Being on the Same Page with Bibliarch/Fully Booked's Jaime Daez (Exclusive)

Fully Booked Training Manager Lisa Lopez with Bibliarch staff

During Bibliarch's soft opening at the KCC Gensan Mall on October 16, I was informed by Lisa Lopez, Fully Booked Training Manager, that their Managing Director, Jaime Daez would be doing the honors of cutting the ribbon signaling the formal opening of the store on October 19.

When I arrived at Bibliarch-KCC Mall Gensan Branch, I saw Lisa in a huddle with Gensan Kagawad Beth Bagonoc and Jaime Daez. Lisa introduced me to Jaime as the first one to blog about Bibliarch's soft opening. I told him I belong to the SoCCSKSarGen Bloggers who drummed up interest in the opening in Gensan of the first Bibliarch branch outside of Metro Manila. He thanked the bloggers for the help.

Jaime Daez, Kagawad Beth Bagonoc and KCC Mall Gensan owner enter Bibliarch-KCC Mall Gensan  after the ribbon-cutting ceremony

I told Jaime about my spending time at Bibliarch-Rockwell Center. He seemed pleasantly surprised to meet someone from Mindanao who actually visited his very first Bibliarch bookshop. I asked him if he designed the store layout of Bibliarch and Fully Booked. And beaming with pride, he said indeed he did. Jaime is an architect by profession, hence, Bibliarch is pronounced Bibli-ark, and not Bibli-arch.

He asked me what books I have bought so far. I told him I bought 3 graphic novels. "Ooh," he said, "I personally choose the titles because I am a graphic novel reader myself." Jaime is friends with the great Neil Gaiman.

I congratulated him for the special elevated kiddie reading section in Bibliarch as this will surely encourage many children in Gensan to be readers. This section caught the eyes of school principals and teachers during the soft opening.

I also ribbed him (much to his delight that his face broke into a big smile!) about Margaux Salcedo's calling him "Food for Thought and Eye Candy" in her blog and food column in Sunday Inquirer Magazine. For sure, some ladies go for tall, mestizo, intelligent, bespectacled men like Jaime who love to read.

He asked me if I have been to Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street in Bonifacio Global City. I told him I'm still saving up for the trip. With four storeys and a basement filled to the brim with books, it will be a dream trip for any bookworm like myself!

Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street. Photo courtesy of Southbound.ph

With an architect's eye for design, Jaime Daez's concept of a book shop. Photo courtesy of Southbound.ph

4 storeys and a basement filled with books. Photo courtesy of Southbound.ph

I thanked Jaime for the time and for opening Bibliarch in Gensan. And off he went to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. After that, he was busy meeting with well-wishers and taking pictures. The next time we meet, I hope it will at Fully Booked in Bonifacio Global City. :)

Bibliarch - Gensan Branch's Soft Opening

Almost eleven years apart, I visited two branches of Bibliarch. One is at the Rockwell Center in November 1999 and the other today at the KCC Mall in General Santos City (Gensan).

The first one at Rockwell Center was located just beside Starbucks. It was a then small specialty bookshop with lots of art, photography and architecture books. Since I was not a coffee drinker, I would spend time browsing through the books at Bibliarch before proceeding to my 3-week training sessions at the Ateneo Graduate of Business.

Bibliarch - Gensan branch located at KCC Mall, just across McDonald's

Today, I eagerly went to the soft opening of the Gensan branch of Bibliarch. It is the third branch, but the first branch outside of Metro Manila (the first two being in Glorietta 3 and Walter Mart). I was told by a reliable source that KCC Mall made Bibliarch an offer it could not refuse. This Bibliarch is a far cry from the first one I visited almost eleven years ago. For one, it now has a w-i-d-e selection of books.

Excited bookworms on October 16

Aside from the usual art and photography books, it now offers cookbooks, fashion books, biographies, inspirational books, Filipiniana, bestselling novels and non-fiction books.

The shelf filled with biographies.

Bibliarch and Fully Booked are known for its graphic novel selections.

Bibliarch also has shelves of magazines, journals, cards, bookmarks, gift bags and vanity pens.

Magazines galore!

Abubots, journals, gift bags

A section for kids who love to read is also an exciting addition. In this section, kids can browse through lots and lots of kiddie books or identify their favorite fairy tale characters on the wall papers.

The kiddies' section filled with wonderful books and wallpaper of their favorite fairy tale characters.

All over Bibliarch are wall papers with reading themes.

Reading-themed wallpapers are featured all around the Bibliarch.

Book shelves and wallpaper as seen from the Catolico Avenue.

And my book choices: A Warrior's Life - Biography of Paulo Coelho, American Vampire, a graphic novel by Stephen King, Batman Reborn, another graphic novel, Shadow of Doubt by Marites Vitug, How to Live - A search for wisdom from old people by Henry Alford.

I will definitely be back for more graphic novels and other books of interest to me and make full use of my Fully Booked discount card.