Hong Kong Indie Bookshops: Can the Reverie Last?

Editor’s note: Reverie Bookstore has since closed, with its final day on 30 July 2026.

We’re shining a light on some of the independent bookshops that are keeping Hong Kong’s literary scene alive. Stay tuned for our upcoming Zolima’s Picks roundup!

Ella Yip was stuck. After several years in IT, she was trapped in the workaday grind familiar to so many Hongkongers. The job was stable and predictable, yet unfulfilling. She couldn’t help but dream of another possibility in life: running her own space, ideally one that connected to her love of books.

“I wanted to try something new. I kept asking myself whether I should take the chance to pursue what I truly wanted while I was still young,” says Yip.

That idea crystallised in 2024, when she read an article about the closure of Hong Kong Book Era, an independent bookstore in Mong Kok. Looking closely at the photo that accompanied the story, she found the owner looked oddly familiar. It turned out he was the colleague that sat right next to her at work.

“What a small world,” she recalls thinking. “I wanted to open a bookstore, and somehow the universe put a bookstore owner right beside me.”

Yip spoke to her colleague about his business, learning a lot from her conversations with him about how to run a bookstore. She felt it was the right time for her to make the leap — even if her own project might suffer the same fate as her colleague’s, sooner or later. “I thought if the person next to me could do it, then so could I,” she says. “I never aimed for it to be a big success anyway. Opening a bookstore was more about fulfilling my personal needs.”

Yip soon left her job to pursue the dream. From scouting the space to decorating to curating the shelves, she spent just one month setting up Reverie Bookstore, whose Chinese name  translates as “long dream” (長夢, cheung4 mung6). 

True to its name, the Sheung Wan bookstore was envisioned as a place to slow down and pause. “Occasional daydreaming is important; it allows us to step away from life’s absurdities, even if only for a moment,” Yip wrote on social media when the shop opened its doors in September 2024. “When things get tough, staying curious and passionate allows us to imagine freely in this space.”

A haven for books and music 

Each independent bookstore in Hong Kong has its own character. Boundary Bookstore in Mong Kok, which sits along the historic line that once divided British Hong Kong from China in the 19th century, focuses on books about Hong Kong’s history and culture. Have A Nice Stay, also in Mong Kok and founded by five former journalists, highlights works on journalism. Reverie Bookstore is no different. Here, books come alive with music, especially those that shine a light on the Hong Kong indie scene.

Although Yip has long been an indie music enthusiast, the bookstore’s music-driven identity came about by chance. “I started by adding a few books about music, then gradually connected with event organisers and local bands,” she explains. “With their support, the place grew into what it is today.”

Visitors who enter the 300-square-foot space are greeted by gentle indie pop. The first thing they see is a table of new book releases – mostly Chinese literature and prose written by artists and lyricists, alongside other music-related titles.

“I’m subjective when choosing what books to sell — it has to interest me. If I don’t enjoy reading it, I couldn’t recommend it to my readers,” says Yip. “I also include Hong Kong publications. As a local indie bookstore, it wouldn’t make sense not to feature local books.”

Flanking the table are two music corners that reflect the homegrown music scene. On the right is a small three-shelf bookcase dedicated to local music books. “There aren’t actually many Hong Kong music books, most are written by lyricists,” Yip explains, referring to songwriting guides or memoirs. “Places like Taiwan or the West have much more variety. Often, a band’s vocalist will publish a book, or there are titles exploring their music scene and history.”

On the left are shelves displaying albums and merchandise from indie bands, all handpicked by Yip and introduced with her handwritten notes. Among them are The Hertz, a much-loved band blending funk, rock, and alternative sounds with Cantonese lyrics that reflect everyday life; Virgin Vacation (假日貞操), a four-piece instrumental band known for their experimental music; and Fan Hung A (粉紅A), established in 1998 and celebrated for their playful, down-to-earth Cantonese lyrics.

All kinds of visitors are drawn to this small bookstore’s alternative sounds and books. Some come for the books, others for the indie tunes, but they could all leave with discovering something new. When customers buy a book, Yip often suggests a song or band to go with it — or the other way around. “Reading and indie music are still relatively niche in Hong Kong but I hope this space can bring the two worlds together and spark an interest in both,” she says.

Keeping indie music alive

One of the things Yip loves most about running a bookstore is escaping the grind of a conventional job. “It’s so different from the office work where you only talk about superficial things like where to eat with colleagues, not deeper topics like books, music, or ideas,” she says. “I didn’t used to enjoy having conversations, but now I meet more people and learn so much. The whole environment and way of life have completely changed me.”

But this dream life comes at a price: Hong Kong is an expensive place and landlords are ruthless when it comes to rent. Many indie bookstores have faced the consequences, with at least 40 shops closing since 2020, a trend driven by weak sales, economic uncertainty and tight political restrictions since the implementation of the National Security Law. Just before Yip opened Reverie Bookstore in September 2024, the city said farewell to several bookshops, including Mount Zero Books in March, Knock Knock in June, and Word by Word Collective in August.

“I was very upset because these were all located on Hong Kong Island,” says Yip. “It felt like losing companions. For readers, of course it’s great to have independent bookstores because they offer something special, but running it is tough. You can’t rely solely on books, you have to organise events and keep people engaged.”

Over time, Yip has organised more than 40 events, including lyric-writing classes, book and music sharing sessions, indie pop nights and neighbourhood walking tours. She also opens the space to invite local indie musicians for live performances and compiles a monthly list of 15 non-mainstream song recommendations for her bookstore members. 

These efforts aren’t just meant to sustain the bookstore but also to support underground music. Much like Hong Kong’s book sector, the city’s alternative music scene faces limited visibility and shrinking performing spaces. In March 2024, the closure of Music Zone in Kowloon Bay deprived musicians of a key mid-sized, affordable venue for live performances — only the latest of many venues to have closed over the years.

But there is still a lot of public support for alternative artists. “Lately, Hong Kong has seen a rise in small music organisers, but they often go unnoticed,” says Yip.  She points to a few examples, including Coda in Sai Ying Pun, a Japanese kissa-inspired café for jazz music; Fountain de Chopin, a prominent venue and music school; and the underground music space Chez Trente in Central.

As Reverie’s two-year lease comes to an end this July, Yip is weighing whether to continue running the bookstore. “I’d love to keep going, but if the terms aren’t favourable, I shouldn’t make life harder for myself. If there were no financial worries, I could run this place for 100 years,” she says with a laugh.

Even though her reverie may prove to have been short-lived, Yip has no regrets. “What matters most to me is enjoying the journey,” she says.“I never expected the bookstore to last long or to become hugely successful. If people remember that this bookstore exists, I’m more than grateful.”

Reverie Bookstore is located at Flat 103, 1/F, Enterprise Building, 228-238 Queen’s Road Central.