Singapore expands reading and social spaces with new bookstore initiatives

Singapore is seeing a diversification of reading spaces, ranging from niche independent shops to large-scale community hubs. Eliko Picture Books & Things, located in Chinatown Complex, operates as a hybrid bookshop and pay-as-you-read library. Founded by May Lin Au Yong, the small venue specializes in rare, out-of-print, and foreign-language picture books, alongside vintage graphic novels and historical Singaporean artifacts.

In a larger development, Frasers Centrepoint Trust and the National Library & Archives Board (NLB) have announced the creation of The HomePage @ Causeway Point. Scheduled to open in 2028 as part of a mall revamp, the 32,000-square-foot space will occupy levels 6 and 7 of the Causeway Point mall in Woodlands. Designed to blend reading with social interaction, the space will feature communal areas where visitors can consume food and drinks, with architectural designs inspired by Singaporean heritage and HDB blocks.