The signboard hasn’t changed in years. The interiors haven’t either. Stepping into A.A. Husain & Co. on the busy Abids street feels like going back by a decade or three. Ever since news got out that the store will down its shutters soon to make way for a new commercial complex, old customers have been dropping by, chatting up with the owner and staff, sharing anecdotes of how the store was an integral part of their growing years.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’ve been working here for 18 years. I didn’t know much about books. After coming here, I learnt with the guidance of Asif bhai,” says Syed Iqbal, one of the staff members, trying not to sound emotional. As for Asif Husain, the descendent owner of the store, he has been busy attending phone calls from shocked customers.
Asif patiently answers a few calls and then puts the phone off the hook for a while so as to be able to speak to us. At first glance, the store is deceptive. It seems like business as usual. There are no signs of packing up. Asif says an estimated 60,000 books are still in the premises. He has packed and shifted about 60 cartons of books to his residence.
“My focus is on liquidating the stock, I am talking to a group for online sale of the books. Some distributors may also pick up bulk stock at net price,” he informs. For 19 years, Asif has fashioned his days around the bookstore, founded by his grandfather. “I had completed Class XII and took up B.Sc Computer Science with Mathematics and Statistics. When my father Shouqat Husain fell ill, I had to take over the store. It happened all of a sudden. Within a year, I lost my grandfather and father. I discontinued my studies and devoted myself to running the store,” he recalls.
At first, he was a reluctant bookstore owner. Then with each passing day, he could sense the goodwill his elders had earned through the store and felt he had made a good decision.
The good days
Asif remembers the time when NRIs from US and Middle East would troop in during holidays and buy books by the dozen.
“People would buy the entire series of Asterix and Tintin and about a 100 titles of Amar Chitra Katha. Many coffee table books would also be picked up. The cash flow was so good, we made profits and it felt good to run a bookstore,” he reminisces.
This was a time when customers also sought a bookstore owner’s suggestion before picking up a title. “Those eager to make reading a habit would ask me which authors they could begin with. Some would ask for appropriate books to gift their parents or friends. So I began reading books, reviews and interacted with customers to understand their likes and dislikes,” he says, mentioning names of customers from whom he got to learn about history and politics.
The lull
“No one is to blame,” smiles Asif, when a loyal customer admits to feeling guilty for not having ventured towards his bookstore as frequently as he did earlier. “A number of other stores have come up across the city. People in Somajiguda and Begumpet will find it easier to visit Walden or Landmark,” he says.
The going has been tough for bookstores across town. Online sales began eating into business in recent years.
The convenience factor apart, Asif says the discounts offered by online sellers were tough to beat. “Distributors don’t give us books at such margins and it is not feasible to offer more than 15 per cent discount,” he rues.
Like the newer crop of stores, Asif also considered introducing sections for toys and music. “But I felt we would dilute the core strength of the store. When you have music playing in a store, your attention is not completely on books. I decided to keep only educational CDs and DVDs,” he says.
What if?
Despite dwindling profits, would he have continued to run the store had there not been a proposal of a mall in the area? “I would have tried for some more time, but to be honest I don’t see a bright future,” he says. Asif also considered redoing the interiors but held back since the proposal for a mall was being floated for quite a while. “This is an old building, I felt it would be pointless to spend on redoing the interiors,” he says.
The road ahead
The commercial complex in the offing will take at least two to three years to complete. “They offered to give us a place for the bookstore, but I am not sure if I can afford the rent. Right now, I pay a reasonable sum since the building belongs to Wakf board. I think I’ll do something related to books,” says Asif.
Meanwhile, Asif has been pursuing a course in photography and has an exam coming up. “I tried to complete my graduation for a few years and gave up. Now I am studying photography,” he says.
Asif has two school going daughters and his family understands his decision to close the store. There’s a tangible void as he talks about future. “Business has been dull, but there was a business. I didn’t have to think of what to do for an earning,” he says.
