Reading by the Harbor, Viewing by the Mountain

For Keelung youths Liu Yiwei and Qi Juen, this may be the best moment: everything has fallen into the most suitable position, and the post-pandemic city is turning again. The mountains and seas here once provided them with fertile imagination, and now they return to familiar land with their own entrepreneurial dreams. With the trust and support of their hometown, they can dream bigger this time.

Open a second-hand bookstore in the harbor

More than two months ago, the signboard of Yuyue Second-hand Bookstore was quietly hung up. It is only a three-minute walk from Keelung Railway Station, and the sea breeze from the harbor is salty, blowing over the arcade where the entrance is located. No matter how cloudy and rainy it is outside, the bookstore on the second floor always has bright lights. Twenty-four-year-old Liu Yiwei has created a place for book lovers and stories to park here.

As the entrance stairs climbed up the stairs, it seemed that there was a feeling of visiting a friend's house. Compared to a bookstore, this place is indeed more like a study open to the public by a book lover. The lighting is bright and warm, and there are several single and double sofas placed back to back in the center of the room. You are always welcome to sit down and read your favorite books from the bookshelves standing on three sides. The books on the shelves are arranged closely according to themes and publishers. The books are in good condition. It can be seen that they have been carefully selected and cared for. Many of these books were delivered by Liu Yiwei to people's homes in person. Wanting to establish a small reading base for his hometown, he talked about the idea of opening a store, and his eyes glowed.

Interestingly, there is also an English classroom here. There is a large "Luman English" on one wall in the store. It is an all-age English teaching institution that has been working in Keelung for more than ten years. The operator Luman is Liu Yiwei's high school teacher. There are classrooms on the side facing the street on the second floor, and Yuyue's storefront used to be a space for students and parents to wait outside the classroom. Nowadays, it is often seen that children grab a book and lay down on the sofa after class. Those who read carefully The profile view is the best sight for a bookstore operator. Liu Yiwei said: "Everyone is saying that children don't read books these days. I found that in fact, someone needs to build a space where they can read and get close to books."

For Liu Yiwei, who loved reading, studying, and serving as a soldier since he was a child, it seemed reasonable to open a bookstore to his friends. However, the birth of Yuyue was actually a struggle. "I've always wanted to invest in book sales, but I actually wanted to avoid "opening a bookstore" at first." As a reader, I love visiting bookstores, but I also deeply understand that in today's Taiwan, operating and maintaining an entity Bookstores are easier said than done. Compared with the romance of being in the company of books all day in everyone's imagination, more often, the operator has to invest a lot of physical strength to manage books and run for the operation of the bookstore.

Not sure if he can handle these burdens, his hopes of participating in the book trade have been put on hold. After graduating from college, he returned to his hometown of Keelung and came to teach in this English cram school by fate. Until a while ago, I discussed the use of idle space in cram schools with Mr. Luman, and the idea of "opening a bookstore" resurfaced. This time, Liu Yiwei decided to take a risk.

"It's a matter of luck and everything is in the best condition." He recalled that when he decided to start a business, a friend just mentioned to him that the Keelung City Government had provided subsidies for youth entrepreneurship. Yue's project was successfully selected into the "Keelung Youth Entrepreneurship and Public Service Subsidy Program". In addition to the injection of funds, it also has the opportunity to communicate with young entrepreneurs from other counties and cities and different industries. "Don't be afraid to seek cooperation. Instead of asking for help, by negotiating cooperation, the two sides will be more equal, and you will also urge yourself to strive to achieve self-sufficiency, which is good for the establishment of the entrepreneur's mentality."

He has a very clear understanding of his mission of running a second-hand bookstore. "When we buy new books, we may buy one or two places at a time, but if we lose books, we often lose one hundred or two hundred. If we don't have second-hand bookstores, there will actually be fewer and fewer books in the whole city. They It will only continue to flow out.” It is necessary for a second-hand bookstore in a city to keep accumulating the cultural soil cultivated by predecessors.

Compared with the Shuangbei area where chain bookstores and independent bookstores are spread, the development of reading space in Keelung has been quiet for a while since the withdrawal of several large chain bookstores in 2010. Although it has only gradually restarted in recent years, it is expected to usher in a period of prosperity this year. As the Blue Bird Bookstore announced that it will be stationed in the old school building of Taiping Elementary School from October, and Eslite will return as a limited-time store, local independent bookstores such as Little Beast Bookstore and Jian Bookstore have also blossomed. Now, the addition of Yu Yue will add another beautiful scenery to Keelung's reading map.

Polishing urban mirror frames in the mountain city

Leaving the harbor and driving inland, the scenery changes along the way, showing the ever-changing charm of Keelung as a harbor and mountain city. Hillside land accounts for 94% of Keelung's topography, and Qi Juen grew up in such an environment surrounded by mountains and seas. He joked that he was walking around Keelung before he left his hometown for college. "Keelung will be rotten by me." With his love for his hometown, the eyewear brand "Shixun", which he is in charge of, launched at the beginning of this year with the name of Keelung City Bird. ——The frame series "K!EAGLE" designed by eagle as inspiration has attracted attention from all walks of life.

The name of K!EAGLE combines Keelung, the English translation of Keelung, with Eagle. In order to create an ideal light texture like an eagle flying, Qi Juen chose plastic steel, beta titanium and other metals as the K!EAGLE frame material. Solid yet lightweight, the frames are made with an average weight of only 8 grams per frame. In addition to being lightweight, the aesthetic details of the frame design are also indifferent. Even the temples and temples, which are usually hidden behind the ears, must have unique lines. "I want to make customers feel like works of art when I display glasses."

Qi Juen's glasses life began when he loved to play the computer game "Maple Valley" in elementary school. Wearing glasses as a child, being able to see clearly is the only requirement. After growing up, I learned hip-hop and loved to study clothes, and glasses further played the role of style accessories. "Since the clothes are divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter, you will match this dress with this pair of shoes, that hat, that color tie, and of course your glasses can also be changed according to your outfit." Nowadays, glasses are no longer just " The category of tools to make the vision clear” also conveys the wearer’s taste and attitude to others.

The studio space of Shixun Glasses is located on the fifth floor of a Nuannuan apartment. There is no signboard and an appointment system is adopted. Only one group of guests can be received at a time. In addition to the K!EAGLE series, the table in the house is also full of frames from major brands and different materials and patterns. When guests come, they only need to bring their original glasses or the prescription signed by the ophthalmology clinic or optometry, and they can pick up the glasses 20 minutes after selecting the frame style.

At present, the chain fast fashion eyewear brands on the market have the same transparent price and fast glasses, but the quality of optometry varies, and it is difficult to provide customized recommendations for customers' individual eye needs. Shixun only accepts prescriptions for spectacles issued by professional doctors and optometrists, and then uses the technical experience of OEM for major optical shops in Shuangbei to make spectacles neatly. This business model of "European and American prescription visa + Japanese fast fashion" is Qi Juen's positioning for Shixun. Picking up only one group of guests at a time is also to master the quality of communication.

It is hard to imagine that Qi Juen, who is talking to us about his own brand, is only twenty-five years old. For him, professional knowledge of optometry is only the foundation of running an eyewear store, and intimate and accurate communication experience is the unique way to make customers want to return and pass on word of mouth. The consultation process of glasses is actually a deal between the optician and the wearer. Sometimes the cause of eye discomfort may be a problem with other body parts, and sometimes the wearer's occupation and lifestyle will affect the choice of frame. Qi Juen not only has to learn to look, hear, and ask like a Chinese doctor, but sometimes he also needs to know astronomy and geography—because the guests really love chatting with him. "Only I have met grandpa and grandma who speak Taiwanese all the time...I'm not very good at Taiwanese, so I can't understand it." He smiled embarrassedly.

Shixun's next plan is to expand into a street store. In order to make this dream come true, last year, I began to pay attention to the Youth Investment Entrepreneurship Subsidy Program provided by the Keelung City Government, and I also successfully applied this year. Under the guidance and evaluation provided by the plan, he decided to use the funds for brand advertising, in an attempt to let more people in Taiwan know that Taiwan has such a proud eyewear brand—in his beloved hometown of Keelung .

Although the epidemic was upgraded to level 3 alert a while ago, Shixun's optician service had to be suspended, but with the support of the subsidy program, Qi Juen was able to use this time to settle, plan the details of the exhibition store, and even have a few different businesses Great idea for an alliance. He encouraged friends around him who also wanted to create local brands: "Apply your professional knowledge to your hobbies, because it is something you like and are good at, and it will be easier to do."

Reading by the port, overlooking the mountain. The waves continued to beat, and the eagle was still circling. This group of young dreamers will continue to open up wider and new horizons in this ancient city.

SyndAvant brings together creative people who are willing to apply their creativity and expertise to transform and advance society. We call them Avantists. This series of interviews will show you how these Avantists manage their professions, use their talents and influence, and then form a positive influence on society.

Editor: Min Xuan Photography: Wuz
Review: Vera