The independent Hong Kong bookstore “Have a Nice Stay” marked its final day of operation on August 30, 2026, following a July police raid over alleged seditious books and reported financial struggles. On its last day, long lines of customers formed outside the bookstore in Kowloon, with only 20 people allowed entry at a time into the roughly 600 square-foot space. The store’s owners cited poor business performance, financial pressures, uncertainty over their premises, and Hong Kong’s broader social environment as reasons for the closure, noting the difficulty of navigating elusive “red lines” set by government officials who refuse to specify which books may be considered problematic.
Have a Nice Stay was established in 2022 by former Stand News journalists and media professionals who lost their jobs following the closure of independent local news outlets after the imposition of Beijing’s national security legislation in 2020. The bookstore, like many others, offered a wider range of political and social titles than mainstream retailers and served as an important space for civil society through book talks and workshops. In an online statement, the store acknowledged that it no longer had the ability or courage to continue its mission of sharing knowledge from diverse perspectives. The closure of Have a Nice Stay reflects the rapid decline of Hong Kong’s independent bookstore industry since the implementation of the security law, with other bookstores also facing police raids and arrests in recent years. Read more at Yahoo News