大年書店在臉書專頁形容開店過程：「48日，由一個想法，變成一間有書香嘅小店。書雖然唔多，但每一本都係我親自挑選。」書店開張當日，已售岀一套董橋初版和一套黃碧雲作品，亦有不少文化人到場。除了這類收藏級書籍，也有喜歡「毛邊本」的讀者到店內尋寶，亦有人專攻中大出版社的書籍。
大年書店不時在專頁張貼絕版書和作家簽名本，並以「鑒賞」和「收藏」來形容選書。絕版書包括 1978 年出版的也斯詩集《雷聲與蟬鳴》、1982 年岀版的劉以鬯文學評論集《看樹看林》和絕版黃碧雲小說《溫柔與暴烈》等；簽本名包括余光中《英美現代詩選》、 董橋毛筆題詞本《訪書小錄》、余英時《從價值系統看中國文化的現代意義》和劉再復《思想者十八題》等。
限量書有坊間為數不多的張愛玲雜誌、章詒和《最後的貴族》布製封面紀念版、林道群限量 200 本的自印作品《三十年的書與事》等，店內也出售 BM（本事出版）的真皮書，如北島《時間的玫瑰》、陳冠中《祼命》和查建英《弄潮兒》等。
西洋菜南街曾是香港樓上書店最密集的街道。90 年代旺角樓上書店全盛時期，高峰有超過 20 間書店，包括樂文、田園、榆林、學津、文星、洪葉等，各有讀者群。在同一條街上，50 年歷史的「田園書屋」和近 30 年歷史的「榆林書店」，今年被取消書展參展資格後，分別宣布結束營業。同樣位於菜街的老牌獨立書店「樂文書店」則在近期進行促銷。
大年書店創辦人 Grace Lau 在《南華早報》的訪問中提到，未來將舉辦作家講座，並創造出舒適的書店空間。對於既賣二手書和新書的做法，她說「會試試這種模式，看看效果如何」。
（《虛詞．無形》臉書專頁2026年10月14日）
Vivian Au：New Mong Kok bookshop opens amid harsh winter for indie outlets in Hong Kong
New Year Bookshop owner Grace Lau, 41, says she invested a six-figure sum for a one-year lease on her passion project
Defying the trend, 41-year-old bibliophile Grace Lau invested a six-figure sum to launch New Year Bookshop, a move driven by passion and lower rents that some in the community regarded as a bold gamble on the neighbourhood’s literary future.
Housed in an upstairs shop on Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok, the roughly 600 sq ft premises opened on Sunday, offering more than 2,000 new and second-hand titles focusing on literature, history and philosophy.
Featured prominently on display are titles by Chinese poet Bei Dao and Hong Kong literary giant Liu Yichang, both personal favourites of Lau.
She said opening the shop fulfilled a long-cherished dream, as she is deeply passionate about books.
“For myself, every day when I see these books, I feel quite happy,” the 41-year-old said, adding that some of the inventory came from her personal collection, kept in a rented mini-storage unit and her home.
“The books I post on social media, specifically those two on the bookshelves [from my collection] are actually quite rare, to be honest.”
Hong Kong’s independent bookstore industry has been going through a harsh winter this year, with mounting political pressure and business challenges accelerating its decline.
In June, Hunter Bookstore owners Leticia Wong Man-huen and her husband were arrested over alleged sedition and money laundering.
A nearly 30-year-old independent bookstore, Elmbook, announced in July that it was shutting its physical shop in Mong Kok after being banned from the Hong Kong Book Fair.
Operating for half a century in the same district, Greenfield Bookstore also announced its closure following a raid by national security police.
Have a Nice Stay bookshop, founded by former journalists, closed in August, with its owner citing unsustainable financial losses and “hard-to-grasp red lines”.
Asked why she would open the bookstore at this time amid the political and economic situations, Lau said: “If I overthink it, I might never go through with it.”
She said the wave of shutdowns did not deter her, as her decision was driven by passion, rather than commercial calculations.
Also, changes in her family condition coupled with an ongoing economic downturn created an unexpected window of opportunity.
Lau said her workload as a mother had lightened after her daughter moved to secondary school compared with her primary school years, while commercial rents had fallen by roughly 40 per cent from their peak.
The drop led her to invest a six-figure sum in a one-year lease, determined to “give it a try”.
To manage potential exposure and minimise risks, Lau relied primarily on local publishers rather than overseas ones, sourcing from City University of Hong Kong Press, Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, Oxford University Press and Book Matter.
Looking ahead, Lau said she hoped to host author talks and create a comfortable space where readers could browse and sit at their leisure.
Addressing market demand amid the economic downturn in Hong Kong, she noted that while there was a loyal core of enthusiasts for literature, history and philosophy, only time would tell whether her selection could broaden its appeal to the wider public.
“I figured that my approach [of selling both second-hand and new books] is different from theirs anyway … I will try out this model and see how it goes,” she said.
Vivian Au Vivian joined the Post as a reporter in 2024 and covers Hong Kong's housing, land and development. Prior to joining the Post, she was a reporter at Ming Pao Daily.
（《South China Morning Post》2026年10月4日）
