Taiwan’s famous bookstore chain opens its first flagship store in Southeast Asia right here in The Starhill, Kuala Lumpur
Encompassing 70,000 square feet that takes up the entire first floor of The Starhill in Bukit Bintang, the long-awaited Eslite Spectrum Kuala Lumpur is now officially open, much to the excitement of Malaysian bibliophiles, and just in time for the Christmas celebrations too.
Taken from an archaic French word, Eslite is actually pronounced “elite”. It is the brainchild of Robert CY Wu, who launched the first Eslite bookstore in Taipei in 1989, and pioneered the first 24-hour bookstore concept. His daughter Mercy Wu now helms Eslite Group as chairman, after taking over in 2017. As its name suggests, Robert Wu intended for Eslite to be a spectrum of books, arts, fashion brands and artistic forums combined into one store.
As the 48th store under the group, Eslite Spectrum Kuala Lumpur brings many firsts and exclusives under one roof: it’s home to 14 offline stores for online brands, seven Taiwanese brands, and seven brand spanking new Malaysian labels. Fun fact: every single Eslite bookstore around the world always begins with flowers at the entrance—no one exactly knows why but flowers are always a good idea, don’t you think?
An outstanding feature here is the 60-metre arched wall of red bricks stretching the length of the bookstore all the way to the Eslite Writing Boutique that resembles a speakeasy bar offering exclusive stationery items such as Herbin’s range of fountain pen and calligraphy inks—a favourite of Les Miserables author Victor Hugo’s.
The store concept is designed by Taiwanese architect Powen Hsiao, who created four themed spaces, namely the City of Arches, the Floating City, the City of Rippling Waves, and the City of Eternal Day—each offering a different mood and merchandise. Hsiao drew inspiration from one of Italy’s celebrated writers, Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities in creating the concept.
Now let’s delve into five reasons why Eslite Spectrum is a must-visit:
