For most business owners, it all started with an idea. For Books Beyond Borders founder, Randall Chong, it started with a book. Or perhaps, more accurately, a dare. According to their website, Randall received a book from a friend in 2016, and on its cover was scribbled: “Do one thing that scares you.”
However, this wasn’t what made him start a bookstore. In fact, it was never part of the plan. “I love reading books but I’ve never thought of opening a bookstore as one of my goals. It was actually an accidental startup,” he revealed.
Books Beyond Borders is a social enterprise bookstore that helps raise money for girls' education in Nepal through selling old books. Since launching online in 2019, the little book business — which is not so little anymore considering they now have their own physical bookstore — has given back over S$40,000 and rehomed over 20,000 books in Singapore.
Earlier this year, Books Beyond Borders expanded its offerings and launched Two Storytellers, a lifestyle brand dedicated to unique, meaningful gifts that celebrate the rich stories behind every craft.
The Beat Singapore sat down with co-founder, Randall Chong, to get to know this thoughtful gifting brand that started from an accidental startup and is now producing some of the most beautiful, handmade creations — not to mention sustainable gifts and novelty items in the current local shop scene.
Dare to Do: How Books Beyond Borders Made a Difference
Two Storytellers was born from its sister company, Books Beyond Borders, a bookstore that collects and sells gently used books. When asked about how it came to be, Randall told us how it was from one of his travels.
“A couple of years ago, I was backpacking through Nepal and I wanted to see Mt. Everest by hiking to Everest base camp. And so that's like a two-week journey of trekking the Himalayas. When I got there, I happened to chance upon a lot of young boys and girls who were out of school working in back-breaking jobs with little to no pay. It was a profound experience, one that got me thinking like: ‘Is there something that I can do?’”
Randall has always had a passion for education and building businesses and has worked on different startups before. Seeing those children out of school had flipped a switch in him, and what came with it was the desire to be of help to these children.
“I was also at a point in time where I was quite unhappy with my current job, so you know, with all those factors and with this curiosity of like, 'Hey, you know, a lot of kids are out of school, is there something that I can do?' I decided to leave my job and dedicate a year to raising money for kids in Nepal.”
Randall started baking and selling cookies at first, and had asked friends and family to donate a bit of money to his campaign. When he ran out of ideas, he decided to sell some of his old books lying around the house. The idea took off and captured the attention of the locals, who were more than happy to donate more books.
“I learned that in Singapore, it's really difficult to ask people for money. We've started fundraising, but after the first two years, people tend to not continue putting a donation down, especially for the same cause. And that was also a really bad business model, so we decided that maybe what we could do is instead of operating the business as a charity, we could look at it as a social enterprise where we make our money, and how we do so is by collecting used books and figuring out how we can resell them.”
The pandemic also seemed to be good for their business as many people began decluttering and were picking up reading as a hobby. So while many businesses were shutting down, Books Beyond Borders took off and grew a community and movement that eventually led the small business that started in his grandfather’s room to launch its own bookstore.
Two Storytellers: A Sister Company
As a business that relies a hundred percent on collecting used books, Randall knew that they would eventually have difficulty keeping it afloat. As the business grows, so would the expenses. He also told us about changes in reading habits and book-buying behavior, citing the closing of Book Depository, which was once the world’s foremost international online bookstore offering over 20 million books and free shipping worldwide.
“If we were to bet all our eggs on one basket for the long term, which is relying on just collecting gently used books and reselling them to make a profit, it would never scale,” Randall explained. “And for me, I want a sister brand where we can grow in many different ways, and not just stationery and tote bags, which are what most bookstores sell. I wanted a brand that could potentially go beyond just products. We could do services as well. One of the things we already knew when we named the brand ‘Books Beyond Borders,’ was that it would be difficult to sell because the word 'books' is not scalable. So, it's very difficult for us to venture into a different place.”
Thus, Randall and his team decided to expand their brand — creating a new company where they could explore and offer other things beyond pages and paperbacks. Two Storytellers Co. is a lifestyle brand that offers sustainable gifts and services including storytelling workshops and decorating projects. The brand recently completed a project where they decorated a lobby for a boutique hotel with their original products, underscoring their brand’s desire to scale, and explore different services apart from just physical products.
With a sister company with an entirely different name, Randall finds it easier to maneuver as he gets a bit more space for change and new ideas.
But what exactly is Two Storytellers’ selling point? And what makes it stand out from other lifestyle brands? The answer is in the name.
“One of the reasons why we decided to call it ‘Two Storytellers’ is because we started it in collaboration with a creative studio called, SainouSpace. So I know the founders of SainouSpace, they are a creative studio that focuses on art and wellness programs in Singapore, and we decided to start this brand together.”
Two Storytellers offers products that are more than just gifts but are gifts imbued with stories. Randall told us how the brand makes an effort to tell the stories of the crafters, the makers behind these handmade collections which are made in batches and sourced responsibly from the communities they support in Nepal.
“As we can see, a lot of — not just companies and brands — but also consumers are more conscious about what they buy. And that’s where the name comes from. In terms of the workshops, I personally know that where I want to take this brand goes beyond B2C. We want to do B2B, we want to be able to provide not just a product in our store, but also a service to businesses, whether it's helping them solve their corporate gifting problems every single year or hosting workshops and programs for schools where we get to teach about branding and storytelling, and also installations and decorations. I think that's something that we are very proud of and very passionate about.”
Two Storytellers has three categories of products that they currently feature. First are the felt products which are made by a community of felt artisans in Nepal. They are also known as the “wool makers” and produce hand-felted items from sheep wool. These products are their bestsellers, especially during the Christmas season where they are sold as plushies, coaster sets, and other decorative and home décor items.
Next is their paper collection. The brand works with paper artisans who use a unique form of paper called “Lokta” that comes from a plant that doesn’t require any cutting of trees. Randall told us about how the women in Nepal will have to trek up in the mountains to harvest this plant and transform these lokta fibers into delicate sheets of paper using century-old techniques. These papers are traditionally used in ancient and religious texts, are insect repellent, and are quite durable. You can find lokta paper used in their stationery products like journals and bookmarks which are often adorned with beautiful prints.
Lastly, there are cotton products that are produced by cotton weavers — a group of women who use recycled cotton or Dhaka to weave beautiful items like pouches, tote bags, and pencil cases. “My favorite are the felt ones, but they lean more towards the festive seasons. Like during Valentine’s Day, we get to make roses using felt material. It's beautiful and very unique.”
We believe this gives the business an edge over its competitors, giving consumers an option besides the usual fresh bouquet. A unique, sustainable, and long-lasting alternative, even. However, choosing to work with handmade products is both the company’s strength and weakness. Randall expressed the challenges he faced in running the business for over a year now.
“One of the biggest challenges is making sure that we can get the product in time, and also having the right products. The materials are made by hand so, you have a bit more defects as compared to things that are made in factories or with machines. Second is really the speed of getting the product that we want. We had to buy and order supplies six months beforehand just because it takes three months to make them and perform quality control. It's really difficult to plan ahead especially when you are a really small company or brand where cash flow is an issue. You always want to buy things quickly and sell them quickly.”
Randall also added that communication with their artists and partners is also a challenge considering language barriers and that the company is aiming to navigate better in terms of planning ahead in 2025.
Despite these challenges, Two Storytellers has been able to provide joy to not only its consumers but also to the people who run it. Randall stated, “I really enjoy meeting the makers, so I personally travel to Nepal a lot. Not just to visit some of our scholars whose scholarships we’re currently funding but also to meet our makers, to work together with them and create new designs together.”
Two Storytellers highlights the true meaning of gift giving, which is all about thoughtfulness. What makes their offerings unique isn’t the product itself, but the stories behind them. When you acquire a piece of decorative item from their felt collection or write on their lokta journals, it’s plain to see that these items were made with care by artists who are passionate about their craft — or are working hard towards making a living for themselves and their families. Snippets of how these products were made, the histories of each material, and the backgrounds of the artists and collaborators are often shown on their social media pages, giving these items new life and meaning.
To quote the founder himself, “Right now, it's not just about the product. What really makes us different and unique is being able to show processes of how our products are being made by these women and be able to tell their stories. I think that's something I'm really passionate about.”
This season of giving, invest in a handmade item that will surely put a smile on your loved ones' faces. You can view Two Storytellers’ full range of products in their bookstore located at 33 Erskine Rd, 01-08, Singapore, just opposite Maxwell Food Centre. You can also buy them online here.
Follow Two Storytellers Co. on Instagram to learn more about their lovely gifts and services.
Location: The Bookstore (Books Beyond Borders), 33 Erskine Rd, 01-08, Singapore
Opening Hours: 11 AM to 8 PM daily
