Activities give Better Books unique identity
Bookstores are the cultural hubs of a community, central to the fabric of shared values and interests that vitalizes it. They give character to a place and bestow residents and booklovers with a sense of belonging. Independent bookstores play an essential role in providing access to books that might not be super popular or commercially viable, but still have stories that are worth telling. Better Books is a quirky little bookstore cum community centre tucked away in a warm and friendly basement in Salmiya. In ten years, the bookstore with its walls filled with quotes, sketches and scribbles by visitors, warm colours, bright rugs, quilts and cushions, and collection of board games, comics and activity books, and an occasional cup of coffee has cemented its place among Kuwait’s reading community.
An evening well spent at Better Books would mean many things. It can include browsing through the bookshelves, spending hours reading, enjoying a quick chat with the owner Maxine Meilleur, playing with the cat or just sitting back on the sofa and allowing the warm sweet smell of books to takeover. Then there is the piano, which invites the musician in you to take over. Live music in a bookstore can be a fatal combination.
Better Books is not just a conventional second-hand bookshop. It also serves as a community centre and a place for educational and community activities. In the pre corona days, one would find groups of teenagers browsing the shelves in search of a good bargain, playing a tune on the piano or just catching up with friends while the store mascot Frosty looked on. “Frosty is adorable. She is one reason I love Better Books,” says Agneyi, a high school pass out. “Moreover, the bookstore has an excellent vibe, and I get a chance to hang out with my friends there.” Better Books attracts people of varied age groups with various interests. Sheryl Mira Founder of Operation Hope and a noted philanthropist says, “The quaint, warm and welcoming book shop is something right out of a movie set. It is Kuwait’s best-kept secret. New books, gently used books, art classes, a piano for anyone who wishes out to pound out a few notes, and a resident bird and cat. You have got to check them out.” Daniel Rodrigeuz, a school teacher, is a regular patron. “It is any booklovers dream come true. The cosiest of places where one can read the whole day if they want. We need more places like this in Kuwait.”
Accessible
Maxine Meilleur started Better Books with an initial container of books from America which was later supplemented by donations and trade-ins. “We shy away from academic books because they become obsolete very quickly,” says Maxine. Better Books does not sell new books straight from the publisher at new book prices. They sell pre-loved books at a budget price. Books in Kuwait can be pretty expensive, but one can pick up a favourite at Better Books, as I did for KD1.5. The Better Books USP is its generous tradeback policy which makes books and reading as inviting and accessible to as broad an audience as possible. “A customer can return a book for half the purchase price as a discount for the next book,” says Maxine. “I particularly feel for families who cannot afford seven dinars for a new book at a big store.”
This year, Better Books is celebrating a decade of its existence, not an ordinary feat at a time when the world at large seems to be losing its connection with books. “Books brings out the best in people,” said Maxine in an earlier interview. “Reading satisfies our urge to learn, our desire to get away, our urge to daydream. A Game Boy does not tell you a story of buried treasure or romantic love. It cannot take you to a foreign land and give you strange and wonderful characters,” she said while discussing the threat posed to books by the internet and electronic devices.
Maxine was a regular customer at Q8 Books, Kuwait’s first used bookstore when it was downtown. During her many visits, she impressed its owner, Jacob Oommen, to partner with her and relocate to a larger space so there could be activities at the store. “Better Books is different because we are more like a community centre,” says Maxine. “We are a place to hang out in. We try to know our customers, their taste in books and provide a place where they can read, relax and spend time with us. Many times our young visitors volunteer, and we put them to work. Several pictures on our Facebook page shows children restocking. In normal times, we offer free coffee and tea on demand.”
Maxine’s dream of a community centre started taking shape with a fitness class. “The sale of books could never pay the rent,” says Maxine, “and my dream of a full-fledged community centre with activities for children and adults started to manifest when a dynamic fitness teacher, Urvi walked in and asked to rent some space. To meet her needs, I added more air conditioning units, a stage, mirrors, and special flooring.” Soon, Better Books grew into a retreat for community groups and clubs. The store became a meeting place for children’s literacy organizations, toastmasters groups, children’s dancing groups and even church groups. “All of them called Better Books home. In recent years, we also hosted a chess competition, several bazaars and art shows in the basement,” says Maxine.
Popularity
A bookstore is as good as its owner. The popularity of Better Books can also be traced to Maxine Meilleur, whose love of the written word is intense. “One good thing about reading is you can pick it up at any point in your life. It is never too late to come to the joy of reading. I should have a sign that says: Reading takes you to your dreams. Read, your brain will thank you for it,” she laughs. Maxine, a US Army veteran, comes from a family of entrepreneurs. She grew up watching her father attempt several ventures. “I learned at an early age that owning a business was not a 9-5 job. My father had an office at home where he spent most of his time when he was not at his company headquarters.” It was perhaps this corporate streak in her that got her to mentor school children through an intensive internship programme that teaches the basics of a workplace environment. Recently she was also involved in a project initiated by Injaz. “I volunteered to be a mentor in the Injaz Company Program in which I mentored about 20 students from the Indian Community School Kuwait in forming and operating their own company,” shared Maxine. “Their company vision was sustainable product. They decided to import bamboo products to include bamboo straws, toothbrushes, notebooks, pens and pots. Covid threw a monkey wrench into their sales plan, but overall it was a rewarding and educational experience for all. I think they appreciated having a mentor who was an entrepreneur and not just someone who may have studied it.”
The pandemic has hit every segment of the market hard, including small businesses like Better Books. Until the beginning of this year, Better Books was limping along with the classes and workshops covering their essential cost. But, the pandemic served a body blow to the business, and now an uncertain future looms. “The lockdown almost broke us. Four months of no income was crushing, and activities are not yet back,” shares Maxine who has fought hard against all odds to keep the store going. “Times are still very tough,” she points out. “We received some generous donations and a steady trickle of gifts through a go fund me page truly helped us survive.
Many people didn’t want to see us die,” she smiles. When COVID restrictions are fully lifted, chess groups, art classes, yoga/meditation, and fitness classes will return to Better Books. “Post Covid, I can envision a fully soundproofed aerobics hall, a room dedicated to piano, violin and cello classes for children, and semi-annual children run chess competition,” says Maxine. The magic of a bookstore is discovery, the discovery of new worlds, new knowledge, and new frontiers. Bibliophiles in Kuwait should help stores like Better Books keep that magic intact.