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Tien Chiao Shih has played an important role in Sandy Tsai’s life journey, and continue doing so for her son. 开业20年的垫脚石重南店， 昔是台湾大众同仁的成长 基石，今则为孩子的前进 之阶。 Founded in 1994, the Tien Chiao Shih chain of bookstores currently has 11 stores in the Chongnan area. The Chongnan store established in 2001 was the first branch in Taipei, located in the area along Nanyang Street where I had tuition for nearly two years. I used to come here by bus after school, browsing in the time between dinner and tuition, purchasing workbooks and reference books. Found everywhere, Tien Chiao Shih bookstores then were like shopping malls. Encased in students’ memories, they have come to preserve these youthful times. As though drawn by an invisible force, I joined the book industry and started working for POPULAR. My colleague Gary Yang would tell me about the industry’s heydays; how staff from various bookstores would gather outside Tien Chiao Shih’s Chongnan store for a break after checking stocks, and exchange their thoughts about the industry. I managed to learn a thing or two from these conversations, and felt as though I was returned to my high school days, connected to Tien Chiao Shih once again. I furthered my studies overseas after graduating from high school. It was years later when I returned to Nanyang Street. By then, the grand sight of bookstores peppering the area had vanished. The rise of eslite Bookstore, as well as online bookstores, had a significant impact on traditional bookstores. Fortunately, Tien Chiao Shih had stood steadfast. Adapting to the Times Stepping into Tien Chiao Shih’s Chongnan store today is like opening a time capsule. It used to stock mainly reference books, exam papers and workbooks, with a limited selection of popular literature, children’s books and lifestyle products. Tien Chiao Shih has evidently responded to the changing trends by adjusting the selection of books and stationery to provide more diversity. Today, Tien Chiao Shih is a benchmark for the children’s books published by POPULAR’s imprint, Polis Press. It is here that I will come to do my market research to determine the sales performance of Polis Press’ children’s books. If I discover any problems, I can respond to the distributor immediately. I also take note of the different marketing approaches to develop new ideas for the marketing of our future book releases. 18 - popularnews 137 By Sandy Tsai (Taiwan) 文:蔡雯嘉(台湾)