03/09/2026
店長發噏瘋：我喜歡閱讀，只是這條路走起來並不輕省，一晃眼五十多年，比起那些充滿慧根的人，我所學到的實在寥寥。幾年前，看見了某種異像，在毫無經驗的情況下，我便莽撞地開起書店來了，賣的多是些關於香港的書。
像我這樣對書領悟力不高、又不懂做生意的人，開書店自然是吃力的。除了書本身，營運一間店也是一門艱澀的課。在當下的氣候裡，要築起心目中那樣一間小店，代價高昂。何況，要尋找志同道合的人，對我這般性格內向的「I人」來說，簡直是把自己推向了最侷促的邊緣。
去年到今年初，我和夥伴之間跌進了一些麻煩的縫隙裡，每回都要在那煎熬裡磨上整個月。每當那種時刻，「不如放棄吧」的念頭總會悄悄探頭，幸好，最後還是沒讓它得逞。事情終究是解決了，除了心存感激，更要緊的是看清那些坑洞，好讓自己長出向前走的力量。
想到這裡，鼻子竟有點發酸。特別想謝謝 S，謝謝你願意信任一個身在一萬三千三百里外、固執的香港人。
Though I love reading, the road hasn’t been easy—walking it for over fifty years, I feel I’ve learned far less than those gifted with quicker minds. A few years ago, stirred by a vision, I decided to sell books without a lick of experience, especially books about Hong Kong. Given my slow grasp of literature and lack of business savvy, running a bookstore was bound to be a struggle.
Beyond the books themselves, the mere act of keeping a shop afloat is no small feat. In today’s political climate, the cost of building the bookstore I hold in my heart is steep. Then there is the matter of finding the right partners, a task that pushed an ’I‘ person like me into the most uncomfortable of corners.
From last year into the start of this one, my partners and I drifted into some troubled waters; each time, the ordeal simmered for a month or more. Every time, the thought of ’should I just give up?‘ would peek out, but fortunately, it never took hold. In the end, things were settled. Beyond being grateful, I must truly understand where the cracks were, and turn that understanding into the strength to move forward.
My nose feels a bit stingy... My special thanks go to S, for your help and for putting your trust in a Hong Konger thirteen thousand three hundred miles away.
