New Mong Kok bookshop opens amid harsh winter for indie bookstores in Hong Kong

AI Summary

Grace Lau has opened New Year Bookshop in Mong Kok, investing a six-figure sum despite a difficult period for Hong Kong's independent bookstores. Other neighborhood bookshops have closed amid economic pressures and political uncertainty, while lower rents helped make the new venture possible.

Small independent bookstores tucked away in walk-up tenement buildings above neon-lit streets have long made Mong Kok a sanctuary for Hong Kong book lovers, until recently when one after another was forced to close due to economic headwinds or political uncertainty. Defying the trend, 41-year-old bibliophile Grace Lau invested a six-figure sum to launch New Year Bookshop, a move driven by passion and lower rents that some in the community regarded as a bold gamble on the neighbourhood’s literary...