End of an era: Mumbai’s iconic Strand Book Stall to down shutters on Feb 28

The Mumbai’s store’s first years were modest — just two shelves at the Strand cinema hall in Colaba

A sale is on at Strand Book Stall. It’s a little different from the popular annual sale that the iconic bookstore holds at Sunderbai Hall in Marine Lines. This time, the discounts are a final clearance.

Strand Book Stall at Fort on Tuesday.(Bhushan Koyande/HT)

The 70-year-old bookstore will down its shutters on February 28. “Everything has a life cycle and we can say the journey of Strand bookstore is over,” says Vidya Virkar, managing partner of the store.

The store’s first years were modest — just two shelves at the Strand cinema hall in Colaba. It moved to its current location off PM Road in 1956. “My father [Padmashree TN Shanbhag, who passed away in 2009] imported books from England and gave readers a 20% discount,” she says.

READ: Book lovers share their favourite memories

Over the years, English readers dropped in for Shanbhag himself. His eclectic taste in books anchored generations of customers. “His knowledge of books impressed all who visited Strand,” says Virkar. “My father’s attitude was that if someone likes a book they should not leave without it.”

It created legions of loyalists. Sylvia Khan, who edits a design magazine, recalls browsing the store 20 years ago. “When she pointed out to Shanbhag the books she liked, he immediately got them packed and refused to take payment. He said he was building future customers,” she said.

T Jagath, who worked at Strand and is CEO of Kitab Khana, a seven-year-old bookstore near Flora Fountain, says Strand’s strength was its passion for books. “Its shutting down is very unfortunate.”