https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/industry/national-book-store-updates-2023-a00289-20230810-lfrm?
The company has gone through multiple upheavals—wars, revolutions, natural disasters, and changes in customer behaviors, among many other challenges—but perhaps none tested the mettle of the 80-plus-year-old company more than the pandemic. “It was devastating,” Adrian Ramos, current president of National Book Store tells Esquire Philippines during that period. “We were hit on multiple fronts.”
I’m surprised they’re still going, though it has gone far from its glory days (or so I think) back in the mid-90’s to the early 00’s.
There used to be a large one near where I lived, near Baclaran LRT station, it is an anchor tenant of one of the old “tiangge-style” malls in the area. It has three floors, which delighted child me back then. I spent lots of time looking (reading!) books, browsing stuff, and just going around.
Then there’s the large five-storey one in Avenida (midway between Carriedo LRT station and the intersection with Recto). I used to pass the time there, reading books, while waiting for my eyeglasses to be done (in one of the optical shops in the general vicinity).
Now, the branch near the Baclaran LRT station has long been gone, and the one at Avenida is a shadow of its former self (the other “side” has already been closed). I haven’t been to their large Cubao branch (next to Gateway, meron pa ba?) for a long time but I used to spend some time there too, just browsing books, a bit of downtime in the middle of my commute.
It is also kinda depressing to see how it’s gone more and more into being a stationery shop than a bookstore. I guess they have to do it to survive, but it’s still sad.
My memories of National Bookstore was getting my big bro to open magazines so I can read it for free. This despite the huge “No private reading” sign.
HAHAHAHAHA! It’s the closest thing we probably have to a functioning library system. And to “permanently check-out” something, we have to buy it.
It became the National Stationery Store.
Part of me says that they should make the jump to E-Books and Audiobooks
