KOCHI: This book fair in Ernakulam is open every day, even on holidays. While bookworms in the city have been eagerly waiting for months to get a good bargain on their favourite books, Abdul Latheef, an Edappally native, started this ‘permanent fair’ titled Blossom book store in a basement opposite Kochi Press Club. A business management graduate, Latheef tried his luck in banking before moving to the Gulf. After a few years, he realised his passion for books. He noticed there is a lack of bookstores in Kochi that sell second-hand books in good condition.
“To get a few rare books, people here have to wait for either the huge exhibition at Ernakulathappan ground held annually or some other publisher’s book fair. They are mostly sold at a maximum retail price (MRP), which will not be affordable for the common readers. Unlike Bengaluru, where second-hand books have huge acceptance, Kerala book lovers like ‘no-damage books only,” Latheef quips.
There are three ways Blossom adopts to keep the price below MRP. “One is through the ‘container books’ — books coming from the UK in containers. Another way is to buy the returned books from publishers in bulk at auctions. Here, you don’t have the luxury of returning books within a period if it is unsold. So, we buy them at the lowest price and try to sell them similarly. Buyback option is the last method we have, where the Blossom customer can sell their books and claim 40 per cent in return,” Latheef adds.
There is also an option to sell used books brought from other stores. The seller will get a maximum of 30 per cent on Malayalam books and 20 per cent on English books based on their condition.
Covid-19, lockdown & social media
Like many other businesses, Blossom also was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. The number of visitors to the store diminished and hence, they tried social media platforms to publicise books.
The result was remarkable, says Latheef. The two Whatsapp groups they created for book sale got filled in hours, with the titles getting takers very soon. Payments are made over the digital wallet Google pay on the same day, with an additional delivery charge. If the customer is ready to go collect the book directly from the store, that is also arranged.
If readers are buying in bulk, there is also an option to get them in boxes with a minimal charge. However, Latheef feels that the crowd will be back only once the Covid-19 restrictions are completely lifted. “Cross-buying happens only when children are back to shopping for books.
When they arrive, their parents will automatically start coming in. Kids will have more liberty to choose and fill their baskets. Moreover, these child buyers may not be having access to our WhatsApp groups to choose their favourite titles,” Latheef adds.Blossom book fair is available on Facebook and InstagramOpen all week from 9.30am to 8.30pm