Mumbai's iconic 70-yr-old Strand Book Stall to shut shop
The 70-year-old iconic Strand Book Stall will shut down permanently on February 28. The bookstore at Sunderbai Hall in Marine Lines was once famous for its never-ending discounts, its collections, polite staff, great deals on bestsellers and personalized recommendations. Now, its final clearance sale is on. Here's all about its interesting journey.
The journey of Strand bookstore is over
In the early years, the bookstore just had two shelves at the Strand cinema hall in Colaba. In 1956, it moved to its current location. Managing Partner of the store Vidya Virkar said, "Everything has a life cycle and we can say the journey of Strand bookstore is over." There were rumors about the shut down earlier but now it's true, she added.
The bookstore became famous for Padmashree TN Shanbhag
The store will be shut on the ninth death anniversary of the scholar, TN Shanbagh. Vidya who's the daughter of Shanbagh said, "My father Padmashree TN Shanbhag, used to import books from England and gave readers a 20% discount." "His knowledge of books impressed all who visited the store. His attitude was that if someone likes a book they should not leave without it."
Bookstores around the world have succumbed to digitization
The bookstore that has been struggling since Shanbhag's death in 2009 has decided to roll down its shutters for the last time. Now with easily available e-books and online sales of books at e-commerce sites, the store has lost its customers. Vidya said, "Bookstores around the world have succumbed to digitization and we are not untouched by this wave."
