Its the Book Strore that defined book selling in India.
I still remember the opening of the first store at Mahalaxmi and the legend that became CW.
My dad attended a Digital Workshop in CW in 99 in which I presented contests2win.com and he told me that he finally understood what adver-games meant on that day.
I’ve been visiting CW Kemps Corner for the past decade and am so so saddened by its steady decline.
Over the past few months, the bookshelves spaces in the store have been replaced with stands containing toys, handicrafts, stickers and posters, writing instruments, etc etc.
Yesterday, in the evening when I went there, there was this DJ woman screeching away at some kids to make them play some silly games. I had a 5k gift voucher to burn but there were no DVD’s available that I wanted to buy! (the choice was extremely limited).
The DVD guy upstairs was limping ( I asked him what happened – he said he had an accident) .Then why come to work? He was so lazy in looking up the database on the DVD’s I wanted and just said ‘come back next month’….
I walked out of the store promising never to return.
I think this is the END of CW.
And there are strong reasons to support my hypothesis:
– The cost of rentals will make book selling in expensive pockets of Indian cities unviable. At CW Kemps Corner, the 10000 sq feet of area is would cost 20+ lacs a month to rent + other costs…. I dont think selling key chains of some unknown brand is going to make up for the rent + AC costs + Staff + upkeep etc.
– Increasingly, as cities get hyper urban and expensive, FOOD is the only VIABLE business that can flourish. Look at Manhattan NYC and how Deli’s and restaurants thrive there. The Moshe within CW KempsCorner does brisk business. You to wait for a table almost always. Its time Moshe expanded within the store and/or CW opened up a couple of more cafes on the first floor. That will make folks like me come to the store – to snack and have a coffee rather than buy books and DVD’s I cannot find.
– The physical stocking of books and entertainment in ‘diversity’ is looking like a big challenge in the BRICK AND MORTAR space in super urban India. For instance, I wanted the DVD’s of ‘Con-Air’, ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ and all the STAR TREK series yesterday. NONE were available. ( I am sure that they will be available on most e-commerce sites in India).
– There is NO PERSONAL TOUCH left. Sriram – the founder had a presence in the store even though he was not always present. ‘Sriram recommends’ was at eye level in most bookshelves that one browsed. He had cultivated a team who impersonated him – they were knowleadgable, had a view on a book and made recommendations. Today, all I see are seurity guards and some event agents near the book shelves.
I guess its time Crosswords SOLD before it went the BORDERS way.
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