December 1998

Specialised Commercial Bookstores

By Sarah Leung

    Mr. Scot Ng, a 29-year-old photographer, just bought a book in P.O.V. Bookstore.

    Said he: "I'm interested in visual arts and I'm deeply impressed by its professional image. So I went inside and I really got something."

     Like Scot, some Hong Kong people are fond of film, arts, music or philosophy.

     They need specialised bookstores for the latest information in their fields.

     P.O.V., Page One, Rhythm Music House and New Age Shop are examples of specialised bookstores.

     The reasons for their establishment are unique.

    Miss Sally Andersen, managing director of the New Age Shop which sells books about philosophy and the spiritual, said, "My interest in this aspect motivates me."

    According to Mr. Po Fung, store manager of P.O.V., Broadway Cinematheque came up with an idea of opening a cinema with a cafe and a bookstore years ago.

    "Then it contacted Shu Kei, Lam Chiu Wing and I on the grounds of our professionalism and interest in film culture."

    Very often, making money is not their sole objective.

    Mr. Po hopes that film culture can be promoted by providing the public with high quality, film-related books and services, such as categorising VCDs into 'directorical' order like Wong Kar Wai, Ann Hui and Fruit Chan.

    Mr. Ho said: "I'd like to convey the message that music has no boundary."

    Miss Andersen said: "I hope my books can soothe my customers' souls."

    Most, if not all, shop owners choose their shop names carefully to match their images.

    Mr. Po said, "'P.O.V.' stands for point of view.

    "It means that, we, embodied in P.O.V., have our own point of views and attitudes towards everything."

    Miss Andersen said, "'New Age' means a way of combining mind, body and spirit. It perfectly matches my books."

    Though specialised bookstores only sell books in one field, the selection of books is still a challenge.

    They need to choose books carefully to match their professional images.

    Mr. Owen Ngau, manager of Page One, said, "Quality is our main concern.

    "We collect our books through publishers worldwide to guarantee the quality."

    Variety is another concern.

    Like P.O.V., books about script-writing, film theories and directors' biographies are all available in Page One.

    Customers generally have good impressions of these bookstores.

    Scot said, "If I need a book about photography, specialised bookstores will be my choice as they save my searching time."

    Mr. Po and his partners have even thought of opening another P.O.V., but they hesitated due to the economic turmoil.

    Said Mr. Ho: "I won't start a new shop as it's too risky."

    Mr. Raymond Suen, a photographer, said, "High rent and keen competition may hinder the shops from further expansion.

    "Also, these kinds of unique specialised bookstores don't fit into Hong Kong culture."

    Despite the uncertain prospect and low profit, the owners are still enthusiastic about their businesses.

    Said Mr. Po, "I always remember how happy a Thai customer was when he found a book for which he had searched for a long time.

    "I am satisfied with what I'm doing."