What was once a minimally furnished office is now Grassroots Book Room, a Chinese bookstore housed on the first floor of a shophouse, and decorated with vintage chairs and local knick-knacks from the past. It’s twice as big as its former space in Bras Basah Road, and the selection has also expanded. On the full-height wooden shelves are titles on Chinese history, Western philosophy and travel.
“Singapore is a multicultural society, and it is important for us to preserve a Chinese bookshop to complement English independent stores or even the Japanese section of Kinokuniya. It’s a whole ecology of books,” said co-founder and former journalist, Lim Jen Erh. Designed to evoke a warm and homely atmosphere, it’s a beautiful space to browse, and host exhibitions.
What we found: A Chinese translation of lifestyle magazine Kinfolk, and As Light as A Bourgeois Allergy by Malaysian writer Niu You Xiao Sheng.
The Grassroots Bookroom is at 25 Bukit Pasoh road, Tel: 6337-9208.