Who is patronizing the "Late Night Bookstore"?, Shanghai Chuangzhi | Reader | Shanghai

How long have you been to a bookstore?

In the late night of June, there are many cultural and artistic destinations in Shanghai. With the opening of the 2023 Shanghai Nightlife Festival, the "2023 Shanghai Nightlife Festival - The Power of Reading - Late Night Bookstore Festival" will be held from June 3 to June 30. The 36 brand physical bookstores participating in the exhibition bring readers exciting activities such as late night desks and book discounts.

"The 'Late Night Bookstore Festival' has enriched the cultural life of citizens at night, but where should physical bookstores go in the future?" A paper book enthusiast expressed concerns. After visiting more than ten physical bookstores in Shanghai, the reporter found that although the "golden age" of bookstores has become a thing of the past, physical bookstores, as spiritual landmarks, are still exploring new development paths.

Physical bookstores are still "needed"

On the weekend, Ms. Han and her son went to the Wujiaochang store in Shanghai Book City. When they saw a Go activity being held in the children's area, the little boy immediately ran over and had a big battle with his peers.

This is one of the series of activities launched by Shanghai Bookstore Wujiaochang during the "Late Night Bookstore Festival". The clerk explained that the average daily passenger flow of the bookstore is 300 to 400 people, which has tripled on weekends. After renovation in August last year, it reopened. In order to facilitate readers to sit and read, the area of the public reading area has increased by over 60%. "Many 'bookworms' have to finish reading their books and are reluctant to leave even after closing.".

Approaching 10 pm, Xiaoxue, a junior high school student, was sitting on the side flipping through "150 Practical English Interpreting Essays". "There are too many people during the day, and reading at night is very quiet. I often stay until the bookstore closes at 6 pm in the evening.".

The shopping mall and bookstore all close at 10 pm, with the main customer base being individual shoppers who shop. They mainly serve as supporting facilities for surrounding catering and other businesses. As the staff of the Wujiaochang store in Shanghai Book City said, "Next to it is Haidilao, and there will be a peak of customer flow before and after meal.".

The parent-child family is reading the "late night book list". Photo by Zhu Yawen

Jingyi works as a copywriter at an advertising company located in Hengji Xuhui Tiandi, Huangpu District. The Eryou Bookstore downstairs is one of the reasons why Jingyi chose to join the company. On weekdays during her lunch break, she would read books in the store. "There are Xinhua Bookstore and Sisyphus Bookstore near her home, and she would also go to read on weekends. If you go further, you can go to Niaoya Bookstore in Qiantan." Compared to that, she still prefers the quiet reading environment of Eryou Bookstore. The shopping mall bookstore has many scattered customers on weekends and is too noisy.

Eryou Bookstore is a specialty bookstore with its own bar, which is well suited to the atmosphere of the shopping mall. During the "Late Night Bookstore Festival", the bookstore launched a beer discount activity after 6 pm, attracting many consumers to come and drink. Product manager Wu Hao told reporters, "Recently, the weather has been hot, and we have entered some imported beer. Alcohol suppliers have also realized that bookstores are a new channel. Previously, when we held talk shows, the wine sold very well.".

At 8 pm on weekdays, readers inside the Eryou Bookstore. Photo by Zhu Yawen

In addition to reading, physical bookstores have also become places for many consumers to study and work. Liyao, who lives near Jiangwan Sports Stadium in Yangpu District, is a writer. Every weekend, she walks for ten minutes to work at Yueyue Bookstore. "The quieter coffee shop near her home closes at six or seven o'clock, while this bookstore is open until ten o'clock in the evening. I prefer to finish my work before returning home.". Luo Hong, the manager of Yueyue Bookstore, told reporters that many readers have expressed their desire to extend business hours. In order to create a night reading environment for readers, during the "Late Night Bookstore Festival," Yueyue Bookstore's business hours have been extended by one hour.

For the convenience of readers reading or resting after closing, Yueyue Bookstore has increased the number of external tables to six. Photo by Zhu Yawen

On Weide Road, the three bookstores, Yueyue Bookstore, Fudan Old Bookstore, and Mysterious Cloud Pavilion, are located in a triangular structure, which not only meets the readers' one-stop reading needs, but also forms a good operating ecology for bookstores to "gather together for warmth".

Xiao Yin, born in the 1990s, is a programmer who lives in Jinqiao, Pudong. During a night run, he passed by the city and couldn't sleep. He was immediately attracted by the transparent two-story bookstore in the middle of the night. For the past month, he has been working remotely at the bookstore three to four times a week, staying from noon to evening, and after dinner until around 10 o'clock. There have been several times he stayed until 1 a.m. The white desk in the small theater on the first floor is his fixed workstation. "The lighting here is good and quiet, and when a person is reading or working at home, they can't work hard and feel lonely.".

In the early morning, there were still many readers in the bookstore. Photo by Zhu Yawen

"Why don't bookstores stay open until late at night?" Many bookstore enthusiasts miss the Volkswagen Bookstore on Fuzhou Road, which has been open 24 hours a day since its opening in 2012 until the end of 2017. At the beginning of 2018, Da Yin Bookstore's Chuangzhi Tiandi store opened, and before the epidemic, it became a "late night study" in Shanghai due to its operation until 2am. "After 2020, it was changed to closing at 10 pm, mainly due to the significant impact of the epidemic on physical bookstores," Wang Jifa, the manager of the Creative World Store of Da Yin Bookstore, told reporters.

Luo Hong also stated that manpower is the biggest cost of late night operations, and night management and reader safety issues are also factors that need to be considered. The most crucial thing is that the late night reading group is still in the minority. The physical bookstore has limited coverage and mainly serves surrounding residents and students. Taking Yueyue Bookstore as an example, even readers who come from afar will leave before the end of subway operation time.

However, Wang Jifa also stated that passenger flow has significantly recovered since the beginning of this year. Currently, the average daily passenger flow on weekends is around 1200 people, and the occupancy rate in the consumption area is over 90%. "Recently, there have been many tourists on the University Road Pedestrian Street. We inform customers during the closing time on weekends, and they gradually leave the store. If conditions are suitable in the future, there are plans to extend the operating hours again.".

At 9 pm, readers in the Great Hidden Book Company are reading. Photo by Zhu Yawen

Bookstores have various "third spaces"

How do physical bookstores survive? Old topics often have new explorations. Planting coffee shops, creative markets, social entertainment and other "third spaces" in bookstores has become a self rescue way for bookstores to support their operations, but it is inevitable that there will be a homogenization phenomenon of "one store per thousand". The journalist's visit found that the connotation of the "third space" in physical bookstores is more diverse nowadays, and the pursuit of self-development is also more tailored to local conditions.

The bookstore brand "City Sleepless" under Tianwu Space has two stores in Shanghai, among which the Jinhai Road store is a true internet celebrity. Multiple TV dramas have been filmed here, and it is currently the only bookstore in Shanghai that operates 24 hours a day. Operations Director Xing Nana hopes to always leave a light for the lonely people in big cities. When interviewing regular customers, she found that a sense of loneliness often lingers in their hearts: her grandmother in her 80s orders a pot of white tea alone in the bookstore, reading from morning till night; A young single living girl who has failed multiple civil service exams stays up all night preparing for exams in a bookstore; Fund managers born in 1995 let go of their fast-paced work and found themselves in bookstores

The reader group and book club launched by the City Sleepless Bookstore. Photo by Zhu Yawen

"I, like them, had no friends when I first came to Shanghai two years ago. I was a bit scared when I took the subway alone, and no one spoke when I got home." This was the original intention of Xing Nana's bookstore social group, which has nearly 200 members since its establishment over two months ago. The physical bookstore is no longer a cold building, but a spiritual harbor carrying emotions. She pointed to a bouquet of flowers in the corner and said, "This was bought by an unknown reader on Valentine's Day. I don't know who to give it to, but I thought of us.". Although flowers have become dried flowers, they are the most unique decoration in the store.

Flowers sent by readers who have never met before. Photo by Zhu Yawen

There was a thrilling experience that made the clerk Li Meng realize the necessity of a late night bookstore. At one o'clock in the morning, a little girl stood crying outside the bookstore. He immediately took the girl to the store and only found out after questioning that she had a conflict with her family and ran away from home. "While comforting her, she also called her parents, who were all in a hurry to cry and said, 'Fortunately, we took her in.' Li Meng declined the parents' red envelopes and welcomed them to come often, saying, 'This may be the meaning of lighting a light in the late night.'"

The urban sleepless bookstore is a lamp in late night Shanghai. Photo by Zhu Yawen

"We have been losing three years since opening our store, but we still plan to open a third store to challenge different operating models and meet the differentiated needs of readers." Xing Nana told reporters that apart from the Jinhai Road store, the Yanggao Middle Road store in the mall will operate for twelve hours, and the third store is planned to operate for eight hours.

"Super long standby" is not advisable for most physical bookstores, including the 1925 Bookstore on Sichuan North Road in Hongkou District. On Sunday afternoon, after visiting the bookstore, the reporter found that there were approximately 50 to 100 individual customers, which was not a significant number. The salesperson said, "After 8 pm, the passenger flow gradually dissipates, and the people who come are mostly the surrounding residents."

The 1925 Bookstore on Sichuan North Road. Photo by Zhu Yawen

The main revenue of the 1925 Bookstore comes from both the enterprise and government ends. The total revenue of books, beverages, and cultural and creative sales on the consumer end accounts for less than 10%. To ensure book sales, bookstores will turn them into blind book bags through enterprise or government procurement. Store manager Ni Ciqing told reporters that they have gradually found the key to breaking the circle - attracting special activities. Red themed scripts such as "Pursuit," "Awakening Era," and "Dawn Plan," as well as self-developed escape rooms based on party history, special invitation to select actor Tang Weijie during the Shanghai Film Festival to bring precious early images of Shanghai, and even launched "Art Book Linkage" activities with Shanghai Press and Publication Vocational and Technical School to achieve brand win-win... The response to each event was very enthusiastic, and readers repeatedly expressed their hope to increase the number of activity slots.

The 1925 Bookstore and Shanghai Press and Publication Vocational and Technical School launched the "Art Book Linkage" activity. Photo by Zhu Yawen

In the current era of declining physical bookstores, is it inevitable that bookstores need to incorporate activities? How to view the relationship between the two? In Ni Ciqing's view, bookstores are carriers of reading, but there are various forms of reading, and cultural reading is just one of them. "Activities not only bring popularity to bookstores, but also social reputation, which is more conducive to the long-term development of bookstores." The fees for activities are not high, but more to ensure participation. Sometimes, they cannot even cover material and labor costs. "Bookstores are a reflection of the temperature of the city. If every store makes money according to the business model, it goes against the original intention.".

Enhancing added value for idle space has also become a transformation path for many physical bookstores. The Da Yin Jing She, located in Huangpu District, is a specialty bookstore under the Da Yin Bookstore that specializes in private private rooms. Covering an area of over 700 square meters, half of which is a tea room, divided into individual and private areas. The main revenue of the bookstore comes from venue leasing and collective procurement of books, cultural and creative units. Since its opening in 2017, some corporate clients have regularly rented venues for meetings or annual meetings.

A secluded mansion hidden in the market. Photo by Zhu Yawen

"The geographical location is not bad, but the surrounding area is a business building rather than a living area. There are not many people who know about our store, and there is a Livehouse next to it. Although there is a certain amount of customer flow at night, these consumer groups do not match the bookstore." Store manager Li Shuai told reporters that the bookstore has a fixed number of regular customers between 50 and 60 people, and compared to other branches of the Great Hidden Book Company, there are not many individual customers. Victory lies in the tranquil environment, where many surrounding white-collar workers come to practice calligraphy and read books after work.

The individual seats in the Da Yin Jing She provide a peaceful environment. Photo by Zhu Yawen

A private private room in the Great Hidden Essence. Photo by Zhu Yawen

Coincidentally. Eryou Bookstore also transformed some of its idle space into a tea room in mid May this year, with a daily occupancy rate of two or three tables. Revenue can support daily operations. Wu Hao plans to jointly promote with surrounding large shopping malls in the future, allowing more enterprises to come to the bookstore for meetings and offices.

Eryou Bookstore has converted idle space into a tea room. Photo by Zhu Yawen

In recent years, Baixin Bookstore, which has a hundred year history, has also been continuously exploring the composite business model of physical bookstores. In 2019, it cooperated with the adult art education brand "Meishang Aesthetics" founded by Xinyada Group to explore the "third space" of the integration of art education institutions and bookstores, extending the connotation of physical bookstores.

In the list of "Late Night Bookstore Festival", Meishang Aesthetics · Baixin Bookstore Zhengda Lecheng Branch is also one of the participating bookstores, offering a discount of 66 yuan off for bookstores over 366 yuan. The reporter learned that the bookstore opened in 2022 and is the fourth store jointly launched by Meishang Aesthetics and Baixin Bookstore in Shanghai. It is the first to create an aesthetic life collection store that brings together many brands in various fields such as Baixin stationery and Shuge tea drinks.

Baixin Bookstore collaborates with Meishang Aesthetics to explore the "third space" of the integration of aesthetic education institutions and bookstores. Photo by Zhu Yawen

The reporter saw on site that many young people entered the store to inquire about oil painting experience courses. "There are various courses to choose from, including oil painting, flower arrangement, calligraphy, etc., covering the surrounding communities and office buildings within three to five kilometers. Combining art training with bookstores aims to integrate the concept of slow life into the fast-paced lives of young people. Currently, the Southern Mall store has over 500 members, and our store also has about 100 members, with the farthest one being those who drive from Pujiang Town, Minhang." The bookstore manager told reporters that the two types of businesses cover a certain degree of commonality, and the courses and daily operations of bookstores empower each other. Many students also read or consume in the store on a daily basis, staying for a whole day.

The course classroom in the Zhengda Lecheng store of Baixin Bookstore. Photo by Zhu Yawen

The Way to Win for Independent Bookstores

Whether it's commercial bookstores or chain bookstores, physical bookstores in Shanghai are becoming increasingly popular. Do independent bookstores still have room for survival? During the visit, these three bookstores handed over a dazzling answer sheet.

Among the 36 participating bookstores at the Late Night Bookstore Festival, Yueyue Bookstore is the only independent bookstore. This bookstore, which was one of the first in China and the first in Shanghai to sell books on Taobao, has been mainly engaged in online business for over a decade and is now exploring offline business models.

Luo Hong told reporters that participating in this event and going abroad together with brand chain bookstores is a good opportunity for bookstores to promote themselves. At the same time, relying on the limited time pedestrian street on Daxue Road, Yueyue Bookstore has also opened a book market. The books on the shelves are changed every week, and online bookstore purchasers who usually face computers have the opportunity to directly face readers offline. "Every week, we communicate with multiple publishing houses based on the number of stalls to ensure that our partners have the opportunity to showcase their brands." Luo Hong has an ecological mindset. In her opinion, the important function of a bookstall is to attract readers to the store and online communities. Setting up a stall can attract hundreds of readers in a day. "We don't have time to come to the store on weekdays, but we can interact within the group. Every noon, we also launch a book flash sale activity in the group.".

Yueyue Bookstore is located at the book market on University Road. Photo by Zhu Yawen

"Selling books can be done online, but readers who buy books do not necessarily know how to read. Offline bookstores are more responsible for outputting reading value." Luo Hong admitted that currently, the main business of bookstores is still online, and offline stores are more responsible for brand exposure and reader services. Bookstores have long invited campus teachers to give lectures, enriching readers' cultural lives. "In recent years, nearly 500 high-quality offline activities have been held, and we hope to accompany readers further in the matter of reading.".

At 8 pm on the weekend, readers in Yueyue Bookstore. Photo by Zhu Yawen

"Selling books that our boss likes." Whenever a customer comes into Gongfei Bookstore to inquire, the wife of the manager, Luo Song, always answers like this. This is an independent bookstore located on the Cultural Celebrity Street on Duolun Road in Hongkou District. The Public Coffee Cafe, once known as Lu Xun's "second living room," returned to Duolun Road at the end of 2020, and also welcomed the Public Coffee Book Society.

Gongfei Bookstore on Duolun Road in Hongkou District. Photo by Zhu Yawen

The reporter found that in the profit sector of most chain bookstores, book sales only account for 5% to 10%, while the book sales of Gongfei Bookstore account for more than 80%. This may be one of the few physical bookstores that currently achieve a balance of revenue and expenditure solely through book sales, and the secret lies in returning to the foundation of bookstores - the value of books themselves. Luo Song, who has been working in the industry for more than 20 years, has held important positions in brand bookstores such as Zhongshuge and Xingfu Jihui. "I have been exposed to many marketing methods, but they are just packaging. Grasping the core is the key." In Luo Song's words, carefully selecting books is the core promotional point of a bookstore.

Looking around, the tens of thousands of books in the store were all personally searched by Luo Song from the library, with only about five copies each time. There were not many copies, and over time, readers gradually realized that good books needed to be purchased immediately, resulting in a high success rate.

As the closing hours approach, there are still many readers in Gongfei Bookstore. Photo by Zhu Yawen

The 'golden age' of independent bookstores has passed, but this does not affect Luo Song's confidence. He mentioned an important point: independence should not be equal to aloofness, and how to show the good side is the key. My wife once felt frustrated when readers came to the store to search for books instead of buying DSLRs and shopping carts, thinking that it was disrespectful to the labor of the couple. Luo Song often comforted her, "This is not our target audience, but he at least approves of the books I have chosen.".

At the beginning of its opening, many surrounding residents came to visit and took photos to promote Luo Song, but this was not his intention. "There are fewer 'check-in customers', and I hope to attract a group of readers who pursue the quality of books and are on the same frequency as me, which is the feeling I want. The' soul 'of an independent bookstore is not books, but the manager. Luo Song makes his own book list every month, and some people on social media say,' The biggest benefit is that the boss will exchange personal book lists, many of which are unique. '".

Selling books to make money is already a fantasy for most independent bookstores. The manager of an independent bookstore told reporters that currently, many publishing houses offer wholesale prices to bookstores that are lower than the treatment that consumers receive when buying single books on e-commerce platforms. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the once common distribution model is becoming less and less common, and "unsubscribing is not enough for round-trip shipping costs.".

In order to support the development of bookstores, the relevant government departments reduce the operating pressure of independent bookstores by reducing rent, applying for cultural funds, docking with government projects and other forms every year. However, many managers of independent bookstores in the city center told reporters that government subsidies cannot solve the dilemma of "more monks than porridge", which is not a market-oriented behavior.

Linking the economic value of culture is a topic that Wang Xia, the manager of Xinchao Bookstore, continues to explore. This bookstore is well-known to the outside world as the only women's themed bookstore in Shanghai, and is also one of the few independent bookstores that mainly focuses on knowledge and social activities.

The only female-themed bookstore in Shanghai. Photo by Zhu Yawen

Wang Xia introduced that in 2021, the bookstore held 369 offline salons, achieving daily shift. In 2022, due to the impact of the epidemic, there were 100 online live broadcasts. After the policy was lifted, 10 offline salons were held