Page One bookstore starts another chapter

Home-grown bookstore Page One has begun a new chapter here as a bargain bookstore on the fourth storey of The Cathay in Handy Road.

It stocks more than 2,000 titles in the 1,300 sq ft space and sells overprint fiction, lifestyle and design books for as low as $1. All the books are new.

For its opening sale till June 11, books are priced between $0.50 and $5.

The store's senior sales and acquisition editor, Miss Inez Maria, 30, told The New Paper yesterday that most of its customers are students from the nearby schools or mall patrons on their way to the cinema upstairs.

She said: "This location is not the best, but the price point is attractive enough for customers to buy five to six books per transaction."

Page One closed its only store in VivoCity in 2012 after its five-year lease ended.

Since 2015, it has been selling books in pop-up stores and just inked a seven-month lease for its current store.

It also has six outlets in China.

When TNP visited The Cathay outlet yesterday, one customer was filling up his third bag of purchases.

Interior designer Dale Le, 36, managing director of Intermod Space, said he reads mostly non-fiction books across genres such as business, religion, politics and design. He owns more than 600 books.

He said: "Design books are usually expensive but here, you can find them for as little as $2."

The store opens daily from 1pm to 10pm.