Open a coffee shop into a bookstore

It is under this momentum of development that physical bookstores begin to face the menacing impact of online bookstores and e-books, and face many survival challenges. In the face of the recent hot discussion of the physical bookstore crisis, some traditional bookstores began to look for ways to break through the tight encirclement, no longer just using discounts to attract customers, but also actively changing the business model, innovating the matching model of bookstores and cafes, and opening cafes into bookstores.

Mr. Lin, the bookstore owner, opened a bookstore in a better location in the city seven years ago. in the first few years, the flow of customers was good, and the monthly sales of the bookstore were sizeable. However, in the past two or three years, fewer and fewer people came to buy books, the sales of the bookstore dropped sharply, and various fees were on the rise, and the bookstore was once on the verge of closing down. At the time, the advice given by accounting firms was to close the door. And this is also the living state of the whole physical bookstore industry at that time.

In order to turn the bookstore from loss to profit, Mr. Lin took a series of measures such as clearing inventory and laying off staff, but with little effect. Later, on a trip to Taiwan, Mr. Lin was inspired. When he came back, Mr. Lin began to decorate aggressively, using the whole space on the second floor of the bookstore to run the coffee shop. Unexpectedly, the coffee shop really helped the bookstore, and now the sales of the bookstore have slowly picked up.

According to Mr. Lin, on the first floor of the bookstore, customers can choose the books they like, while a chic cafe has been set up on the second floor, where customers can go upstairs and taste coffee after buying books. "our current business philosophy is to turn bookstore shopping into a way of life, where customers can not only read books, but also sit down for a cup of coffee and chat with friends."

"since the cafe was opened, many customers have stayed twice as long as before, and per capita consumption has also increased." Mr. Lin said that the collocation model of bookstores and cafes has brought a lot of benefits to both, and has really achieved a win-win situation, even a win-win situation, because apart from bookstores and cafes, it can also provide consumers with a more intimate experience.

Mr. Lin said that when he planned to open the cafe into the bookstore, it was actually opposed by most people. Regular customers of many bookstores are worried that the commercial taste of the cafe will destroy the humanistic atmosphere of the bookstore. Some readers even joke that bookstores have succumbed to the market and are transforming into cafes and grocery stores.

In this regard, Mr. Lin has his own views. "whether it is said to conform to the trend or to act helplessly, in fact, the bookstore is also a business, to increase the flow of cash flow, to survive. The income that the cafe gives to the bookstore can really lighten the burden on the bookstore. " Mr. Lin said that the cafe will not affect the atmosphere of reading, nor will it affect the operation of the bookstore. "We also hope to make some useful attempts to introduce the coffee shop, hoping to do things a little more diverse and better, so that the bookstore can develop better." But Mr. Lin said that there is a premise that despite the increase in operating projects, the bookstore business must not be abandoned.

Some people in the industry have pointed out that in the face of the impact and challenges of online bookstores and e-books, physical bookstores should explore a diversified operation and services, such as mixing bookstores and coffee shops. In addition, a good environment can also be used to attract some cultural activities and art salons to be held here. In this way, the bookstore is no longer a traditional bookstore that sells books in a simple sense, but a multi-functional cultural and artistic complex that integrates bookstores, cafes and cultural salons, which is more conducive to the sustainable development of bookstores.