Let Bookstores be Bygones? Memories and Materiality of Bookstores on the Pages of the Singapore Memory Project

In this article we examine the memories of bookstores revealed in entries made to the Singapore Memory Project. Two main themes appeared in these memories: the bookstore as a material place and the bookstore as part of wider life events. Our findings reveal that bookstores (1) have played roles in the life routines of many Singaporeans, (2) are theatres of materiality, and (3) are places where social interaction can take place. From this evidence we argue that the physical bookstore, albeit being dismissed as a dying breed, still does have a number of resources to draw on in its fight with online bookselling.