THE CARMEL BEAT
We The Bookworm Makers
Rajeshwari Tagore, Vedita Kapoor
A Glimpse into Blossom Bookhouse
Old-school love may not be an everyday thing today, but to the hopeless romantic, the hopeful possibilities seem sweet. And what better place could such romance begin, than in the nooks and crannies of an old bookstore? Bookstores are a hub for community activities. From the dusty shelves rise memories of worlds, fictional and nonfictional, that bring readers from all around the globe closer and help them find a piece of home, away from home. The plethora of literature one can hope to find in bookstores is unimaginable. From books that became a generational symbol to obscure titles whose names have not been uttered for generations, bookstores provide a safe space for bibliophiles to explore newer genres and read what they truly like. Since both of us come from cities whose literature shaped a major part of the history of India, we set out to find a piece of home in two of the most famous bookstores in Bengaluru.
Blossom and Bookworm, two of the oldest bookstores located on Church Street, are famous for their collections of books, from the newest releases to the rarest of collections, they house every title imaginable. We interviewed proprietors of the two establishments in a casual conversation, to learn more about the reading culture of the city and what attracts readers to their bookstores.
We talked to Mayi Gowda, the proprietor of Blossom, who told us about the history of the bookstore and how it became one of the most loved spots for bibliophiles in the city. “Blossom’s is a 25-year-old establishment.” He said that they had started with a small bookstore and slowly moved into a bigger building. With the growth of their clientele, the business grew, and the bookstore remains open all year round, including on Government holidays. Over the years, they collected a lot of rare titles through auctions and donations by their loyal patrons, and now they have a second store on the same street to cater to their customers. Spread over three levels, stacked with books from floor to ceiling, Blossoms is the perfect place to browse through and find love.
A stone’s throw away from Blossom is another piece of Heaven- Bookworm. Krishna Gowda, the manager at Bookworm, told us that the bookstore is 25 years old and has moved from one place to another over the years to accommodate its increasing collection of books and clientele. “This is a new place we shifted to four months back. Before this, we were near Starbucks, after the lockdown we shifted to our current place because it’s a bigger space with a good natural setting...” Bookworm gets a lot of loyal frequenters, who keep revisiting this haunt.
With the general advent of the digital publishing industry and the pandemic, bookstores around the world have suffered a setback. When asked about how they fared during the lockdown, Mr. Krishna Gowda says, “We have had a customer base for over 20 years and in the lockdown also we used services like Dunzo and Swiggy to cater to our customers and loyal readers”.
With the general advent of the digital publishing industry and the pandemic, bookstores around the world have suffered a setback. When asked about how they fared during the lockdown, Mr. Krishna Gowda says, “We have had a customer base for over 20 years and in the lockdown also we used services like Dunzo and Swiggy to cater to our customers and loyal readers”.
Mayi Gowda on the other hand said that they did not partner with any service, rather they used their website to cater to their loyal readers. Both the bookstores have author book signings and book reading events, to attract more customers.
However, neither of the bookstores have any tie-ups with the small street vendors who sell books along the pavements. These two iconic bookstores suffered a drop in customer footfall during the pandemic, which was only to be expected. However, both the stores say their regular customers keep revisiting. Mr. Mayi Gowda said at least 95% of the people who come to their bookstore are bound to walk out with one book or the other. Even somebody who casually walks into the store with no specific book in mind is sure to find something that catches their attention.
We asked them how they gather a younger reader base to stay relevant. Mr. Krishna Gowda said that they make use of new-age social media like Instagram and Twitter to appeal to their readers. They conduct online promotional events and giveaways to keep readers engaged. Their ever-growing collection, currently spanning four to five lakhs, keeps people coming back.
Mr. Krishna Gowda even let us in on a bookseller’s secret, and told us that something customers are not aware of is that every fourth book on Amazon is pirated. Authors of the book and distributors do not profit from such books.
Combating the global reach of a service like Amazon is tough, but both these bookstores have been thriving so far, even amidst that. Testimony to this, we found both Blossom and Bookworm to be pretty busy and crowded on the Wednesday afternoon of our interview.
Sonali, an employee at Blossom, said that every day is a busy day for her- with the bookstore open 365 years a day.
Mahadeva, an employee at Bookworm, warmly spoke about the nostalgia of the old books, which one can never seem to leave behind. Grinning from ear to ear, he said that they house some really rare books and manuscripts, which are not available digitally. Walking into a bookstore of this kind is much like a lottery- if you have a keen eye and are eager enough, you might stumble upon some buried treasure beyond your wildest dreams.
After having spent a good four hours in the two literary hotspots of Bengaluru, both of us agree that it is impossible to completely avoid digitizing books. On the other hand, many booksellers suffer major losses, due to the monopolization of the publishing and book industry. To break out of this dilemma, we feel that while some books should be digitalized and made easily accessible,some other books and rare manuscripts and collections of letters should be made available only in print- for the eager reader to find. Bookstores must also make use of state-of-the-art technology not only to upgrade their level of service but also to keep young readers engaged in the process of reading in a fast-paced world.