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Founded in 1989 in Taipei as a bookstore focused primarily on titles related to humanities and the arts, Eslite (誠品書店) has become a cultural institution with dozens of locations across Taiwan.

In 1999, Eslite decided to make its original location on Dunhua Road South (台北市敦化南路一段245號) open 24 hours a day and within a couple of years it became far more than just a bookstore but rather a place to go to meet like-minded book lovers as a quieter alternative to a club or bar. Effectively, Eslite started to become less about the product and more about a lifestyle centered around reading.

In retrospect, it should be obvious that digital would soon sweep through the publishing sector and require bookstores to diversify their product offerings in order to remain successful, or even solvent. Eslite saw this wave coming far before many other now long defunct bookstore chains in the East and West alike.

The chain still sells books, including a good selection of English language titles, but by becoming a lifestyle brand with a well-defined audience, it was able to wisely diversify into products related to reading, even if only tangentially at times — trendy bookbags, eyeglasses, apparel, jewelry, stationery, teaching materials, and more. The larger, but not 24-hour, Eslite Xinyi (信義區) location — near Tapei 101 — even sells computers and mobile devices.

Eslite also has a great food court for when you get hungry and want to talk more to some of your new friends. Although there still are plenty of good options, it was at this food court that we first discovered Saladay, the best place we found in Taipei for a salad. Saladay has subsequently moved to new locations, but if you really want a salad, it is worth tracking down.

In Taipei, Eslite now even has a hotel themed around books. The company has tiptoed its bookstore/lifestyle brand into Hong Kong and mainland China and Japan, as well, although it has unsurprisingly run into problems related to censorship in mainland China.

When travelgasm.com first was introduced to Eslite by Taiwanese friends many years ago, tourists were uncommon, but following a steady drumbeat of coverage in recent years from CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and other fixtures of the international press, it is much better known than it used to be. However, most visitors likely underappreciate the magnitude of Eslite's marketing success. The late night crowd still has a pretty local vibe, too.

Whether you work in marketing or branding, are a writer or publisher, or you just like to read and want to meet other people who like to read, you really should make an effort to fit in a late night visit to Eslite. It's uniquely Taipei. The original 24-hour location may close in 2020, too. See it while you can.

How to Get Here: Take the Blue Line (Line 5, Bannan Line) to Zhongxiao Dunhua Station (忠孝敦化), Exit 6. It is a straight walk to Eslite (誠品書店) on Dunhua South Road (敦化南路).

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