Meet Our Team
Our staff are dedicated booksellers who love to read and recommend great books.
Jaye
A former professor of medical research, Jaye decided to fast forward her second career as a bookseller after falling in love and purchasing Mary Martin Bookshop Southgate in 2016. Having since launched our Port Melbourne store in 2018, and a pop-up on String Bean Alley at the Queen Victoria market in 2019, Jaye now laments the fact that she is working more than ever! However it all comes with the glorious joy that this work involves reading books and engaging with book-lovers from the very young to the most experienced.
Lindsay
Lindsay has been with the Mary Martin team since 2011 and is our fantastic book buyer. She is also a voracious reader and our most prolific reviewer. She reads widely across all genres but has a particular fondness for world history both in fiction and non-fiction. On her day off you’ll either find her sitting in a dimly lit cinema or curled up next to her cat Walter with a glass of whiskey and a good book.
Suzy
Suzy has been at Mary Martin since 2008 and is currently studying Professional Editing and Writing at RMIT. An avid reader, she loves many genres but is particularly passionate about championing local authors. She has excellent taste in all things and is responsible for our famous greeting card selection and beautiful gifts and toys.
Kat
Kat has been working at Mary Martin on and off since 2009. She loves to travel and when at home enjoys the thrill of discovering translated fiction from around the world. She also enjoys reading and recommending children’s books, and loves the challenge of matching young readers with the right book to spark a lifelong love of reading.
Cam
Cam started working at Mary Martin in 2019. He’s the son of the owner, Jaye, and is excited to be part of the Mary Martin team. He loves all kinds of books, and his favourite authors include J.K. Rowling, Marcel Proust and Thomas Pynchon. When he’s not working at the bookshop, he writes fiction while travelling.
Elsie
Elsie joined the Mary Martin team in 2014. She loves books which take readers’ expectations and turn them inside out and upside down. Elsie is also the mastermind behind our much loved Blind-Date a Book. A writer, as well as an avid reader, she’s currently working on her first novel.
Emma
After pitching in over our busy Christmas season, Emma, a registered teacher, found herself unable to leave the bookshop and stayed on. Like her brother and fellow bookseller Cam, Emma grew up an avid reader but never thought she’d grow up to work in the family bookshop. You can make all the plans you want, but the universe has a way of knowing what’s best for you.
Lana
A Bachelor of Science student, Lana started at Mary Martin in 2019, but has worked with kids and in retail since her teens. An all-rounder, you might find her at any one of our three sites during the course of the week. Lana has the ignominious distinction of being the only member of the team without a Harry Potter obsession. She does, however, thoroughly enjoy true crime.
Julian
You’ll most often find Julian working our stall at the Queen Victoria Market but – as one of the only members of the team who can drive – you might also catch him out and about at a pop-up event, or on a delivery run between stores. Julian is currently studying International Politics and Chinese at the University of Melbourne, and generally favours non-fiction.
Ella
Ella started at Mary Martin in 2018. As a new member of staff, she’s really enjoyed learning about new emerging writers, styles, and publications from the Australian industry. She is currently doing her PhD in media and communication at the University of Melbourne, and in her spare time she enjoys books about personal endeavour and philosophy.