End Of The Story: Kashmir's Beloved Bookstore Shuts Down

In a quiet but heartbreaking update, 'Bestseller'-Kashmir's oldest and most cherished bookstore-has announced its permanent closure.

The news came with a melancholic Ghibli-style illustration posted by owner Saniyasnain Chiloo:“a lone bookseller staring at empty shelves, surrounded by piles of rare and classic titles packed in cardboard boxes.”

The image said it all-it was the final chapter of a 45-year-old legacy.

Located just a stone's throw away from Srinagar's iconic clock tower at Lal Chowk, 'Bestseller' wasn't just a bookshop-it was a cultural landmark, a haven for readers, and a place where stories lived and breathed.

But on a quiet Friday, Sani broke the news that the shop would be shutting down for good.

“Retail bookstores weren't the real threat-we had loyal readers who stuck with us. But everything changed when Flipkart and Amazon entered the scene,” Sani shared.“People began ordering books online with huge discounts, delivered right to their doorstep. Why would anyone battle traffic or parking when they could just tap a button?”

The challenge wasn't just digital convenience-it was also a generational shift.

“The reading culture among today's youth has dropped drastically,” Sani continued.“Earlier, people read for knowledge and peace. Now, it's mostly just about gathering information, or worse, it's been replaced by Instagram reels and food vlogs.”

Founded in the 1980s by Sanaullah Chiloo, the bookstore carried a legacy that spanned decades. His son Saniyasnain aka Sani took over in 2017 and revamped the store, turning it into a vibrant space filled with literary fiction, non-fiction, Islamic literature, Classical literature, Kashmir history, ecology, and poetry.

The bookstore was known for housing treasures you couldn't find anywhere else in the valley-or even online: rare diwans of poets like Sahir Ludhianvi and Saagar Siddiqui, works of Islamic Sufism, and Patras Bukhari's classic humour-filled essays.

You could stumble upon complete sets of Arthur Conan Doyle or O. Henry, and all at prices that welcomed students. In fact, students were a special part of Bestseller's story.

“I've been coming here since 8th grade-almost 17 years,” shared long-time patron Faizan Bhat.“Sanaullah uncle treated us like his own kids. We'd get massive discounts and sometimes even take books on credit. This place was always my first stop at Lal Chowk. It's more than a bookshop-it's a part of who we are. Its closure says so much about what Kashmir is becoming.”

Similarly, Khawar Khan Achakzai, an avid reader and frequent visitor to the bookstore, yearned:“I considered it the only truly complete bookstore in Kashmir-it had everything from fiction and politics to poetry, philosophy, and history. The owner would always go beyond his capacity in helping his customers. Many a times he would buy rare books for me when he was out of Kashmir. It is sad how such a wonderful bookstore is forced to shut down, mainly because of shrinking readership in Kashmir.”

The grief extended beyond Srinagar. Bashir Ahmad from Kargil said,“I've been getting books from there for eight years-swift service, amazing collection. I wish this wasn't happening.”

The closure of bookstore also signals a deeper shift in the cultural rhythm of Srinagar. It's a change that feels both inevitable and unsettling-a gentle fading of a reading culture that once defined the soul of the city.

Sani points out,“Yaqoob Booksellers became a bakery. Others like Presentation Books, Global Books, Lords, and Book Vision, Shah Book store-all shut down. The next generation will only read about bookstores online.”

A reader, Sajad Rasool poignantly wrote on his Facebook timeline,“I went to Lal Chowk to buy a few books for my father, hoping to revisit a beloved local bookstore. Instead, I found books being packed away, two men quietly taking stock-another bookstore shutting down. Once a lively space for readers and thinkers, now just silence.”

Meanwhile, Sajad added, Srinagar is sprouting cafes faster than thoughts.“Fewer bookshops, more cappuccinos-maybe that's who we are now,” he concluded.

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