Bangalore is a city of readers. You will see people reading in cafes, bus stops or walking with a book in their hand. Of course, it always is a good portable distraction when you’re stuck in today’s terrible Bangalore traffic. The city has some long-standing iconic bookstores to cater the varied bunch of readers, stores that I personally have been visiting for more than a decade.
I had the pleasure of interacting with proprietors of 2 of these bookstores - “The Bookworm” and “Blossom Book House” on Church Street. One thing they have in common is they both sell second hand books. These stores will tick off all your books on your wish list and will expand it at the same time. I conversed with them about what keeps them going with today’s digital and online marketplaces - offering cheaper book with doorstep delivery. About their steady customers and any rare special books that have come in. I also asked them what made them want to open a bookstore initially. Came back with such interesting and warm stories about it all.
THE BOOKWORM managed by Mr. Krishna Gowda
The store welcomes you with editions of the new books of all genres. As you go deeper in the store you go deeper back in time with the all the books you can think of, authors-titles neatly stacked up on rows and rows of shelves.
Mr. Gowda gladly agreed to sit down for a chat. The store is known for storing rare and old books,
making it more customer oriented. They also source out of print books. Being a second hand bookstore, the prices are low and the books bought here can be sold back to them with 50% store credit for future purchases - hence retaining its core readers. Browsing and finding books you didn’t come looking for has it’s own charm and beauty.
Amongst many of its regulars, author Ramchandra Guha is a frequent visitor. Mr. Gowda mentioned a couple of patrons who have been visiting the store since its launch. One of them being an older gentleman who reads some very specific literature and philosophy book, out of respect he leaves his footwear outside before walking in. The other, being a group of readers, who go to India Coffee House (Church Street) and visit Bookworm after a refreshing cup of filter coffee.
As I was leaving the store, Mr. Gowda generously offered me a signed copy of “EMPIRE” by “DEVI YESODHARAN”. Looking forward to this historic read!
Blossom Book House managed by Mr. Mayi Gowda
Blossom has been one of my very habitually visited bookstores in Bangalore for many years now. It has three levels of books, piled up to the ceiling. Giving you all the feels of climbing into your loft looking for old books. You can keep maneuvering down the same aisle and find a new book every time.
Being a second hand bookstore as well, it has a lot of unique books, which are not easily available elsewhere. Anyone who has visited Blossom is familiar with rush of that “book smell” you get as you enter. This just adds to the charisma of cruising through the towering shelves. Blossom offers a lifetime store credit coupon in return for your old books you bring to them.
Blossom too has their regular customer base, who have been visiting them for years. Either looking for new books to indulge in or bringing some from their bookshelves. Amongst them, Guha is a visitor here too.
Something these two bookstores have in common is that they both started as pavement booksellers, which eventually lead to starting their respective establishments in 2002. Sustaining it successfully for these many years now and have even expanded, only goes to show that online market places have no effect on them.
Buying a used book has its own magic of it being passed on from reader to reader. Sometime you find notes written in the margins, or tickets and boarding passes from the travelers. Both these stores have once found something very special in these books. Bookworm once got a book signed by Indira Gandhi, which Mr. Krishna only noticed while pricing the book. Mr. Mayi once received a book with a hand written letter by Rabindranath Tagore in it. These little moments of joy can only come from visiting bookshops like these.
If you’re a Bangalorean and haven’t visited these stores you know where to find them. If you’re not from here, you know where to go for your book cravings when you visit the city.