Book Lore, the little second-hand book shop that could in Lyneham, has been through some tumultuous times.
The global financial crisis, rise of Kindle, so-called (premature?) death of the book.
But the most galling of all set-backs are the ones that should never have happened at all: malicious break-ins that seemed designed as much to wrought maximum damage as to steal.
The latest break-in happened early on Monday morning - the second in three weeks.
The thieves again smashed the glass front door creating a distressing sight for locals passing by the high-profile location next to Tilley's cafe in Wattle Street.
The intruders also used an angle grinder to bust open a safe, brought a can of paint along to deliberately spill over the carpet and smashed shelves and cupboards.
It is the last thing owner Mike Johnson needs. He is also the primary carer for his two sons and his terminally ill wife who has end-stage breast cancer.
And all that destruction for what? Not much.
"A local bookshop is not a big money spinner. It's there because you love it and you want that kind of business in your community," Mr Johnson said.
"It's a real violation actually. It's a horrible feeling."
The shop has been a feature on the street for more than 30 years. Mr Johnson has owned it for 10 years and runs it with long-time employee Jane Edwards.
But in a telling sign of its significance to the local community, Book Lore has been inundated with offers of help, from a suggestion to crowdfund to pay for the damage to a sweet letter penned by a young customer who also offered a dollar towards the clean-up.
Mr Johnson respectfully declined the offers to crowdfund, saying the damage would be covered by insurance but said he was determined to turn a negative into a positive.
He is going to replace the glass door with a solid wooden one and is asking all local artists to submit ideas for a book-themed mural across the door and the shopfront.
"I thought if we have to fortify, we'll do it in a positive way," he said.
Mr Johnson is asking artists to come forward with ideas for the mural - be it book characters to quotes from books - and contact him through the shop on 6247 6450 or the Book Lore Facebook page.
"It's going to be a big canvas and seen by thousands of people every day," he said.
Mr Johnson will be soon releasing more details about a community event at which the mural will be painted, another act of defiance against vandals more interested in ugliness than beauty.