Worth a second look

Twice Told, a second-hand pop-up store hosted by Cowrks, Worli. Pics/Ashish Raje

"The worst part is that you want to buy more than you want to sell." Mansi Shetty, the mind behind Twice Told, a unique pop-up store in the city, is ecstatic to see books neatly stacked all around her. Some of the stock is freshly out of a carton, everything else has already been part of the sale that began last Friday, but for her, it all still feels the same. Shetty, the founder of What Are You Reading Today, a mood-based book recommendation site, tied up with Cowrks, a coworking space, whose owners were excited to host a platform for meaningful conversation.

Hitler Nadar, Afzal Ansari and Shubham More

Organised with the help of Phagun Dhakka and Pravin Subramanian of SwapBooks!, a book exchange community, the stock is sourced through second-hand book sellers. "The idea is to help independent sellers fight the monsoons. It isn't easy to find a roof around the city and as a result, there is a negative impact on sales," Dhakka explains. With three booksellers onboard - Shubham More and Afzal Ansari from Chembur, and Hitler Nadar from King's Circle - the collection spans many genres. From vintage Chandamama copies to the classics by Austen and the Brontë sisters, there is something for everyone. We even got our hands on an Enid Blyton from 1957.

Organisers Phagun Dhakka and Mansi Shetty

For 23-year-old More, pop-ups like these are extremely beneficial for small sellers, especially for those just starting out in the business. "There should be more collaborative initiatives like this because a single seller won't be able to afford a space in the city," he says. With licenses that are difficult to obtain, bookstalls on the pavement face constant threats of eviction. For Hitler Nadar, 50, who has been in the business for the past 23 years, licensing is a greater challenge than getting people to come to terms with his first name. "We're essentially getting people to read. If we had help from the government, we could build an even bigger platform for readers to get the best deals," says Nadar.

Even though collectors say that the size of the reader pie is steadily decreasing, they remain optimistic and hope to target a market that does not equate literature with popular fiction. Ansari, 59, skims through his collection, leaving behind the book he's currently reading, The American Book Industry by Russi Jal Taraporevala. "There will be readers as long as people remain curious," he says. There is always a second chance to be given, especially when books come from a different time, and they come cheap.

ON: Today, 10 am to 10 pm
AT: Cowrks, Birla Centurion Century Mills Compound, Worli.
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