South Mumbai's latest bookstore shares much more with Fort's iconic Strand Book Stall than just the same neighbourhood and old-time staffers. Warm personalised service, a love for books over business, and 4,000 square feet space inside a 157 year-old building could just make it Mumbai's answer to heritage bookstores that line London's Charing Cross
South Mumbai's latest bookstore shares much more with Fort's iconic Strand Book Stall than just the same neighbourhood and old-time staffers. Warm personalised service, a love for books over business, and 4,000 square feet space inside a 157 year-old building could just make it Mumbai's answer to heritage bookstores that line London's Charing Cross
Dressed in a vermilion salwar kurta, Amrita Somaiya is patiently hearing an update from her assistant about the inaugural book launch scheduled for the following day, at her month-old bookstore, Kitab Khana, in Fort. In between, she is engaging a well-heeled customer with nuggets about the latest releases on display. 
Somaiya's father, Ahmedabad-based restoration architect Jitendra
Mistry worked on ensuring that he recreated the vibe of a heritage space.
The store had to lend itself to interaction while offering a relaxed,
homely feel. The original columns, stained-glass windows and wrought-iron
railings have been retained from the old structure. Mistry wanted the
mezzanine level to be accessed from both ends of the ground floor.
One of the two approaches was a grand wrought-iron spiral staircase
painstakingly re-laid from the entrance to the back of the store, beside
the cafe. The only eyesore, we think, is the gold finishing to the otherwise
impressive columns. The brightly done kids section with Hobbit-like
beanbags and colourful carpeting, a step-level stage (for events) and
snug couches are nice touches. The absence of ambient music is a relief.
Pics/Prathik Panchamia
When viewed from the mezzanine accessed by a majestic winding wrought iron staircase, she is but a dot in a 4,000 square feet expanse marked by old world Italian marble flooring and high ceilings.
Within a few minutes, Somaiya rushes to us, apologising for her late entry as we settle down at a table at the in-house cafe, Food for Thought. "My husband, Samir and I are passionate about books. On travels abroad, we'd notice sprawling, specialised bookstores. Mumbai lacked this sort of space, one that would encourage an intellectual interaction in such an environment."
South Mumbai's latest bookstore belongs to the Somaiya family, founders of the Somaiya Trust that runs a chain of educational and cultural institutions across Mumbai. The couple were on the sameu00a0 plane when the time came to decide the future of their ground floor property housed inside a 157-year-old building at Flora Fountain.
The Somaiyas had rented it to a private bank, and it had been lying vacant for six years. "It had to be a bookstore. We wanted to create a space for readers of all age groups. A ground where the divide between regional and English readers would fade," she says.
Kitab Khana currently houses close to 25,000 titles. At the entrance, a couple of magazines stands stand beside a cosy sit-down area. The new releases and Indian writers sections are reasonably stocked and smartly displayed, although we spotted a few Pakistani writers under the Indian section (influenced by the rekindled bout of neighbourhood bonding, perhaps?). 
Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule shops at Strand Book Stall
The wow factor was amiss in the comic books and graphic novel section. Similar was the case with titles under food, art, architecture and design. The kids' section, travel, business, biographies, history and most shelves that stocked serious non-fiction were impressive but we can still do with more choice.
As if reading our mind, the mezzanine floor that we explored next, made amends. Rows of books on self-help, religion and philosophy shared shelf space with Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit titles. An entire wall was dedicated to English classics. One could've easily curled up with Hemingway and spent hours here. More so because Kitab Khana is devoid of pesky uninformed (and uniformed) staff that one has now resigned to meeting at bookstore chains.
No competition
But Amrita says they aren't keen to compete with South Mumbai favourites Strand, Oxford or any big book chain. "Mumbai is big enough to accommodate all kinds of readers. We offer a different experience with our book selection, ambience, events and personalised service. A loyalty programme will be in place by April-end. Home delivery, phone-in-orders are already on offer and a book club is on the cards, where readers will analyse and critique titles along with experts," she says. Echoing her sentiment is Business Manager and former staffer of Strand Book Stall for 24 years, T Jagath -- "If we don't have a title, we'll arrange for it. No one walks out disappointed."
It's a business, after all
While this is music to the reader's ears, how will Somaiya walk the thin line between balance sheet and book intimacy? Her admission is refreshing: "I wish I had the answer, but like all new projects, it will be a learning experience. This is our first venture in retail. We are lucky to have on board people like T Jagath, and the rest from Strand. Jagath, with his knowledge is a great asset. He ensures we remain grounded to certain aspects of the book business."u00a0
Somaiya knows, and admits it will be challenging to avoid temptation. "We have been approached to house other products. Even if 30 per cent of our sales don't make a killing, it's okay. At least we would have enriched someone's life. That's the purpose of Kitab Khana."
Worried that grandmothers have no time to read out to kids, Somaiya plans to build the kids section, bring in storytellers from across the country for in-house sessions after the monsoon, and start a book binding and book restoration section. "Anything to keep a reader happy."
The big daddy: 1 lakh titles in 700 sq ft
Back in November 1966, Padma Shri T Shanbhag decided to give Mumbai's readers a gift -- a bookstore that he set up with just Rs 450. Originally housed as a kiosk at Colaba's Strand cinema, Strand Book Stall moved to its present address on Sir PM Road in 1948. A special connect binds Mumbai readers with this iconic 700 sq ft landmark that stocks over a lakh titles ranging from classics to new-age mantras, fitness to Freud, across its two levels. From Pandit Nehru to superstar Amitabh Bachchan, the Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis and the common man, Strand remains a great leveller for the discerning reader. Most customers have built an association based on their ties with the late Shanbag. Ask PM Shenvi, Shanbag's man Friday who ferried the bookstore through 44 years and saw it become India's first store to offer discounts and have air-conditioning!u00a0
Four things we'd likeu00a0Kitab Khanau00a0to remember
Keep it simple:
Stick to books. For music, stationary and cheap gifts (perfume, belts and other curious product categories that have begun to spring up at bookstores), we have malls.
Cater to every genre: Work towards building a wider selection, dipping into every genre, even niche areas like regional literature, plays scripts and film screenplays.
Don't become a sellout: It'd be a pity to see you turn into a space to host dos, literati sightings and book launches where Bollywood actors who don't read, turn up.
Rethink closing hours: A pack up at 7.30 pm in Mumbai where most people get off from work that late, is a pity. We think 9 pm is a decent shutter-down time.
Coming up: 70,000 titles
That's how many titles Kitab Khana hopes to stock in the new financial year. Urdu, Marathi and Urdu titles will be introduced
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