(The original article in Japanese was posted on January 14, 2022)

 

Have you ever heard of a new type of bookstore called a “book mansion”? The initiator is Ko Nakanishi, who runs the 24-hour unmanned used bookstore, “BOOK ROAD.” in Mitaka, Tokyo. He opened the first store of the “book mansion” in Kichijoji, Tokyo, in July 2019 with the hope of “spreading the culture of sharing books.” The business model is simple: a shopping mall with in-shops where each bookshelf is a unit of sales, or an in-shop.

The owners of each of in-shops, which actually are bookshelves, can display and sell any kinds of books at their own discretion that could be their favorite books or the books they want to recommend to others. In other words, each shelf owner is “the owner of the world’s only one store selling his/her own selection of books.” However, a single shelf is only about 30-cm square and is not expected to generate large sales. The bookshelves are the places to express the owners’ values and thoughts, and the chains of encounters and empathy with people that the books could bring are assets that the shelf owners acquire. The messages delivered from one small bookshelf can be considered intangible capital for creating connections with the community and people.

A new store of the“book mansion” style will open this spring in the shopping district near Sengawa station of the Keio Line. The name of the store is “1000+1 BOOKs (Senichi Books),” and it is operated by “Banda Planning,” of which my wife is the representative. The company is currently recruiting the first phase of owners of the bookshelves through crowdfunding in preparation for store opening in this March. Anyone who wants to show what they read, talk with people who have read the same books as them, have a base to express themselves, or try a little side business, is welcome. Please jump to the page below if you are interested.

[Sengawa] Senichi Books Project: Show your identity with your own bookshelf! A collaborative bookstore for everyone – CAMPFIRE:

https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/523845?list=search_result_projects_popular

The shift from the real world to the digital world is progressing in various industries and business categories. And now, as the battles for the digital shifts are being settled, real stores are being re-valued. Consumption of “intangible goods” (situations, experiences, memories, etc.) began to gain attention in the latter half of the 1980s, and eventually developed into consumption of “time,” which finds value in sharing a specific moment or space with others. It can also be said that this is a qualitative change of customer value from customer satisfaction (CS) to customer experience (CX). In other words, the added value that stores are now required to offer is a place where people can participate in, experience, and empathize with something, and feel their contribution to the project or society. The “book mansion” is one form of such a place as a real store. It is still evolving as a potential business model. I look forward to seeing new creations by the involvement of a variety of business partners.

 

This Week’s Focus, January 14, 2022

Takashi Mizukoshi, the President