In the world of Kindle, bookstores are bliss for all book lovers, for sure. Kolkata’s bibliophiles frowned when the city’s iconic bookstore, Story, closed down in January. The bookstore on Elgin Road in Kolkata has been every bibliophile’s favorite spot since 2004. The iconic bookstore made its perfect comeback in August with over 19,000 titles. The newly opened bookstore is a compact avatar of the previous store opposite Salt Lake Stadium.
Kolkata’s Iconic Story Bookstore Is Back In The City
A must visit for all book lovers and architecture lovers. Designed like a maze of staircases this sure will be great fun. Thanks @FirhadHakim @silarindam for being there. Do visit and share your feedback #bookstore #BooksWorthReading pic.twitter.com/dJaQTLTqLw
— Sidharth Pansari (@SidharthPansari) August 9, 2023
Kolkata’s iconic Bookstore Story is now open opposite Salt Lake Stadium, on the main road in KB Block at Primarc Square.
The Mayor of Calcutta and State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim inaugurated the store with filmmaker Arindam Sil. He said that he had queued up at the store at 4am after her younger daughter insisted on grabbing a copy of Harry Potter on its launch day. He said that watching a video does not let your imagination take flight like a book does.
Arindam Sil said that in a city where small cafes are opened every single day, opening a bookstore is a rare occurrence. He lauded the management for the same and called it a bold decision.
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A Carefully Curated Collection
The managing director of Primarc Properties, Sidharth Pansari, opened this store. He said that their office was being shifted to Salt Lake City in Kolkata, and it made sense to shift the bookstore too.
Talking about opening a bookstore, he said that with booking being available online, a bookstore does not need to have all the stock. It should have a carefully curated collection.
From his experience at the store on Elgin Road, he said that at least 50 copies were sold regularly on a daily basis. He had about 500 books on the shelf. Sidharth believed that if people bought 450 books online, he would keep selling those 50.
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Have you been here?
Cover Image Courtesy: @SidharthPansari/X