Edited by Michelle Ho
Hiding Place is a bookstore that opened in August. It is an independent bookstore hidden away from the fast-paced nature of Hong Kong, seen only when you enter the quieter streets of Sai Wan (Chow, 2022). In the bookstore, visitors get to read and take a pause from their tiring and restless lives; especially from the never-ending pandemic and its effects on the mental health of the city's citizens.
One interesting feature that can be seen right away when visitors step into the place is that there are only ten books for sale (Chow, 2022). These books are changed and replaced monthly after discussions between the founders. At first, this may seem a little strange, but the founders of Hiding Place noted that each book should have its time to be read by people, as some books would spend the entirety of their existence hidden away from avid readers (Chow, 2022).
The four founders of Hiding Place were students from the same university. They had discussed the books they were reading when they spent time together, and still liked to do that after graduation (Chow, 2022). Sometime later, they came up with the idea of encouraging people to read, thus leading to the thought of opening a bookstore. Reading is an activity that empowers imagination, creativity, and hope of readers — this is especially important during times when stress has reached its peak level in people’s minds (World Literacy Foundation, 2021).
In the perspective of the founders, Hiding Place provides an opportunity for readers to explore connections with the book that they have in their hands, and also teaches a lesson for visitors to not select or purchase books by judging them by their covers (Chow, 2022). The founders of Hiding Place want visitors and avid readers to visit not only to read books, but also to actually enjoy and appreciate the content they are reading.
References
Chow, Y. (2022, February 20). Independent bookstore Hiding Place offers pause to hectic
Hong Kong life with just 10 hand-picked books at a time. Young Post.
https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/article/3167298/independent-bookstore-
hiding-place-offers-pause-hectic-hong
World Literacy Foundation. (2021, August 4). Reading Enhances Imagination. World
Literacy Foundation. https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/reading-enhances-imagination/
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