Help BooksActually write a new chapter by buying something this month

The slow disappearance of bookstores in Singapore — it’s like a trend straight out of a mystery novel.

The biggest, high-profile victims have been Page One and Borders, which by the way, died for the second time after the resurrected Borders at Westgate quietly slipped back to being Popular after five months. The only remaining outlet of Big Bookshop —which once populated the heartlands — at Harbourfront Centre had its last day yesteday. Select Books has left its prime Armenian Road premises to relocate to Jalan Tenteram while EMF exited Holland Shopping Centre after 27 years due to high rental and reopened two weeks ago at Fusionopolis at One-North.

One man is on a mission to buck the unfortunate trend. Kenny Leck of BooksActually is planning to grow the business by owning his own space. And he’s holding a 25 per cent storewide sale to raise funds.

“My rent is up for renewal next February but I’m starting early to plan for it. We can obviously continue to rent again but for long term reasons, it makes more sense to have our own property,” said Leck. “Renting is too unstable.”

Leck is currently shelling out S$8,000 a month for rental and reckons that it could go up in keeping with market forces. He’s eyeing a shophouse in Balestier priced at about S$2 million; a down payment of 20 per cent and another three per cent in stamp duty are required which adds up to S$460,000. He’s hoping this one month long sale will raise the remaining amount after a similar ten-day sale in April, which raised S$98,000.

If you’re wondering why a shophouse, Leck explained its average size of about 2,400 square feet is big enough to house all his wares. “A HDB unit is about 1,200 sq ft, so I’d need two units and that’s more expensive. Opening in Bras Basah — something I’ve always dreamt about — is out because it would cost me S$4 to S$5 million to buy a place there. A place in a warehouse or in an industrial area is also not ideal as units there are meant to serve as showrooms,” he added.

While some have questioned the vivability of his sale, Leck feels this is the best way to get customers down. Regulars have also been more than supportive. He cited that there was a couple during the last sale who tweeted for others to come down and paid for all purchases made by customers who quoted their names.

Leck is also disinterested in other solutions such as crowdfunding. “This is a business for profit in the end. Should I even be asking people to donate out of goodwill and I give them something in return? Nah, nobody owes me a living.” he concluded out loud.

Buyouts or business partnerships are other options but Leck revealed he’s yet to find a suitable partner with the right fit who’s open-minded enough to accommodate the quirks of BooksActually, from letting his three cats roam about freely to holding free events. He cited that his customers are his “stakeholders”, hence the need to be mindful of how the business is maintained.

But you don’t have to worry too much for BooksActually. Leck himself is optimistic about the situation. His current Tiong Bahru landlord is rather keen to keep him there if they could come to a compromise, and as BooksActually turns nine in November, Leck is heartened that he’s always stuck to his guns.

“Just come down and support us if you find something to buy. If not, you can always play with the cats.”