Meet the creative behind Miles & Henry…..
Introducing Kerry Tolson! Avid traveller, entrepreneur, collector of all things vintage, writer, passionate reader, Mum, Grandmother and published author. Here, Kerry talks about the journey and inspirations behind imagining, creating and finally opening the doors to Miles & Henry Bookstore Cafè in December 2021.
The inspiration………
“My travel adventures really planted the seed for creating Miles & Henry. In 1999, I was sitting in a book shop in Nepal, surrounded by new and pre-loved books, eating dahl and drinking chai. I looked around and thought, “One day, I’m going to create something like this. This is what I want to do!” I continued to travel, and be inspired by all the bookshop cafès that I visited overseas, especially those in Paris and London. A couple of decades later, after years of building a family business, the time had come for me to live my passion. I needed to regenerate my soul. Bringing together all the inspiration I’d gathered during my travels, and connecting with my creative spirit, I formed my ideas about the type of shop, destination and experience I wanted to create. It was also very important to me to open the doors to Miles & Henry in Alstonville, the village that has supported and nurtured me, and my family, for close to 30-years. It’s my way of thanking them!”
The name……..
“The name ‘Miles & Henry’ pays tribute to two of Australia’s greatest female writers, Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin (1879-1954) and Ethel Florence Lindsay Richardson (1870-1946). Both women wrote under male pen names to be taken seriously and in order to publish two of Australia’s greatest novels. Stella used ‘Miles Franklin’ for My Brilliant Career and Ethel used ‘Henry Handel Richardson’ for The Getting of Wisdom. Incredibly strong and talented individuals, they championed, inspired and nurtured other women to pursue careers, especially in the fields of writing, art and music. I chose to use their pen names for the bookstore so I could talk about their life stories and shine a light on their tenacity and sheer determination to succeed in an era when women writers were completely overlooked.”
The details ……
“Miles & Henry was always going to be so much more than just a retail space. I wanted it to be a destination that celebrated Australian literature, women writers, and a hub where books, and anything to do with reading, writing and creativity could be discovered, honoured, devoured and enjoyed. I envisaged a space that felt nurturing, looked interesting and encouraged people to see something new in something old by featuring upcycled, recycled and vintage décor. Features like our much-loved rescued drawer cabinet (pictured left), our collection of vintage and antique typewriters and signs, and our hand-painted, refurbished furnishings make Miles & Henry feel unique and inspiring.”
A look at Kerry’s book…….
Buddhas, Bombs and the Babu: A Family's Journey of Discovery Through the Spirit of Nepal (Brolga Publishing, distributed through Pan Macmillan, 2015.)
Storyline: A delightful, and at times hilarious, memoir of a family finding themselves as they travel around Nepal. They anticipate a ‘hippy-trail’ ramble, but instead, find themselves stumbling through a land imploding upon itself and are soon caught in the midst of bombs, crocodile-infested waters, paint-bombing monks and a kidnapping. Along the way, they lose their inhibitions, and discover the richness of life through the resilience of Nepal and her people.
Caption: Image courtesy of Kerry Tolson at a book signing in 2015.