When Swindon Closes

Swindon Book Store at Lock Road Tsimshatsui is open for the last day today. There are a lot for Hong Kongers to worry over these days, with bad news and looming crises and such, so the closure of a bookstore won’t capture much attention. Although I love books, I know little of the book retail business, what and who are on the bestsellers list globally, what can be told from the cover, binding, paper, and printing, and I don’t read much.   

I don’t frequent Swindon these days. My destination in Tsimshatsui is usually the Cultural Centre, so Eslite Spectrum has taken over Swindon as a venue for loitering and book browsing.  I went to Swindon yesterday for a final visit. And yes, I bought seven books at discounted price.

A bookstore does not look its best when it is having the last days of operation. If one catches the closing down sale early, one has to jostle with the crowd. Less of that during Covid-19 social distancing restrictions, but, heh, there are still more people on days of sales than normal business days! The stacks of books dwindle as the final day approaches, and the remaining titles are no longer appealing. There’s no more effort to make the space attractive. The customers are looking for deals, and turning away from the counter when the discount is less than anticipated. As the cluttered shelves with books in disarray gradually get empty, the muddle turns into desolation at the end of the day.  

I started running through my mind the defunct bookstores which had meant something to me.  

Firstly, the MPH main bookstore in the red brick building along Stamford Road near to the previous site of Singapore National Library. I stood between the bookshelves after school, reading Nancy Drew, Mills & Boon but falling more in love with Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. This MPH store closed in 2003. The four mission schools in the vicinity had relocated, and the old National Library building was demolished. Over time, I wasn’t sure what I missed exactly, and it is certainly more than MPH main bookstore. The whole area had become a busy commercial and high end shopping district, though there is still a new university located in the midst.  I am not sure if there are still other MPH branches in Singapore now.

Next, Borders at Wheelock Place along Orchard Road Singapore, the bookstore I would visit whenever I passed through Orchard Road for shopping and entertainment. I had moved to Hong Kong, and visits to Singapore are usually rushed affairs, so there was little time to afford in any shopping mall. Borders was conveniently located with a decent selection of English language books. Borders closed in 2011. But there’s Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City along Orchard Road with a bigger selection. Even though I can’t read the foreign language books, I like to walk between the book shelves with the Japanese, German and French language novels after I am done with the much larger English and Chinese sections. The Singapore section, though modest, allow me to glance quickly who gets published in Singapore. Once, I texted my ex-schoolmate to let him know his poetry book is not at Kinokuniya, and I hope that indicated his books were sold out. Kinokuniya was the only book store in Singapore in which I could get lost. It had to reduce its area and footprints since some years ago. Kinokuniya’s oldest branch in Singapore at Liang Court had closed, but this small branch means nothing to me as I had visited it only once. Its location at Liang Court was probably due to the larger Japanese population living and settling nearby.     

To bridge Singapore and Hong Kong, I’ll talk about Page One next. I could not remember whether the first Page One store I stepped into was the Times Square Hong Kong store or the VivoCity Singapore store. It was branded for design books, and I was awed by this brand although I didn’t read design books at the time. (I browse through them very occasionally now.)  Page One stores in Singapore closed in 2011.  In 2016, Page One stores in Hong Kong city area closed, because, I think, the revenue could not cover the rent. Then the airport branches closed next, but there was more speculation on the reason of this closure. Page One closing its door in both Hong Kong and Singapore was saddening for me. Popular bookstore chain, probably still going strong in Singapore, also exit Hong Kong early this year.

Book Attic, at one time located in Central, then Wanchai. It was the only second hand bookstore in Hong Kong I knew at that time which would arrange the books neatly enough for me to figure out where to look for what I was looking for. It was comfortable despite its small area, hidden in a quiet corner so I could feel that I have escaped from the city. If I could enjoy a long lunch break from the office, I would go to Book Attic instead of Dymocks, which was more conveniently located for me. Book Attic no longer sells books, but runs a book binding business. I don't know where the Attic is.  

Last but not least, Samuel French bookstore. I finally managed to figure my way around Los Angeles and made my way to the bookstore by subway, bus and foot or feet.  I had just one visit before the store closed. I did not make it to the London store before its similar fate to its sibling in US. I don't know from where Samuel French is running its online business now.  During my few visits to London, I bought drama texts from National Theatre London bookstore. 

Over the years, I get more fickle minded on what I read. I’ll buy or borrow a book needed to finish a course assignment, but I would run out of time and settle for quick reading of hit articles returned from Google search engine, and proceed to the next book because of another area or topic on which I have taken an ephemeral fancy that didn’t last long enough for me to finish reading even one book on that topic.   More often, I get distracted into reading a novel which has been adapted for a film or a theatre, or selected for a book club or reading group, or recommended by a KOL.

I am also more conscious of the time spent browsing randomly the books at a bookstore could be better spent on finishing one more chapter of one of the five or eight books I am following. Stores are less captivating now, and I get persuaded to utilize digital channels for my purchase orders. After all, the amount of money spent on delivery may not even exchange for a meal.  And what can replace physical interaction with the staff at a store? Why, digital or virtual interaction on social media, of course. I have not met Albert Wan of Bleak House Books, but he "keeps in touch" every other day with a post or two on Facebook, even when Bleak House is closed on a precautionary basis to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection. 

Anyway, I still value the brick and mortar bookstore, where I could escape and hide away momentarily from the hustle and bustle, the fury and worry.