 |
 |
 |
|
It all started from---
|
|
“The
reason for opening this bookstore was just to keep a good friend at Luchou,”
A-fu said mysteriously with a smile. This friend wanted to move out of Luchou
for the better education of his children, and the only way to retain him was
opening the first Children Book Club in this culture desert.
A-fu talked about
the difficulty encountered when he try to establish a children’s book club:” we
tried to seek the help of schools and parent-comfort classes to secure a place
for the bookstore, but there were only disappointment.” Then he decided to open
a bookstore with a reading room and became a pioneer in this culture desert.
|
|
At
the beginning---
|
|
On
May 15, 2000, A-fu’s Bookstore was opened at Yungle Street Luchou City .
Many parents were glad to have a story-telling place for their children. A-fu
said:” it was really an economic burden to maintain the bookstore. Decorating,
keep stock, rent, and all costs big money. We borrowed money from many people. However,
our determination to keep it opening has never swayed.” Among the three
thousand bookstores in Taiwan at that time, only three hundred were dedicated to children. A child might
change his life course because of one book. So A-fu decided to maintain the
bookstore at all costs.
|
|
Do business whole-heartedly----
[We were told that there is a Book Club course
in Taishan Township . So my wife attended it during
day time and I during the evening,” said A-fu. Gradually A-fu’s Bookstore
developed. It was a place not only selling books, but also enjoying reading.
However, the beautiful dream has encountered the test of reality. A-fu said:” a
few years ago, the average monthly revenue was only NT$5,000.” In order to
offset the loss, A-fu worked in Liming Bookstore and his wife sold course book
of boy scouts. The total family incomes was NT$100,000, capable of supporting
the bookstore.
|
To show his support to A-fu, Xie Kunshan made
A-fu’s Bookstore his agent.
|
|
Crises----
”Two years ago I was seriously ill and had to switch to
another job which lower payment (NT$30,000 per month). Maintaining the
bookstore became a critical problem for us,” said A-fu. He said in retrospection
that as he drove back to home one day, his wife called to say that a check of
NT$ 200,000 was refused. His eyes were filled with tears of frustration. He
decided to close the bookstore and put an end to it all. It was a stormy day. A
girl called Pei-ru was on leave from school because of flu. But she insisted to
go to the bookstore for the story-telling activity. Her mother refused her
request for her illness. But she just kept asking with tears:” please mom, I am
always expecting the Fridays to go to A-fu’s Bookstore to listen to stories. I
really want to go, please let me go.” Her mother was persuaded and took her and
her brother to the bookstore. A-fu was really moved with the children’s
eagerness. He felt his responsibility and determined to maintain the bookstore
at all costs.”
Later on another
crisis came as the lease of the bookstore expired and the owner intended to
sell the house. A local TV station reported the issue and more than one
thousand calls came in to offer help. However, A-fu declined all these offers
and was determined to keep it going, retaining the cultural source for Luchou.|
It has long been A-fu’s dream to open a
castle bookstore with an area of above 1500 square meters to include all
painting books in the world. So travelers from around the world could come to
A-fu’s Bookstore to read the books published in their own countries and enjoy
stories in the Book Club everyday. Though there is a long way to go to bring
the dream come true, A-fu said he would pass the dream to his sons and his
grandsons until it was realized.
|
|
The
entrepreneur spirit of A-fu’s Bookstore has moved Mr. Frank Hsieh, the director of Executive Yuan
|
The
support of customers is a unfailing source for the maintenance of the bookstore
|
|
A-fu’s
Bookstore now becomes a relaxation spot in the community
|
The
bookstore has long been devoted to the children’s Book Club
|
|
|
 |
