E2024-G069

Yesterday and Today of Gwangju’s Bookstores

Narrative

Independent bookstores in Gwangju differ from large commercial bookstores in that each space reflects the owner’s taste and hands-on curation. They also serve as neighborhood cultural hubs. Bookshops such as Pason Moson, Love & Free, Bookstore Su:m, Saisiot, Sonyeonui Seo, and Chaek and Saenghwal connect readers with the local community through reading groups, small exhibitions, and author events. Among them, Saisiot, Love & Free, and Yeji Bookstore run a seasonal subscription service, selecting and sending three recommended books each season.

In the 1980s, the Chungjang-ro Road area was home to many bookstores, and Chungjang Bookstore, Nara Bookstore, and Sambok Bookstore were known as the “Big Three Local Bookstores.” Of the three, only Chungjang Bookstore remains today. Once the largest bookstore in the Honam region, it closed in 2012 due to financial difficulties but later reopened with strong support from local residents.