Bookworm

I learned from a friend today that a second-hand English bookstore/bar/cafe existed in Beijing (with branches in Suzhou and Chengdu), but all three locations closed down in 2019. It was popular and significant enough to warrant its own Wikipedia entry.

There were numerous farewell/eulogies (such as this one) for The Bookworm during the week it announced its closure, lamenting the occasion and implying that the government's displeasure with its facilitation of free-flowing ideas ultimately caused its demise. However, I think there's likely a lot more to the story.

A quick glance at the erstwhile bookstore's Beijinger entry reveals a near-universal dissatisfaction with the staff's service in the later years of its operation. Most reviews recommend visiting for the books but avoiding the food/cafe because of the rude staff. When the main revenue drivers of your establishment are food and beverages, this is a critical problem that threatens its survival.

In any case, I was glad to know that at least part of my hypothesis is correct: foreigners (and some Chinese) in China are really desperate for a place to browse and read English books. In the case of Beijing, they were (to some degree) even willing to put up with terrible service from the staff.

I was also heartened to learn that The Bookworm started as a small lending library with a cafe before eventually expanding to its later iconic location in Sanlitun.

English-language books were hard to come by at the time in Beijing. So the collection was much welcomed. In that venue The Bookworm was a small but cozy place and quickly became a spot for readers and writers to meet. - Peter Goff, former manager of Bookworm's Chengdu and Suzhou locations

If there is one aspect of Bookworm that I think it neglected (aside from good service), it's the technology side of the business. Its website, which is still accessible, has not been updated since early 2012, though the store remained in operation for more than seven years after that.

In the end, perhaps the founders had a deep passion for books and cultural exchange, but were lacking in expertise with management and technology. At least, I hope that this was the reason for their eventual failure. If so, then that leaves some hope for the future.