Flow has a very distinct smell. Perhaps the same can be said for any bookshop, a fantastically wholesome smell that conjures a bittersweet combination of nostalgia and excitement at the prospect of a good read. Where Flow differs somewhat from the normal high-street bookshop, is the maturity of its aforementioned aroma. Flow has a staggering selection of used books – a term, incidentally, which makes me cringe, almost suggesting that a previously owned book is in some way past it’s best.. I disagree wholeheartedly.

Finding Flow is far from easy; what feels like a premature departure from the escalator is followed by a small trek into what certainly cannot be described as prime shopping location. Situated right next to the escalator steps on Lyndhurst terrace, the doorway to flow is recognisable by the mesh of [plastic] vines surrounding it. Secretive and secluded, with miniscule advertising, locating the place does bring reward unto itself. Once inside, the outside world disappears from mind and sight beneath a visual onslaught of literary works. Towers of well-read books, some fiction, some fact, some old, some new, litter the walkways. What few gaps there are, quickly find themselves filled with CDs, DVDs and other vaguely used whatnot.

There is some order to Flow. Categories have been separated and alphabetised, but, with what must be a ceaseless supply of [semi] new material, flow’s aisles are positively bursting at the seams. Though exciting, the lack of regimented organisation can be rather frustrating if one is visiting on a Hong Kong time schedule… bringing us to perhaps the most charming aspect of Flow. It doesn’t exist on a Hong Kong schedule. There aren’t computers accessibly placed to negate time spent browsing for books, neither are there young name-badge adorned teenagers eagerly waiting to find your tome of choice. Instead, the incredibly welcoming owner of the store can often be found, quietly working at rearranging the ever-growing mountain of books.

This is a bookshop unabashed about its simplicity, a bookshop offering a glimpse at the joy which shopping for a new novel should always involve. It was only after several visits that I came to appreciate just how disengaging modern shopping can be. That said, there is certainly, in my humble opinion, a golden rule concerning Flow… Albeit a rather unorthodox suggestion, it is one sure to make a monumental difference to your time in this bookish haven. The rule is simple. Search by genre; perhaps even by author but NEVER search for a very specific title.

To do so, put simply, would be to miss out on the most poignant notion that Flow proffers – take a little time, thumb through a few pages and forget those shiny plastic-wrapped books that have yet to be test driven. You can always bring it right back to Flow when you’re done.