Timeless charm: Mumbai's 56-year-old bookstore in Vile Parle houses over 1 lakh books

Little did the Gada family know that their pursuit of livelihood in Mumbai would lead them to run a successful book stall in Vile Parle, one of the city's prime locations, for 56 long years.

"My brother and I came to Mumbai to earn a living. There was no specific reason behind starting a bookstall. It was easy to set up this kind of business as it required minimum investment," says Manilal Gada who has been helming the Pethani Book Centre along with his 37-year-old son Kunal Gada.

Just like other commuters who must have spotted the Pethani Book Centre while looking for an auto outside the station, the writer too happened to pause and check out the store before heading to her destination.

There is something for everyone here
Since its inception, the Pethani Book Centre has been housing all kinds of books - academic books, classic novels, second-hand magazines, non-fiction books, children's books as well as newly launched novels.

Stacks of books are placed at the store which makes one wonder about the number of books available here. Gada laughs and says, "It's hard to keep an exact count but I'm sure of the fact that we have a collection of over a lakh books."

At the Pethani Book Centre, books are sold at as low as Rs 20 and go up to Rs 500 or more depending on the book. His son Kunal says, "We try to offer books at the lowest price possible to pull more and more customers."

While books by popular authors like Jeffery Archer, Sidney Sheldon, Dan Brown, J K Rowling and Agatha Christie are evergreen and continue to enjoy popularity, Kunal says, "Our young generation also enjoys reading Indian authors like Chetan Bhagat, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Amish Tripathi and Sudha Murty."

Though the bookstore does make a sale of all kinds of books, as per Kunal's observation, the demand for fiction and non-fiction books is high among the young.

In yet another interesting observation, Gada says, "70 per cent of our customers are women. They love reading books. We have women customers reading a mix of romance, thriller, finance and mythology."

The bookstore has also had celebrities like Rati Agnihotri, a former Indian actress, visit the store regularly. Besides celebrities, the store has also been serving reputed professionals like lawyers, architects and doctors.

On being asked about the younger generation's reading habits, Gada reflects, "The young generation does have an interest in reading but not that much. I personally believe a child's inclination towards reading largely depends on their parents. If parents enjoy reading and are avid readers, their children will by default develop a penchant for reading. We have a third generation of our old customers coming to buy books. It is because they have seen their elders reading and thus pick up the same habit."

Gada and his wife too are avid readers who enjoy reading Gujarati literature and newspapers. This has led both their sons to develop an interest towards reading.

Challenges the bookstore faces
According to Gada, as compared to the old days when the only form of entertainment was books and newspapers, the number of readers were high. Even during the initial stages of television and radio, people sought to read to relax their minds. Today, the scenario has changed massively. "With OTT and social media, children can hardly manage to look out of their screens." laments this bookstore owner.

Adding to this Kunal says, "To a certain extent, we also face competition from ebooks like Kindle. Amazon has also started selling books at lower prices now."

Kunal adds, "Yet, a large number of people still prefer buying hard copies instead of using ebooks and many also prefer buying second-hand books instead of buying new ones online. Customers find it more convenient to visit the store and check the copy before making a purchase."

Other than this, the father-son duo deny facing any challenges.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the store faced hardships like other businesses did. However, after the lockdown was relaxed, the Gada family bounced back by making a few sales. "The business picked up again gradually and is now functioning as it did before the pandemic," says a relieved Kunal.

The secret behind the store's success
While most bookstores and stalls in several parts of Mumbai are struggling to earn a profit, Pethani Book Centre is one of the few that seems to be flourishing. What possibly can be working for this father-son duo?

Kunal says, "Vile Parle is an educational hub. We have colleges like NMIMS and SVKM's Mithibai close to our bookstore. This is a huge benefit for us. The store's proximity to these colleges helps us in attracting all college students."

Further, Gada says, "We have been here for the past 56 years. Our legacy also works in our best interest. Our old customers help us build new customers."

On being asked why bookstores face critical challenges, Gada opines, "Location where you sell your books matters. Besides, we are a one-stop shop for all kinds of books. Customers can find novels, academic books, children's story books, magazines, all under one roof. Sab kuch saath mai rakhenge toh hee business chalega na. Jaisa grocery store mai apne ko sab milta hai vaisa hee iss bookstore mai bhi sab types ke books milte hai." (If we offer customers everything under one roof, the business will earn more profits. It is like a grocery store where everything related to food is easily available.)

This business strategy of Gada's seems to be working well for him as his bookstore sees customers come with varied requirements and return satisfied. In a day, the bookstore receives around 150-200 customers who definitely purchase at least one book.

With options that don't seem to end, at Pethani Book Centre, you are sure to get spoiled for choice. What makes the store a must-visit is the ease of spotting it. It is located right outside the railway station at Vile Parle west.

Address: 6, Sangam Arcade, V.P. Road, Opposite Railway Station, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai - 400056

For more details, you can call: 9819612377, 9833241943