As more and more people opt to shop for books online or at large bookstores with vast collections of imported books, local book shops in Jakarta have chosen to keep their offerings small and relevant to their customers.

Aksara, a curated bookstore that was established in Kemang, South Jakarta, in 2001, closed down two mall outlets in Cilandak Townsquare and Pacific Place, also in South Jakarta, last week, to focus on the original shop. Both stores, which had been operating since 2003 and 2008, respectively, were shut down due to lack of business.

Aksara customers who loved the stores’ concept and products have lamented the closure.

Retno Palupi, 27, said the shop at Pacific Place was relaxed compared to other bookstores that also sold imported books. “The book collection in Aksara store was great. I loved spending time in Aksara because it was so relaxed.”

Aksara’s spokesperson, Adinda Simanjuntak, said the stores needed to be closed as continuing to operate in malls would not benefit the company. “The type of shoppers [at malls] are also not suited to our market,” Adinda said, referring to the fact that mall visitors usually looked to buy imported books at bargain prices.

There is also a price margin between Aksara and shops like Periplus and Kinokuniya, because the company imports fewer quantities of books compared to the larger chains.

The rising popularity of online bookstores have also seen customers move toward buying books online, said Adinda.

Co-owned by Arini Subianto, a businesswoman named Indonesia’s richest woman by Forbes, and culinary entrepreneur Winfred Hutabarat, Aksara sold roughly 60 percent imported books and 40 percent local books.

Believing that Aksara’s main store in Kemang could survive, thanks to the communities that often held events in the store, the company plans to focus on developing this outlet exclusively.

The company is currently renovating the store. In addition to a bookstore, the site will also have an art studio and small cinema to accompany a coffee shop. There will also be sections for jazz and analog camera lovers in the store.

Focusing on the shopping experience and community events has also proven the best survival strategy for small-scale bookstore Post Santa in Santa Market, Kebayoran, South Jakarta, which sells local books from independent book publishers as well as imported books.

The bookstore, established in 2014, remains popular among book lovers who flock in numbers to the store when it opens on weekends. The store also hosts book discussions with authors.

Poet Kezia Alaia, 23, held a discussion event at Post Santa last month. “I chose to hold the event there because I felt I had to connect with people who love reading books and poetry, exploring art forms and discussing them,” she said.

Dioscar Agassi, 23, a resident of Bintaro, South Jakarta, said Post Santa provided a space for customers to interact. “I sometimes chat with other visitors about books. I hear about interesting books from the people I meet in the store,” he added.

Maesy Angelina, the owner of Post Santa, said the store, which sells 80 percent local books and 20 percent imported books, did not try to compete with offline bookstores, but instead sought to complement them.

Maesy often recommended online books to the visitors. “Post Santa is a place where authors and readers can meet and talk about books. It’s a small store but people can talk in here.”

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