A mother-daughter duo with a shared passion for reading, Tina and Paige have made it their mission to give books a second life. Second Chance Books was born from their love of literature and their search for quality second-hand books, and they are making it easier than ever for fellow book lovers to find their favourite genre all from the comfort of home. Balancing day jobs, young children and late-night book sorting, they are passionate about giving pre-loved books a genuine second chance while making affordable, hard-to-find reads accessible to families and readers across New Zealand. Here, they talk to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Second Chance Books, the pros and cons of running their own business, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
We are a mother (Tina) daughter (Paige) team from Blenheim.
Second Chance Books was dreamt up over the 2024/2025 Christmas holidays after a simple conversation about not being able to find a book one of us was searching for. That moment sparked the idea. Why not create an online second-hand bookstore ourselves? Once the idea was out there, we couldn’t really find a reason not to do it, and that’s where it all began.
Our goal is to provide readers all over New Zealand with affordable books they’ve been hunting for, while giving pre-loved books a genuine second chance. We don’t just focus on pristine copies; we also welcome well-read, older and worn books that are often out of print and hard to find. These much-loved titles have proven to be some of the most popular, snapped up by readers who have been searching for them.
By offering both great-quality and well-loved books, we help stories continue their journey into new hands, where they can be enjoyed all over again.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
We began by creating our website and learning how to photograph and upload books, starting with titles from Tina’s personal collection. From there, we started visiting local op shops and garage sales to build up our stock.
One garage sale led us to an unexpected opportunity – an estate sale where an entire house full of books was being sold. We spoke with the family running the sale and asked if they would consider selling all of the books to us. A deal was made, and the very next day we collected two ute loads and a trailer stacked high with boxes of high-quality books.
The collection covered every genre imaginable, from fiction and self-help to gardening and more. We spent long hours – after our 9-5 jobs and on weekends – photographing, listing and uploading books as quickly as we could.
That first large collection was a turning point for us. It helped us realise that what we originally thought we would sell wasn’t necessarily what customers wanted most, and it shaped the direction of Second Chance Books moving forward.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Our biggest breakthrough was learning how Google and Google Ads work for an online business. This was a major learning curve for us, as neither of us had prior experience with websites or online advertising.
Once our books started appearing in Google search results, everything changed. It allowed us to reach customers right across New Zealand and significantly increased our visibility. Competing online with large, well-known bookstores isn’t easy, so understanding how to make our business visible to readers was a huge step forward.
This breakthrough has helped us connect with more readers and spread the word that Second Chance Books is here, offering affordable, pre-loved books and giving great stories a second chance.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Honestly, balancing work and family has been one of our biggest challenges. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a multi-generational home, which helps us juggle everything.
Paige has two young children, a four-year-old and an almost two-year-old. She works part-time in what we call our “day jobs”, while the children attend preschool three days a week and Playcentre on the other two. As a result, much of the Second Chance Books work happens during nap times and late at night.
Tina (Meeme to the grandchildren) works full-time and fits in Second Chance Books after work, during late nights, early 5.30am starts and on weekends, all while helping wrangle two very energetic grandchildren.
Life is often complete chaos, balancing work, family and books, but we genuinely love it. We’re driven by the hope that one day we’ll be able to focus solely on Second Chance Books and our family, with allowing us more flexibility and balance. That said, knowing us, we’ll probably just swap our day jobs for books and carry on with the same joyful chaos.
