SINGAPORE: It's a weekday afternoon during the March school holidays, and there's a steady stream of customers at Mr Pohl Chan's secondhand bookstore at Beauty World Centre.
But rent is as good a reason as any other, he said. The monthly rental of S$1,400 for his 200 sq ft shop rose to S$1,800 in April.Mr Chan intends to take the next few months to clear his stock of 20,000 books, before calling it quits in September."I'm very reluctant to retire because I got many good customers who support me and the books are like my family, my friends," he said.
He ran errands like buying coffee for his boss and helping to take care of the shop, Mr Chan said. His boss also taught him to repair books, which were often poorly bound.In the early days, nearly all the customers at the Sembawang bookshop were Europeans, Mr Chan said. New books, even the thickest ones, cost just over a dollar.
But as smartphones and social media rose in popularity and fewer people read for pleasure, business took a hit. Things got so bad in the early 2000s that Mr Chan thought he would have to fold. Her daughter, who gets about four comic books each time they visit, is as sad as her to see Mr Chan's store go, Ms Sasha said.
Selling your books online..
Don't quit. Go online.
sad. and the world talks about recycling...