Owning a bookshop was not a long-held dream of ours. It’s not something we had ever thought about. So long as we had our books, we were more than content to be readers.

 

Over time, though, we did find it increasingly hard to discover new books that fit our odd (and broad) interests. We weren't all that interested in any of the "bestsellers" and that's all we encountered in the few chain bookstores that were left in the city. There were too many non-book distractions, and too few books that spoke to us. So we griped and did our own research and bought the books online. The loss of the physical browsing experience was keenly felt. And then one day, came a bright idea:  "Could we do it? Could we set up the sort of curated bookshop that we were imagining? Should we?"

 

This was May 2022, when the world was weary, and we all craved human connection. For readers, this meant being able to once again walk into a bookshop, wander about for a good long while, and buy something you could touch and hold and read a bit of.  Even if you didn't buy a book, it would still be a happy hour spent among books. And so, aided by blissful ignorance and unwarranted confidence, we made the decision - we were going to open up our own independent bookshop. 

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When we opened our doors four months later, on 8th October 2022, we were proud of the books we had painstakingly chosen and sourced. But who exactly was going to show up? Would anyone be interested, would we sell any books at all? Mercifully, we did not have to wait too long to know the answer. The joy with which the city greeted a new independent bookstore on our very first day is something we will never forget. Since then, we have met scores of wonderful readers who support us and keep us on our toes, and we feel fortunate to be their neighbourhood bookstore.