Eslite Taipei bookstore closing down

Eslite Taipei, the world’s first 24-hour bookstore, is scheduled to shut down next year.

The popular Taiwanese bookstore chain will discontinue its flagship location in Dunnan, upon the expiry of its lease next year after 19 years of trading.

The firm’s chairwoman Mercy Wu has admitted that no plans for the store are in the works following closure. She had previously stated that another Eslite location could have its hours extended to offer a 24-hour service to replace the Dunnan store.

However, the firm’s previous experiments in round-the-clock bookstore service – including a trial in Hysan Place, Hong Kong – have proved not to be viable due to low customer turnout.

Wu has been quoted as expressing hopes that Eslite stores will maintain their independence and “remain the first and last stop of book lovers in the next 10 years”.