Still in business: Nasir arranging books, some that are over a decade old, at his second-hand bookstore on the first floor of Chowrasta Market in George Town. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: The books were stacked up high in every corner, crowding every shelf, but bookworms were few and far between.
“Business has dropped by over 80%. There are only occasional visitors from outstation as we are known as an attraction in Penang,” said second-hand book operator Nasir Ahmad.
He started the business over 30 years ago in Chowrasta Market, which is believed to have the biggest congregation of second-hand bookstores in Penang.
Most of these bookstores, famed for their large collection of used books, have been in the business for decades.
But Nasir, 57, has been witnessing the changing habits of readers in the digital age.
He said they were now catering to a small number of customers who still preferred the feel of paper on their hands.
“I started in 1991 when books were a popular means of information.
“I had readers from all ages and backgrounds who came to trade and buy books they needed,” said Nasir.
These days, his clients included locals who are book collectors.
“These ‘rare gems’ are still very much sought after by avid collectors,” he added.
Others who walked into his shop were students who needed academic books in fields like medicine and engineering but could not afford new books, he said.
Nasir said the price of used books in his shop ranged from RM5 to over RM150 each, adding that it still costs less than half the retail price of a new one.
Despite the shrinking demand for books and limited reach to customers, Nasir said he was determined to keep running his physical store instead of going online.
“There are just too many books here; thousands of them with only one of each title. I cannot list all of them online,” he said.
Furthermore, he added that the customers preferred to touch the books before buying them.
“They like to read a physical book instead of a digital screen,” he said.
He said his son, who is in college now, would drop by to help out at times.
Another trader, who wished to be known only as Yong, 63, said his adult children have no intention to continue his bookstore business.
“I inherited this business from my father. Many of the books here cannot be found in retail stores anymore.
“Some of them are magazines and books from the 1950s.”
“I also have some books that very few customers know how to appreciate them. These customers would know to look for them here.”
Yong said business was good only on weekends and during holidays as most of those who came were tourists.
“On weekdays, I only get one to two customers a day, and sometimes none,” he added.
Fortunately, Yong said the monthly shoplot rental of RM200 had enabled him and his wife to make ends meet.
A visit to the place showed there were about 20 such shops on the first floor of the market complex, but only three were open for business.
These bookstores were moved to Chowrasta Market in the early 1980s from their previous location in front of the former King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Building at Macalister Road.
They operated in a rather dingy condition for many years until the market underwent a full makeover between 2013 and 2017.
