WITH the opening of Tsutaya Books in Bukit Jalil at the beginning of this year, BookXcess RexKL a few months later (in addition to the chain’s other locations), as well as the continuing popularity of Kinokuniya in Suria KLCC, flagship bookstores are still very much alive, especially after the last few years which have been particularly problematic for these kinds of businesses.
This weekend, Eslite (pronounced elite) Spectrum throws its hat into this crowded field with a very impressive and expansive space at The Starhill Gallery luxury mall in the heart of Bukit Bintang, right across the street from Pavilion KL.
This is their first store in Southeast Asia, after opening more than 30 across Taiwan, with other locations in Japan, Hong Kong and southern China.
Before stepping in, you should realise the name of the store Eslite Spectrum, not eslite bookstore. That’s a very obvious choice as it is more than just a place to pick up copies of popular books.
One thing that was made abundantly clear during the media preview today, was the amount of work that went into the design of the store, with Taiwanese architect Powen Hsiao citing the influence of Italian author Italo Calvino’s novel ‘Invisible Cities’. Eslite Spectrum is broken up into City of Arches, The Floating City, City of Rippling Waves, and City of Eternal Day.
The City of Arches houses a huge multilingual book collection complete with Eslite’s list of Recommended Reads curated by dedicated staff members.
A big thing that was oft repeated, even by Mercy Wu, the chairperson of Eslite Corporation, who attended today’s media preview, was creating a “spirit of a place”.
Part of that is eschewing plastic wrapping on most of their books – which is what most bookstores in Malaysia tend to do. They actually want people to come in and browse, to scroll through books they might be interested in, rather than taking a look at the cover before heading to the cashier.
“Bookstores are really the kind of store where you can spend the whole day, browsing every item without buying anything, and no one will actually stare at you or give you a push or look.
“I don’t want to encourage that, I also want promote sales of the bookstore, but that’s really valuable, because we all have a lot of different mental states, and we really need some public space, not only our homes, not only parks, but indoor public spaces, for one to really rest one’s mind and body. I think that’s a great characteristic of bookstores.”
There are even well-lit nooks with charging ports in some corners of the store for people to read and browse through the titles they are interested in.
Besides the bookstore itself, there are boutique stores selling brands unique to Taiwan making their first appearance in Malaysia, as well as local brands that have previously only existed in online storefronts making their retail debut.
There’s a writing boutique made to look like an urban speakeasy, where you can craft your own bespoke inks. There is a cafe serving gourmet coffee and meals to munch on in between shopping.
There’s also exhibition spaces for artists, along with a forum space for speaking events and such. The store is currently serving as home to 40 original paintings, three prints, and two massive sculptures by Jimmy Liao, who has had works exhibited in Taipei, Hong Kong, and Suzhou.
In addition, more than 30 events have been announced to take place at Eslite Spectrum over the course of its first month.
Easily accessible by walking and multiple forms of public transportation, the Eslite Spectrum is well-situated to cater to both locals and tourists looking for an interesting retail experience. – The Vibes, December 15, 2022
