Run by sisters Shilpa and Sapna, the bookstore is creating buzz among bibliophiles for its curated collection and range.
Run by sisters Shilpa and Sapna, the bookstore is creating buzz among bibliophiles for its curated collection and range.
In the time of Dussehra and Diwali, Hyderabad got a new indie book store. Run by sisters Shilpa and Sapna, the bookstore on Road No 63A Jubilee Hills is creating buzz among bibliophiles for its curated collection and range. Instead of endless rows of shelves with marquee names and mass-market paperbacks by Lee Child, Baldacci, Archer, Ludlum, etc., the bookstore is a series of rooms with shelves and tables with books.
Book trading is one of the fastest growing markets in India. According to an industry estimate, India’s book market is estimated at $8.8 billion in 2019-20 (the US market was valued at $27.8 billion in the same period). The Indian book market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19.4% between 2023-26. However, a large portion of the book market is the school and higher education sectors, with trade books making up just 4% of the pie.
“The idea of the physical bookstore is that you’ll discover something new. If you know exactly what you want, that’s another matter. But if you’re looking for something new, it’s really worth trying it out.” “We love to read and were missing the touch, feel and smell of books in the bookstore and We thought about it in June and managed to execute it within months,” she tells of the bookstore which is two weeks old.
“I don’t compete with online book stores. I can’t compete on price with online retailers and that’s not what I’m trying to do. I exist for readers who want a physical browse experience that online retailers cannot provide. That’s why we are not selling online. We are here as a physical bookstore; Hopefully people will come and enjoy the experience of buying books after browsing,” says Shilpa who has previously worked in the investment and finance sector.
Interestingly, the name of the bookstore is Luna which mentions the name of Moon as well as Shilpa and Sapna’s father Sudhakar.