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The Starbucks Reading Store at Shida exudes the fragrance of books

Published: 2026-09-25 👁 100 views

Last updated 2026-09-25 — Text/Photos: Chen Yingzhen In the Shida Road area of Taipei City, due to its proximity to National Taiwan Normal University, it has become a uniquely academic district with many distinctive shops. Starbucks has especially opened a new store at the former site of the original Chung Hwa Bookstore...

Text/Photos: Chen Yingzhen

The Shida Road area in Taipei City, due to its proximity to National Taiwan Normal University, has become a uniquely academic district with many distinctive shops. Starbucks has especially opened a new store at the former site of the original Chung Hwa Bookstore, with a concept centered around “reading.” It features many bookshelf displays, creating a rich literary atmosphere. On its opening day on January 13th, the first 100 readers who donated books could receive a free medium-sized Latte, hoping that consumers could share in the joy of the store’s opening.

On the first floor of the Starbucks Reading Store, there are burlap sacks of raw coffee beans shipped all the way from Seattle, used as decorative wall coverings in a tiled arrangement, giving it quite a unique charm.

Both the interior and exterior of the reading concept store adopt a new design concept. The first floor features burlap sacks of raw coffee beans transported directly from the Seattle coffee bean roasting plant, used as decorative wall panels to depict the scene of coffee bean harvesting. The basement level is designed to resemble a home study, with bookshelves displaying a variety of book types, including humanities, travel, coffee, literature, and art. On the other side of the screen partition is a large shared table that can be used for lectures or book clubs. The two floors combined have a total of 100 seats. Starbucks General Manager Xu Guangyu stated that when deciding to open a store at the former site of the Chung Hwa Book City, they considered many characteristics of the local commercial area and the opinions of residents, aiming to meet community needs, which then guided the planning direction of the concept store.

To shape the Shida store into a “reading” store, besides interior and exterior decorations, Starbucks will collaborate with Linking Publishing to host multiple lecture events. On Thursday, January 20th, from 7 to 9 pm, German author Ingo Niermann, the writer of “Walking the Border,” will be invited to discuss his creative journey. On Thursday, February 24th, painter Zheng Zhigui will speak on the connection between painter Paul Gauguin and novelist Mario Vargas Llosa.

The basement level of the Starbucks Shida Reading Store is designed with the concept of a home study, displaying hundreds of books, and is also suitable for hosting lectures and book clubs.

Other face-to-face activities with consumers, in addition to the book donation and free medium Latte on opening day, include receiving an exclusive Reading Store commemorative notebook for single purchases over NT$600 starting from Friday, January 14th. From January 17th to 31st, purchasing any tumbler will come with a free medium Latte.