Eslite opens pop-up bookstore at museum in southwestern Taiwan

誠品在台灣西南部的博物館開設快閃式書店

Taiwan bookstore chain returns to Chiayi City after decade-long wait


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Celebrated bookstore chain Eslite on Wednesday (Jan. 27) opened a new pop-up location at the Chiayi Art Museum in the southwestern city of Chiayi, marking its official return to the area after a 10-year absence.

Under the witness of Chiayi Mayor Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠) and Eslite Senior Director Lynn Chang (張曉玲), the new store opened its doors on Wednesday morning. It is the company's first-ever location at a historical site, as the museum was transformed from the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau during the Japanese colonial era.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Huang pointed out that Eslite shut down its previous location inside a local Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store ten years ago and that the Chiayi residents are very excited about its return. She said the addition of the bookstore will help attract more visitors to the city museum, which only opened in September last year.

Chang said the opening of the pop-up store was actually inspired by her encounter with an official from the Chiayi Culture Affairs Bureau last August. She said the bookstore will host themed exhibitions to match art series put on by the museum, reported CNA.

According to the Chiayi Art Museum website, the bookstore is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and it features a wide collection of books and art supplies. Some of the merchandise at the store include the Faber-Castell art kit box from Germany, Caran d'Ache writing utensils from Sweden, and the Nakabayashi Taccia ink collection from Japan.