BAGUIO, Philippines -- With its cool climate and relatively laid back culture, Baguio City is a perfect place to sip a cup of brewed coffee while reading a good book.

And perhaps, this is the reason why the region's functional literacy rate remains high at 93% for high school and 85.5% for elementary graduates-- per data released by Philippine Statistics Authority in 2013.

Despite this, a number of young people are losing their love for reading, lamented Maricar Docyogen, owner of the city's biggest pre-loved bookshop, Bookends Baguio.

That's why is she wants to revive the city's reading culture by making people "read more and spend less" through secondhand books.

Passion for reading

Docyogen, 43, have been reading books all her life.

Born in a time when TV was only for the elite, she spent most of her childhood reading books and comics-- something which almost got her kicked out of school.

"I was reading 'The Promise' by Danielle Steel," she told ABS-CBN News. "The next day was going to be my exam for a science subject in college. It starts at 7:30 a.m. But I just had to finish the book."

And as expected, she flunked the exam. "I was so sleepy and sad because I'm sure I was going to fail the test -- all because of the book that I couldn't put down," she recalled.

Luckily, she was still able to graduate and pursue a nursing career. But books continued to play a huge role in her life. Back then, she had no idea that one day she would enter the book-selling business.

Bookends

Six years ago, Docyogen decided to sell some titles from her collection of books, which she acquired while working as a nurse in the Middle East.

When she saw the potential of the business, she decided to rent a small space along T. Claudio Street, just below the UCPB building, and opened Bookends Baguio.

At first, she was heavily discouraged by some friends who expressed doubts about the marketability of second-hand books, especially now that people are starting to embrace digital technology.

"They would say, 'What kind of business is that?' or 'Nobody reads anymore,'" Docyogen said.

But she was never discouraged by such comments. After all, she was not after the profit, as she was pursuing her advocacy of bringing back the reading culture to the city.

"I have enough readers [customers] who can sustain the rent of the shop, and pay for my staff's salary," she said. "I never thought of getting rich here [in this business]."

More books, sources

From being a small nook in a busy street, Bookends grew to become a reliable source of rare books -- from classic to sci-fi.

Docyogen was also able to acquire more books from the United States, United Kingdom, and recently Australia. In fact, she recently opened a Bookends annex in Guisad, where two-thirds of the supplies are stored.

Moreover, she now has a Facebook page, where they reach customers from as far as Europe and Middle East.

According to Docyogen, their customers come from different generations and professions: artists, journalists, professors, and so on. But she is happiest when she sees a young person entering the shop.

"That's when we realize na marami pa rin talagang readers, and there's a need for a physical copy, the book," she said.

She has, thus, dedicated a section of her shop to children's books.

Personal touch

Among those who frequently visit Bookends are high school and college students who need to review a book for their literature class. Sadly, some of them are not sure what book fits their teacher's requirements, as well as their personal interests.

Docyogen said she and her staff always try to interact with their customers to ask what they need, giving their service a sort of "personal touch."

"Here, we interact with the customers, and they become our friends later on," she said.

In fact, their constant interactions with customers encouraged Docyogen's staff, who used to be ukay-ukay vendors, to also read.

"Before, they were ukay-ukay sales girls. What they know was Louis Vuitton bags, Zara, Levi's, mga branded na fashion items," she said.

From fashion brands, Docyogen proudly said that her personnel can now identify different genres and authors.

"At first, inaasar ko lang sila na it's a requirement for you to at least read. And then later on you find them na nagbabasa na. Dati 'yong mga maninipis lang, ngayon pati 'yong mga makakapal na," she added.

The gift of reading

Just like other book lovers, Docyogen said she enjoys the scent of old books. "Books have a specific aroma that you can't get in reading through gadgets," she said.

But beyond what appeals to the senses, she believes that the gift of reading is the best way to learn new things and make sense of the world.

"I always believe that anybody who reads and is taking the board exams will always pass. Why? Well I took the board exams, and these exams will require you to read. Now if you don't read, how are you going to review?" she added.

Docyogen believes that reading is the cheapest way to experience life in different cultures. "With books, you get to live in a different world, and you tend to become the character," she emphasized.