BooksActually – A Local Bookstore That Thrives In A Digital World

When Borders first arrived on Singapore shores in 1997, it exposed us in Singapore to the potential of bookstores as a social focal point, and more importantly it showed us how bookstores could appeal to the masses and still cater to those who love the printed word with highly knowledgeable staff and a massive collection of book titles.

14 years on, the company in the US has filed for bankruptcy and while Borders Singapore is owned independently by RedGroup Retail (themselves in Voluntary Administration), the reverberations of Borders US’ failure has triggered discussions about the sustainability of physical bookstores in general, and megastores in specificity, especially with digital books and hardware like the Nook, Kindle and iPad being convenient reasons for the issues faced by Borders US.

While Borders US problems weren’t just due to the digital equivalent of books gaining ascendancy, in a time when digital mediums are disrupting industries once bonded to the physical, BooksActually is a beacon for those who worry that the bounded word will fade into obscurity, and with it the sweet smell of promise that comes with each new book.

BooksActually is an independently-run bookstore tucked away far from the madding crowd at 9 Yong Siak Street. It is the result of two individuals united by their passion for the written and printed word – Karen Wai and Kenny Leck. They were kind enough to spend some time in the midst of preparing their new home at Yong Siak Street to share with me their experiences and thoughts about running an independent bookstore.

Karen and Kenny of BooksActually

Their journey to owning BooksActually began long before their first store at Telok Ayer Street. It started with parents who imbued them with a love for books, a job at Borders that taught Kenny the finer points of running a bookstore, and days selling books at university bazaars with a starting capital of S$20,000 pooled from savings and family. In 2005 they took the plunge and opened BooksActually on the second floor of a shophouse along Telok Ayer Street with an additional injection of capital.

BooksActually @ Yong Siak Street

Running an independent bookstore, serving the needs of their customers and building the BooksActually brand hasn’t been easy sailing. Karen had to give up her university degree so she could focus her time and energy to nurturing the growing business. To grow the business and manage rental cost at the same time, they had to move their store a few times, from Telok Ayer Street to Ann Siang Hill, from one space along Ann Siang Hill to another not too far away and most recently from Ann Siang Hill to Yong Siak Street.

L A U N C H & R E A D I N G - Satori Blues by Cyril Wong

Throughout the years, and across the various spaces, Karen and Kenny have built and brought together a community of fans and lovers of literature around their store. They do it by being community leaders, organizing book launches and readings (do checkout their event page here).

One of the observations Karen made was that there were people who were intimidated by LITERATURE, and to help introduce authors like James Joyce and Salinger as well as spread the love for literature (and savvily grow their potential customer base), they created a range of stationery under their Birds & Co. brand.