SITTING on a plane flying back to Perth, Zish Ziembinski and his wife decided to open a book store.
In their travels Mr and Mrs Ziembinski had visited and admired many bookstores, especially the little night stores tucked between bars and restaurants in the busy cultural precincts of cities.
“We based Mosaic on the shops we have seen in places like Oxford St in Sydney” he said.
On the weekends families drop in after lunch and tourists wandering by will stop to have a look. The store emanates a sense of calm among the electric atmosphere of the busy streets at night. Mosaic is a quiet space where people can be still for a moment.
It’s not just the crowds and cafes that attracted Mr Ziembinski to Northbridge, “I am emotionally attached to this area,” he admits.
In the 1950s the Ziembinski family came into Northbridge every Sunday to L’Albas. The adults drank coffee and the children sipped sundaes and ate Italian ice cream.
Mr Ziembinski is dismissive about Northbridge’s violent reputation. “I think it’s probably safer here at night than in the suburbs,” he said.