[Stories of a Bookseller ㊳] Chaksin Bookshop, Changsindong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
As cultural life moves online, streaming services make films, TV and performances easy to access, and e-books have already become part of daily life. People have grown accustomed to the convenience of digitization, and offline spaces have, unsurprisingly, been overlooked. Still, physical places retain an intrinsic value, and some are finding new relevance by creating fresh forms of meaning. This year, our culture desk is revisiting memories of place by focusing on small performance venues, cinemas and independent bookstores. [Editor's note]
◆ A 'Comfortable' Space Tucked into a Changsindong Alley
Walk past the sewing shops and jokbal (braised pig’s trotters) restaurants in Changsindong and you’ll find a bookstore tucked surprisingly deep in an alley. Near the jokbal strip, Chaksin Bookshop is run by Nam Yong-seop, a Changsindong native, and Jung Yu-mi, a devoted reader and curator.
Nam opened the shop with a hope of revitalizing the neighborhood; Jung wanted a small, pretty and warm spot where people could enjoy books. Their vision has held: the shop attracts customers who come for Chaksin’s branded goods and others who stop in for a trinket and end up browsing the shelves. It has become a modest but cherished cultural anchor in the alley.
Chaksin Bookshop’s strength is careful curation. The shelves offer poetry, novels, essays and more—all chosen by Jung after she reads them herself, so customers can trust the selection. “It’s hard for me to recommend a book unless I’ve read it,” she said. “When I curate, I pick works that really resonated with me—often by authors and poets I love.”
Readers take different things from books, but Jung stocked the shelves hoping others would feel the same comfort she finds in reading. That intention shaped a relaxed atmosphere for enjoying books on the side of the shop opposite the area where customers browse merch and sip coffee.
◆ Dreaming of Connections: Reader to Bookshop, Bookshop to Bookshop
Nam is leading efforts to make the shop sustainable. Having operated a merch business before, his conversations with Jung convinced him of the possibilities for a neighborhood bookstore. He believes that if they properly target readers who want to engage deeply with books, both the Changsindong alley and the books themselves will come alive.
Book events such as talks are a given. Beyond that, they lean into the sewing-alley identity by offering goods—book covers made from fabric scraps, for example—to appeal to today’s readers. They rent the space to fan groups and sell merch at those events, keeping Chaksin Bookshop lively. While the shop lowers the barrier for newcomers, they also ask visitors to “please eat in the alley,” promoting coexistence with nearby businesses.
“Targeting enthusiasts’ needs matters,” Nam said. He tries to forge connections between the shop and readers through merchandise closely tied to the content—mini books, and even a tiny bookshop project where people can create the books they want—so the goods reinforce the store’s programming.
From there, they want to connect bookstores with other neighborhood shops. Nam said they are planning a project in which local bookstores will do more than simply sell indie publications; they’ll offer distinctive editions with covers you can only find at those neighborhood stores.
If like-minded neighborhood bookstores band together for the project, he believes they can better satisfy younger readers who treat books as collectible goods.
Nam hopes these efforts will make the shop an even livelier place—one that’s hard to sustain but draws good people. “A bookstore must keep its core function, but it also needs ways to sustain itself,” he said. “It’s a bookstore now, but as we link bookstores together, those lines can become areas”—he envisions a bright future for neighborhood bookstores.
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