When buying books, most customers would visit a franchise, as it stocks a wider variety of books at mainstream prices than an indie bookstore. An indie bookstore in Singapore is an independently owned, small bookstore. It is seen as less established because of its size.
But indie bookstores offer niche books that cannot be found elsewhere. Their owners are also more knowledgeable about their books. Their books tend to be cheaper compared to franchises, and some indie bookstores have a communal area for bookgoers to hang out.
Check out these 11 indie bookstores in Singapore that you can’t judge by their covers.
1. Basheer Graphic Books
Opened in the 1990s, Basheer Graphic Books is one of the oldest indie bookstores in Singapore. Located at Bras Basah Complex, it features art, architecture and design titles.
Run by Mr. Abdul Nasseer, whose father and store founder, Basheer Ahamed, passed away in 2019, Basheer Graphic Books has seen a drop of 40 percent in business after 2005 due to changes in reading habits. But loyal customers still drop by the indie bookstore after they have migrated overseas. Tourists also make his bookstore part of their itinerary here.
A must-buy is its latest arrival, Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai: Breath of an Architect (S$96). Read it and experience the work of acclaimed architect Bijoy Jain, known for his sustainable and community-centred designs, from shamanic huts to papier-mache chairs.
2. City Book Room
City Book Room is an indie Chinese bookstore at Joo Chiat Road. It was founded in 2014 by Tan Waln Ching, who developed a passion for books when working at a local publisher.
Besides hosting arts and cultural events, the City Book Room serves as a platform for local authors to make their voices heard through publishing. Here, you can find works by local writers, including Yeng Pway Ngon, Wong Koi Tet, Liu Su, Tan Chee Lay and Neo Hai Bin.
If you are a fan of Chinese literature, you can’t go wrong with the photobook 小东西 (S$25). It is written by Huang Kai De, an award-winning poet and prose writer born and bred here.
The book is a collection of 50 non-fiction pieces published in the author’s Lianhe Zaobao column from 2019 to 2021. Little Things charts the author’s personal journey over the years. It uses various common objects, such as water bottles to umbrellas, as analogies.
3. Epigram Coffee Bookshop
Epigram Books is an indie publisher that started as a branch of the communications design firm Epigram. In 2011, it was registered as an entity to champion local literature.
Since then, Epigram Books has published fiction and non-fiction. These range from novels to picture books, memoirs to cookbooks, graphic novels to poetry. They have won awards not just locally, but also overseas. These include the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (S$36.90) and The Diary of Amos Lee (S$14.90) series.
In 2022, Epigram Books established its concept store, Epigram Coffee Bookshop at the Singapore Art Museum, with local coffee unit Balestier Market Collective. Here, look forward to reading Singapore books—books written by Singaporeans, published in Singapore, or written about Singapore, while sipping hot coffee. The view of the port here is fantastic too.
4. Littered with Books
Littered with Books is an indie bookstore in Singapore at Duxton Road, near Tanjong Pagar MRT. Housed in a conservation shophouse, it has a curation of literary, non-fiction, crime, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy books, travel and award-winning children’s books.
If you decide to drop by after work, a must-get is Navola (S$42 on Amazon). Written by The New York Times best-selling author Paolo Bacigalupa, the book tells the story of a young scion from a ruling-class family. He is tested by rebellion as he ascends to power.
5. Woods in the Books
If you have a little one, be sure to check out Woods in the Books. Founded in 2009, Woods in the Books is an indie bookshop in Singapore with a speciality in picture books.
If your child likes superheroes, get the picture book Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma (S$17). Written by Melanie Lee and illustrated by Arif Rafhan, Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma is a funny and heartwarming tale about family and acceptance. It tells the story of 11-year-old Ash who finds out one day that her grandmother and her have superpowers.
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6. Grassroots Book Room
Tucked along Bukit Pasoh Road is a small indie bookshop named Grassroots Book Room.
While the bookstore is mostly filled with Chinese books, it has an English section too. The latter stocks Singaporean titles such as Goodbye My Kampong! and 17A Keong Saik Road.
If you’re feeling down, you’ll be heartened to know that you can receive messages from strangers. Feel free to pick a letter from the jar there, and pass it on by writing a note too.
Tucked at the back is a cafe, The Leeter Tunku Kopitiam, which got its name from Professor Gwee Li Sui’s Singlish translation of The Little Prince. It serves up cappucino and affogato.
7. Cat Socrates
Founded in 2008, Cat Socrates is an independent bookstore in Singapore that supplies well-designed products for your daily needs. It sells lifestyle, craft, illustration, and home decoration books. It also sells books from publishing houses such as Math Paper Press and Epigram Books. You can also purchase zines self-published by local and Asian Writers there.
Apart from books, the retail shop at Yong Siak Street also sells kitchenware & furniture, fabric and sewing accessories, plants & pots, memorabilia and homemade jams. Also keep an eye out for their cat Zoo-Zoo and not get on its bad side. The meow-nager of the Joo Chiat store, Zoo-Zoo sleeps on top of the shelves with a bird’s eye view of the bookstore.
8. Closetful of Books
Founded in 2013 on the firm belief that every child can become a voracious reader, Closetful of Books is a roaming bookstore that specialises in children’s literature.
Dedicated to nurturing a love for stories in young children, the indie bookstore in Singapore holds book fairs and partner libraries to help children discover ways to enjoy a good story.
Is your child just learning to read? You can’t go wrong with Diary of a Pug (S$12/book). Complete with full-colour artwork, the poignant diary-format series for newly independent readers tells the tale of friendship between a human and a dog, from the dog’s perspective.
9. Hook on Books
Located near Outram Park MRT Station, Hook on Books is a Chinese bookstore specially set up for children in Singapore. Besides children’s picture books, the bookstore also has peripheral products such as music CDs stationery and traditional children’s toys for sale.
Within the store, there is a space for children to create personalised notebooks, floral cards and bouquets, which is a wonderful way for them to develop their creativity and artistic skills. Meanwhile, adults can look forward to relaxing at the dedicated reading space inside.
If you have a child aged 4-6 who finds excuses, get the picture book 怎么说对不起 How to Apologize (S$23). After reading it, your little one will learn how apologising absolves guilt on his or her part and makes others feel better. Adults should also give it a read. After all, everyone makes mistakes. This is regardless of whether the person is a grown-up or a kid.
10. Book Bar
Driven by a love for books, Book Bar is an indie bookstore in Singapore that focuses on local literature. It also has a selection of books that revolve around the Asian heritage.
They also have a café space that serves a fragrant cup of coffee and offers you a cosy space. Here, you can enjoy the scent of freshly brewed coffee alongside a good novel.
For a piquant pick-me-up, get the Espresso (S$4) or Black Coffee (S$4.50/S$5.50).
Additionally, Book Bar serves as a dynamic gathering place, fostering connections and nurturing a sense of community amongst book lovers, which include the owner himself.
11. Wormhole
Wormhole is a small online bookstore that believes stories are essential for readers and non-readers alike. They stock a range of genres including literary fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, and poetry. Every story is a journey that takes you from your perspective to someone else’s — and they believe that books are not the only source to foster relations.
To that end, Wormhole has created a community resource, Recommend a Book. Anyone can leave book recommendations in the Google Sheets or view other people’s suggestions.
Staying true to their name, Wormhole also invites a different person to pick their favourite book each month. The name of the chosen book will be published on the site each month.
As their curators hail from different backgrounds and walks of life, each edition of Surprise Your Shelf always brings a unique perspective and you’ll never quite know what to expect!
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