I spent only about 1 night and 1 morning in Tainan, but from what I saw of the city in the time I was there, I can say it has captured my heart with its laid-back, old-town charm. Yes, the city looks somewhat grubby from the outside, but this former capital needs some digging beneath its surface to discover its hidden gems. Room A bookshop is one example of such a place.<\/p>\n
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\nRoom A is a bookshop tastefully decorated in a contemporary retro style that is so inviting for book lovers to sit and lounge around. What’s special about Room A is that the books and magazines there are not for sale, rather they are only for browsing.<\/p>\n
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\nThe bookshop’s business model is that you pay for the amount of time you spend browsing the reading material. When you enter the shop, you’re given a card which records the time you enter. When you leave, you pay TWD 1 for every minute you spend in there, with a minimum spending of 60 minutes. Such a business model will never work in Singapore or Hong Kong where there isn’t much of a reading culture. Then again, I really doubt this is a profitable business model even with a population that enjoys reading. My friend who introduced me to this place told me that the owner is operating this book shop purely as a hobby. In his words, “\u53ea\u662f\u505a\u8208\u8da3” (literally translated: doing it for interest’s sake).<\/p>\n
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\nThe bar greets you the moment you enter. You can order coffee, tea, juices, sandwiches and other small bites.<\/p>\n
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\nIf you don’t want to order fancy coffee, there’s normal tea, fruit teas, and water that you can help yourself to for free. Awesome, isn’t it?<\/p>\n
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\nI like how they have recycled wine crates into book shelves. The books and magazines here are mostly about lifestyle, travel, design, architecture, and photography. About three-quarters are Chinese publications while one-quarter is in English.<\/p>\n
![\"285\"](\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8061\/8260817390_1f05824be1.jpg\")
\nI like how the place is fitted to make it feel like one’s own living room. You can lounge on a couch, sit on a table with a laptop or plonk yourself down in a comfortable chair. Power points are available wherever you’re seated and free WiFi is available.<\/p>\n
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\nThe bookshop is on the third floor so you won’t be able to see it from street level. Look out for this signage and walk to the third floor. A hair salon is on the second floor so go up one more level. If you want a place to rest your legs in between stretches when you’re exploring Tainan, this is definitely one place you could head to.<\/p>\n
Room A
\n\u53f0\u5357\u5e02\u897f\u9580\u8def1\u6bb5607\u865f3\u6a13
\n3\/F, Section 1, 607 Ximen Road
\nTainan, Taiwan
\nTel: +886 (0)6 22097977
\nOpen every day: 10am – 10pm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I spent only about 1 night and 1 morning in Tainan, but from what I saw of the city in the time I was there, I can say it has captured my heart with its laid-back, old-town charm. Yes, the … Continue reading