside - messy but exciting! The anticipation to start on the fit-out was excruciating.		With the carpet and kitchen tiles laid, we felt as though we could hear the faint heartbeat of The Bodhi Tree starting up.

Geoff (brother), Lyne (sister-in-law), Sue (sister) and Joanne (neice) either praising or cursing Ikea!		Ron (partner), Chris (Ron's son) and Sophie tackle another shelving unit. We had races to see who was the quickest. The record for an Expedit shelf was 13mins, but the winning team is still being debated!

Justin Harrison fabricated the cafe counter frontage in his spare time.		Starting to look like a real cafe as Levi, painter-par-excellence, does his thing.

While all this was going on, we had to learn how to make coffee! And of course someone had to be the tester.		Lauren (Karen's daughter) and friend Nick helped late into the night. Nick putting up the office curtain rails and general hammering, drilling and other boy stuff...

...while Karen did the ironing...		...and Lauren did the dusting, and other girl stuff.

With much excitement, Karen removes the window coverings, introducing the outside world to The Bodhi Tree bookstore cafe.		Friends David and Ryan work late into the night to beautify the exterior of The Bodhi Tree the night before opening.

Tadaaaa! The bookstore on opening day (a small part of it anyway). The flowers were sent from Port Hedland as a congrats gift from Karen's sister Wendy.		Tadaaa! The cafe on opening day. Phew!

The Bodhi Tree | Perth's Most Unique Bookstore Cafe | Inspiring Wisdom