Books for everyone

Shanaaz carina

Among the several wayside bookshops, Maradana second hand bookstalls are well known. Starting with three bookstalls in 1974, today they have increased into many.

The bookstalls provide all kinds of books including international ones, to the many book lovers who visit them daily.

The owners said they have customers who had been buying books from them since 12 years. The customers also bring them books, which are very old and valuable. The stalls also provide the possibility to read books on a deposit basis.

"We sell books for a cheap price so that any person could afford to read any book they like," said a stall owner.

He added that number of people from remote areas such as Kandy and Negombo come to buy books.

Stall owners find elderly people buying books from them often. University students and school students also visit the bookstalls.

The owners also sell second hand books for international school students so that they could find their textbooks at a cheaper price. The book stall owners on the sideways hope to put up larger bookshops in the future to offer a better service to their customers.