New book space concepts tackle Singapore bookshops’ biggest killer – rental costs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Casual Poet Library founder Rebecca Toh says the old model of bookstores is not working, which is why she has taken inspiration from shared community libraries in Japan and opening one in Singapore.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – With exorbitant rents killing off traditional bookstores in Singapore, a crop of independent book spaces is experimenting with new concepts to keep a flailing, some say unprofitable, trade alive.
Freelance photographer Rebecca Toh, 38, says she is opening Casual Poet Library on Aug 5 as a social experiment. “I think it’s very hard for the old model of bookstores to work.”
Over the past three years, major bookstore chains like Books Kinokuniya, as well as independent ones such as BooksActually and Sea Breeze Books, have closed physical stores. Rising inflation, rental hikes and alternative forms of entertainment have battered the industry even as National Library Board’s 2021 study on reading habits showed that Singaporeans are reading more.
When it was reported that Times closed two of its branches in Plaza Singapura and Waterway Point in March, book lovers called for policymakers to experiment with bold measures
Here are three experimental book concepts looking to beat the odds.
1. Casual Poet Library – Singapore’s first pay-to-rent community library
A chance visit to a community library in the Japanese fishing town of Yaizu gave freelance photographer Rebecca Toh an idea. With more bookstore casualties over the past five years, she wondered if the problem of rent could be split among 180 bookshelf owners, who could pay to curate their own shelves.
Founder Rebecca Toh at the premises of Casual Poet Library, which is slated to open on Aug 5.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
In Japan, there are about 50 such cosy spaces. To her surprise, the project has unearthed a latent passion – all 180 shelves have been filled ahead of its opening.
The snug and homely Bukit Merah library has an estimated start-up cost of $40,000 and a monthly outlay of $5,000. With 180 people willing to pay between $43 a month for a two-year lease and $49 a month for a minimum six-month lease, the financial pressure on Toh is eased.
Ms Shreya Sharma, 33, who formerly worked in the tech industry, and her shelf at Casual Poet Library. She wants to find fellow readers who like the Irish poet David Whyte.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Bookshelf owner Shreya Sharma, 33, who formerly worked in the tech industry, is doing this to search for other book lovers. “I’m trying to find a David Whyte lover – and I just found one.”
Software salesperson Wong Pei Yi, 28, and culinary trainer Wei Lee, 55, made their shelf a mother-and-daughter effort. They have wrapped all their books in brown paper jackets, encouraging the ethos of not judging a book by its cover.
Ms Wong Pei Yi (left) and Madam Wei Lee at their shelf at Casual Poet Library. Their bookshelf is a mother-and-daughter effort.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The latter says: “You can see people’s personalities in the bookshelves.”
The bookstore will have an estimated 5,000 different books – ranging from graphic novels to Singapore literature – as well as a children’s corner.
The name Casual Poet Library is borrowed from American writer Jack Kerouac, a self-described “casual poet”. Toh says her aim is to get people to read and share books. “It might not be a highly profitable business because it’s not meant to be. The heart behind it is books and community.”
Members can borrow up to five books at a time after paying an annual fee of $25.
Where: 01-110, Block 123 Bukit Merah Lane 1 casualpoetlibrary.com
Open: From Aug 5, 9am to 9pm daily (subject to change)
Info:
2. TBC Bookstore – a reading haven between bookstore and library
The name, inspired by a Stefanie Sun song lyric, suggests that the place is continuously changing. The Chinese-language bookstore’s owner Wu Di, a Singapore permanent resident from Shenyang, China, confirms it: “I want it to keep improving and have infinite space for exploration.”
Mr Wu Di, 41, founder of TBC Bookstore, wants his bookstore to experiment with different ways of encouraging readers. He is experimenting with a mixed library-and-bookstore system.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Since opening his second-floor shophouse space in April, the 41-year-old, who has studied in Singapore since his polytechnic days, says sales have exceeded expectations. Most of his customers find him via the popular Chinese social media site Xiaohongshu. His rent is not more than $4,000 a month.
Four months in, he is already trying something new. For $39 a month, members can borrow a book for 30 days, get two free beverages and participate in book talks. Mr Wu will sell borrowed books. He is also considering making the space available for members to use outside of regular opening hours.
Chinese-language TBC Bookstore is at 223A New Bridge Road.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
“Getting people to read is more important,” he says. “Booksellers need to be the one to guide and recommend readers.”
Where: 223A New Bridge Road @tbcbook
Open: Weekdays, 11am to 7pm; weekends, 11am to 8pm; closed on Mondays and Thursdays
Info:
3. Wormhole – an online bookstore with a huge personality
Running an online bookstore might circumvent the problem of rent, but online bookstore Wormhole’s co-owner Seet Siew Ling, 35, says it comes with a different set of challenges.
“The advantage of being a physical store is that there is a certain charm to it. We’re always looking for ways to bring out the personality of a bookstore without a physical space,” she says. She and co-founder Charmaine He, 33, wanted to open a physical store, but found the rent prohibitive.
Online bookstore Wormhole co-founders Seet Siew Ling (left) and Charmaine He wanted to run a bricks-and-mortar bookstore, but found the rent prohibitive.
PHOTO: WORMHOLE
One of Wormhole’s flagship offerings is Surprise Your Shelf, where readers receive a mystery book picked by a guest curator. Former curators include founder of Mynah Magazine Ruby Thiagarajan and Wardah Books owner Ibrahim Tahir.
Their model has worked well so far, as the owners say they have experienced a steady 15 per cent year-on-year growth over three years. Books account for roughly 55 per cent of their revenue, with the rest coming from other avenues such as merchandise and events like parties.
Although Wormhole does not have a physical store, the bookstore's pop-up physical events attract a young demographic of readers.
PHOTO: WORMHOLE
Ms Seet notes the shift in how young people are reading. “Almost more than how much they want books, it’s almost like they want that community and avenue for them to talk to people and their feelings about the books they read.
“Personally, I think it would be great to have a physical space one day. But I don’t know if it will be a ‘bookstore bookstore’.”
Open: 24 hours online wormhole.com.sg
Info:
