In Seoul, South Korea, book-themed cafes "are evolving into multi-purpose culture spots, replacing the fast-disappearing bookstores and even attracting library-goers," the Korea Herald reported.
"Before opening the cafe, we had to throw most of these books out," said Jang Eu-ddeum, who runs Cafe Comma and used to work as a marketer for Munhakdongne Publishing Group. "It cost too much to hire someone to take care of them. It really was heartbreaking to see them taken away to be destroyed.... When you work at a publishing company, you hardly get to see the readers who actually enjoy the projects you created. But in this cafe, the readers are physically here. It really is an enormous joy to see your books being read by real people."
Changbi Publishers opened its own cafe in Seoul last year. "We really strive to be something more than a cafe, or a bookstore, or a library," said Jeong Ji-yeon, the café's manager. "Many editors of Changbi also work in the cafe, holding their editorial meetings here. We receive visits from both our readers and writers. We think it's important to have a physical place to display the books and interact with the people, in spite of the increasing number of online bookstores. While e-books are all about the content, books as hard copies have something more to offer."
