As I see it | Store review: Bookazine, Exchange Square
Independent bookseller Bookazine was founded nearly 30 years ago by the late Mohan Mirchandani, an Indian immigrant who came to Hong Kong in the 1970s with nothing but moxie and a leap of faith.
There used to be two types of bookstores in Hong Kong: Anglophone booksellers like Dymocks and Kelly & Walsh, and Chinese-language ones run by local publishing houses, such as Commercial Press and Joint Publishing. Then came the behemoths. Relatively recently, Singapore’s Page One and Taiwan’s Eslite entered the already crowded book market with megastores that can rival a public library in terms of space and holdings.
Despite their differences in focus and size, however, bookstores in Hong Kong are united in the common issues they face. The biggest challenge is of course retail space. Not only do they have to sell enough books to pay for astronomical rents, they also need to justify their existence to mall operators who are eager to make room for another watch and jewelry shop. The early adoption of e-books in Asia has put still another nail in the bricks-and-mortar coffin. But when God closes a door, it is often said, He opens a window. The influx of Mainland Chinese tourists in search of politically sensitive publications and the determination of local parents to make their children read – even if they themselves don’t – have provided the proverbial raindrop in the drought.
It is in this context that I recommend Bookazine and its new store at Exchange Square. Bookazine is an independent bookseller that works hard to beat the odds in a tough operating environment. It was founded nearly 30 years ago by the late Mohan Mirchandani, an Indian immigrant who came to Hong Kong in the 1970s with nothing but moxie and a leap of faith.
We want our customers to flip through our books, smell the paper and develop a relationship with them. And if there is wear-and-tear, that's just the cost of running a business
Today, the business is managed by his daughters Shonee and Arti, who intend to keep it all in the family. Unlike its closest competitor Dymocks, Bookazine is not a franchise. Each of its six locations – four in Central and one in each of Wanchai and Discovery Bay – are owned and operated by the Mirchandanis themselves. The sister act, together with an all-Filipina staff, gives Bookazine a personal touch with a slight bend toward the female demographic.