Every book begins with PAGE ONE
Friday, November 09, 2007
Yep, I'm back from my Singapore trip two weekends ago... reluctantly.
I miss taking the MRT rides, I miss the brisk walking pace of Singaporeans, I miss the fast escalators at the MRT stations, I miss the not-so-humid weather that makes it really ok travelling around on my feet, I miss the ever-changing shopping haven of Orchard Road with so many things to ogle, feel, smell and savour, I miss eating toriQ which tastes yummy after a tired day of walking, I miss the clean streets and spacious sidewalks littered with shady trees and most of all I miss Page One The Bookshop at VivoCity, Harbour Front.
Their tagline : Every book begins with Page One. How cool is that? With slanting bookshelves filled with art and design books and not to mention the generous selection of other books, it felt like being in book heaven! And there was a cool selection of Quentin Blake books! (I'm sorry to say but Kinokuniya in Malaysia or Singapore is now ranked second as my favourite because they don't have well stocked Quentin Blake titles!)
A good bookstore will stock up thousands of books but a GREAT bookstore goes the extra mile to ensure that the good but sometimes obscure books are also available.
A good bookstore will expand their chain stores and reach out to the masses (and sometimes end up not properly managed) but a GREAT bookstore will tend to stay focus on giving their best with their sometimes one-and-only store. Yes, quality and not quantity matters most at the end of the day. Besides, lower operational costs will also translate to having a dedicated manpower to manage the store and possibly a bigger budget to stock up more titles.
A good bookstore doesn't discriminate books but a GREAT bookstore will promote and introduce upcoming and famous works of great authors who are mostly unknown in this part of the world.
A good bookstore understands the book industry and will do their best to cater to the market's needs but a GREAT bookstore will not hesitate to explore, embrace and most importantly love books passionately.
And finally, a good bookstore provides good after sales service but a GREAT bookstore will go the extra mile to gift wrap your book for free, even 10 minutes before closing time with great precision and skill.
Although books are generally more costly in Singapore compared to Malaysia, I couldn't help but bought a book that I've been lusting after for a month. It's nicely wrapped in Page One gift paper and since it's a gift from Boon for Christmas, I shall reveal it only then.
Next weekend, I'll be making a beeline to ...
I miss taking the MRT rides, I miss the brisk walking pace of Singaporeans, I miss the fast escalators at the MRT stations, I miss the not-so-humid weather that makes it really ok travelling around on my feet, I miss the ever-changing shopping haven of Orchard Road with so many things to ogle, feel, smell and savour, I miss eating toriQ which tastes yummy after a tired day of walking, I miss the clean streets and spacious sidewalks littered with shady trees and most of all I miss Page One The Bookshop at VivoCity, Harbour Front.
Their tagline : Every book begins with Page One. How cool is that? With slanting bookshelves filled with art and design books and not to mention the generous selection of other books, it felt like being in book heaven! And there was a cool selection of Quentin Blake books! (I'm sorry to say but Kinokuniya in Malaysia or Singapore is now ranked second as my favourite because they don't have well stocked Quentin Blake titles!)
A good bookstore will stock up thousands of books but a GREAT bookstore goes the extra mile to ensure that the good but sometimes obscure books are also available.
A good bookstore will expand their chain stores and reach out to the masses (and sometimes end up not properly managed) but a GREAT bookstore will tend to stay focus on giving their best with their sometimes one-and-only store. Yes, quality and not quantity matters most at the end of the day. Besides, lower operational costs will also translate to having a dedicated manpower to manage the store and possibly a bigger budget to stock up more titles.
A good bookstore doesn't discriminate books but a GREAT bookstore will promote and introduce upcoming and famous works of great authors who are mostly unknown in this part of the world.
A good bookstore understands the book industry and will do their best to cater to the market's needs but a GREAT bookstore will not hesitate to explore, embrace and most importantly love books passionately.
And finally, a good bookstore provides good after sales service but a GREAT bookstore will go the extra mile to gift wrap your book for free, even 10 minutes before closing time with great precision and skill.
Although books are generally more costly in Singapore compared to Malaysia, I couldn't help but bought a book that I've been lusting after for a month. It's nicely wrapped in Page One gift paper and since it's a gift from Boon for Christmas, I shall reveal it only then.
Next weekend, I'll be making a beeline to ...
11:10 AM
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hmm?
