In support of local businesses, Ipoh Echo met Abdullah Nazir Harith Fadzilah, 29, the brains behind Tintabudi; a bookshop filled with books about literature, philosophy and arts for this issue of Echo Personality. Tintabudi derived from two Malay words, Tinta which stands for ink and Budi is representation of good character, heart and mind. In other words, Tintabudi is an imprint of those good virtues onto pages by ink.
While studying in Melbourne, Nazir started to picture what it would be like to have his own bookshop. He was astonished by the sheer number of second-hand bookshops available in his neighbourhood back in Melbourne.
“I always think that a bookshop is an important entity apart from the library institution. For me, both are the embodiment of a city’s heart,” said Nazir. As an avid reader and book collector, he always believed that bookshops and libraries enrich the mind and soul of a city and can be the cultural hub where creative ideas and positive actions meet.
What makes Tintabudi different from any other bookshop? The curation of the books. Nazir and his team try not to be a general bookshop that sell all types of books. As he has been collecting books for the past eight years, Nazir was inspired by the sharing concept, “The idea of sharing something interesting in my readings intrigued me. It is a constant process of discovery for me when other people share what they find interesting about a particular book,” add Nazir.
Back in Melbourne, Nazir was a student of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). He jumped straight into starting Tintabudi after finishing his studies. When asked for a piece of advice for anyone who is interested to open a bookshop like him, Nazir had only one thing to say, “Sorry to break it to you but you won’t be rich just by selling books. As cliched as it might sound, I run Tintabudi because of the passion of reading and belief that books are historical marvels of human ingenuity. Never be dogmatic about something and give room for yourself to explore other facets of reading material from which you can learn a whole lot more.”
Tintabudi currently resides at Rumah Khizanat where most of the book selling is done online. Nazir plans to have a bigger space and provide a wider range of books in stock. He agreed that expansion is a necessity and he is working hard to do it step by step and organically. The bookshop opens everyday from noon till 10pm, however, Nazir advises visitors to call Tintabudi first before coming.
Tintabudi is located at Rumah Khizanat, 24 Jalan Lee Kwee Foh, Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh. They can be contacted at 012 231 1472 or visit their Instagram at www.instagram.com/tintabudi, Facebook at www.facebook.com/tintabudi or Twitter at www.twitter.com/tinta_budi.
Photo credit goes to Megat Zulfadhli from Peoplesiris: www.instagram.com/peoplesiris.
Ili Aqilah
