The Bookstore

i don't know if in other countries they have not a few local bookstores which serve a rather local and probably exclusive community. Such bookstores are typically small in size, perhaps exhibiting a quaint sort of charm, and they invariably have a door-bell which rings whenever someone enters. (That's usually necessary because such bookstores are at any time run only by a few people, maybe just the store-owner and his/her faithful assistant.)
i certainly haven't been to many places to be able to paint those 'typical' characteristics - but that much i gathered from the occasional hollywood movies that i've watched over the years.

For instance, now at least i can recall the lovely film You've got Mail in which the gorgeous Meg Ryan works in a neighbourhood children's bookstore whose existence is threatened by the mega-bookstore that is opening in town. Besides its unhurried pace and beautiful New York setting, the movie made a deep impression on me because of the presence of a bookstore: somehow it holds a certain timeless appeal that evokes nostalgia as played out in the movie, and that appeal and image has endured long after i first caught the film many years ago. It helps also that this romantic comedy, with its delightful irony and absence of hackneyed romantic angst, did not suffer the same forgettable fate which others of the same genre inevitably always does.

But i digress.

i talked about local bookstores which perhaps can be more readily found in places like New York City to point to their dearth, or perhaps complete absence, in Singapore. Here, apart from a few bookstores that still sell and rent books but are hidden in some inconspicuous corner of various shopping malls, the dominance of the big boys has all but ensured the trade that they are in is exclusive to those who can sell plenty and sell big. The small, comely local bookstore can no longer survive with the erstwhile community that it serves; it is unmistakably inadequate compared to the sprawling stores located in hippy downtown; and surely one does not talk about longtime customers and friends in an age where consumers and merchandisers best embody the relationship between buyers and sellers. For that handful of mini-bookstores around the island which have not exited the local scene, i suspect they are perhaps minimally surviving well, and that they probably depend very much on a group of regular customers. (I can now think of the bookstore in Far East Plaza, which seems to be doing quite well though, and another one at Holland Shopping Centre.)

The truth however is that only a few players will likely survive in the long haul because they've proved to flex their muscles so well that others are likely to hobble along and suffer at their expense. It may not be long before they bleed out and make an unceremonious exit. At the present moment, i can only think of 4 main players, namely, Borders, Kinokuniya, MPH and Times. And even amongst this four, it is likely that only the first two are the real big boys dominating the trade. Both MPH and Times had been forced to restructure and scale down their retail space and consequently, it turned out that Borders and Kinokuniya - both situated at excellent prime locations - were able to retain the upper hand and survive more than decently well. In the case of Kinokuniya - though admittedly i patronize it the most often - i have observed that they have sales raking in at any time throughout the day.

I honestly can't remember when Borders and Kino came on into the book-selling scene: now i only know they are the places i am most likely to visit if i want to buy a book. In the past, Times and MPH, i recall, were giant bookstores, and perhaps the not-so-ubiquitous Popular bookstore then was a distant competitor. Now, Popular dominates the stationery trade and definitely assessment books for school children while Times and MPH have been forced to make a humble retreat. When MPH closed down its flagship store at Stamford road two or three years back, it was certainly a lamentable move which saddened many of its customers: this is because over time, as regular buyers of books, we are likely to develop fondness for the bookstore which we frequent; to terminate the existence of that bookstore is to expunge a piece of important history held dearly by us, and to cut short our love affair with the bookstore.

In spite of the demise of smaller bookstores and previous MPH and Times bookstores, we are likely to settle for an alternative bookstore which we will buy our books from in future; however, it seems to me that it is harder to cultivate a bonding between us the individual reader-cum-customer and the mega-bookstores of today - because the latter have become everyone's bookstore, another mammoth but distant store selling just another type of product.

It would be erroneous to claim that i wish for the return of that comely, neighbourhood bookstore that is just around the corner. Firstly, because i appreciate the wide availability of books in today's bigger stores like Borders and Kino and secondly, i have never had the privilege of experiencing a cozy relationship with a small, local bookstore. So, have i been wasting my time romanticising something which has never even once been within my grasp? I would like to think otherwise. I have in mind just that little but charming bookstore in You've Got Mail, located snugly in a corner of the beautiful city, a symbol of old-world charm.

Maybe it's just hollywood getting into me.