Well-loved Hong Kong bookstore makes last ditch bid to survive with HK$150,000 crowdfunding appeal
With more than HK$100,000 in donations, it may hit target by Sunday as community comes together in support
In a city where bookstore chains have fallen to soaring rents and waning interest in the paperback, a well-loved independent Hong Kong book shop has made a last ditch attempt to survive with a crowdfunding appeal, drawing warm support.
Flowbooks in Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, faces closure if it cannot reach its HK$150,000 target by Sunday evening.
The shop, which has been offering mostly secondhand English language books for 20 years, will be forced to auction off its assets on Monday if it fails to raise the cash.
So far it has received donations totalling more than HK$100,000 from generous Hongkongers, meaning a further HK$50,000 can secure its future.
In a letter to potential donors on its SimplyGiving fundraising page, shop owner Surdham Lam thanked the community for their support.
He said: “We need to raise the HK$150,000 by this Sunday, 21 May, 2017, to pay for part of the due rent and seek the reopening of Flowbooks. We would very much appreciate your help to donate at least HK$50.
“We are happy to present each donor with a Flowbook to express our great gratitude once we FlowAgain! A Flowbook in your name will be donated towards a FlowKid who loves to read too. Thank you!”
Hong Kong’s rising rents and the surge in online book sales have made it increasingly difficult for book shops to survive.
Separately, in January 2015, Australian-based Dymocks, once the city’s largest English language bookstore, ended its 15-year presence with the closure of its flagship IFC store and local office.
Flowbooks, which counts government lawmaker Christine Loh among its customers, has been closed this week while Lam was granted a seven-day extension to raise the money.
Lam has promised to look for alternative sources of revenue, such as transforming part of the shop into a cafe, if he meets his fundraising target.
User Miranda Au said: “Flowbooks is one of the best bookstores we’ve encountered and we don’t want it to vanish. Please donate and we can have our lovely bookstore back.”
Another supporter, Bipin Bishwokarma, said: “We really need more people like [Surdham] in this city.”
Nikki Kinloch, CEO of SimplyGiving, said it was glad to support the bookstore’s fundraising campaign.
“Flow Bookshop is a Hong Kong institution,” she said.
