dbBOOKS warehouse sale brings English-language readers together

dbBOOKS will hold its WOW Family Sale this Saturday and Sunday in its Seongsu-dong warehouse, combining discounted English-language books with community events. The program includes a Saturday book talk with novelist You-jeong Jeong and Sunday book swaps for adults and younger readers. The sale, which dbBOOKS resumed in 2023, also gives surplus and hard-to-sell books another chance to reach readers. The company hopes the family-oriented events will attract more Korean families and local readers.

The Saturday book talk about Jeong’s novel Bonobo runs from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be conducted in Korean with English interpretation by Eunseo Kim, and will be followed by a signing.

On Sunday, the adult book swap is scheduled for the rooftop from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.; books for children, junior readers and young adults will be available in the basement-level lobby.

The Sunday swaps are co-hosted by Cari of the BookTube channel cari can read and Nathan Truong of Nathan’s Nook.

Managing Director Katch Hahm said the book swap is in its third iteration and does not compete with sales because exchange books are often unsuitable for regular retail.

Published Nov 2, 2026 11:58 am KST

Updated Nov 2, 2026 12:20 pm KST

Author Jeong You-jeong to appear for book talk

Author Jeong You-jeong visits dbBOOKS' warehouse in eastern Seoul, Oct. 22. Courtesy of dbBOOKS

Twice a year, a cavernous basement warehouse in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong opens its doors to bibliophiles looking for something beyond the usual bookstore experience. Its shelves are packed with English-language books at discount prices, and visitors are invited not only to browse and buy, but also to exchange books and meet fellow readers.

The Welcome to Our Warehouse (WOW) Family Sale, organized by English-language book distributor dbBOOKS, returns this Saturday and Sunday with its familiar mix of warehouse bargains and community events. This year's program includes a book talk with award-winning Korean novelist You-jeong Jeong, author of "Bonobo," which was recently published in English translation, as well as a book swap.

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For dbBOOKS, the sale has turned into something more than just a way to move books off warehouse shelves.

The company operates as a wholesaler, importer, distributor and retailer, supplying books to major Korean online and physical retailers. Its catalogue ranges from popular fiction to children's books, encyclopedias and nonfiction. With around 35 employees, it maintains separate online platforms catering to Korean families and younger readers, in addition to adults and foreign residents.

BookTuber Nathan Truong shops for books at dbBOOKS' spring warehouse sale, June 4. Courtesy of dbBOOKS

The warehouse sale gives the public access to a much larger selection than they might encounter in a conventional bookstore. Managing Director Katch Hahm said the company resumed the events in 2023 after the pandemic had pushed much of its business online.

The sale also provides an opportunity to introduce readers to books that might otherwise struggle to find an audience in Korea. International distribution markets can offer substantial discounts compared with prices in the United States, but demand does not always keep pace with the volume of available stock. Some books, including damaged copies and titles unsuitable for resale, may therefore be difficult to place through conventional retail channels.

Rather than letting those books go unused, dbBOOKS has increasingly found ways to give them another life through exchanges and donations.

The book swap is now in its third iteration. Earlier editions included proof copies and advance review copies, which publishers typically distribute ahead of publication. After the copies have served their promotional purpose, some can be collected for exchanges or donated rather than discarded.

Hahm said the swap does not compete with the company's sales. The books available for exchange are often not suitable for regular retail, while visitors to the warehouse sale are looking for new titles at discounted prices. The two activities can instead complement each other, allowing books to reach readers who might not otherwise encounter them.

This year's event takes that idea further with a double book swap on Sunday, co-hosted by Cari of the BookTube channel cari can read and Nathan Truong of Nathan's Nook. The two have become familiar figures in Seoul's English-language reading community through their online book content and participation in literary events.

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Cari shops for books at dbBOOKS' warehouse in eastern Seoul, May 17. Courtesy of dbBOOKS

The swap for adult readers will take place on the building's rooftop from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., while books for children, junior readers and young adults will be available in the basement-level lobby. Visitors are invited to bring a pre-loved book and exchange it for another title. The family-oriented format is intended to make the event accessible to a broader range of readers, rather than limiting it to the foreign community or adult readers.

The involvement of Cari and Truong also reflects the growing role of online book communities in bringing readers together offline. BookTube, Bookstagram and other social media have made it easier for people to discover recommendations, share their reading interests and find others with similar tastes. For creators such as Cari and Truong, that connection can extend beyond screens and into events where readers can meet and exchange books in person.

Emily Serby, who works on marketing and event planning for dbBOOKS, has been closely involved in building those connections. She has previously helped organize bookish events with Seoul Silent Book Club and connect the company with readers and creators across the city.

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Asked whether there was one particular moment from the previous sales that captured what the event means to visitors, Serby pointed to the gratitude expressed by attendees at each event, including visitors who have offered to help and spend time working among the books. Their enthusiasm, she said, has been a recurring source of appreciation for the people organizing the sale.

The company is also hoping to reach beyond its established audience. While book sales have long attracted foreign residents and international school communities, dbBOOKS wants more Korean families and local readers to discover the warehouse and its events. The addition of a book swap for children and young adults is one way of making the sale more welcoming to families.

The location itself is part of the appeal. The warehouse sits in eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong, a popular neighborhood filled with restaurants, cafes and boutiques of all kinds. The building's rooftop offers a setting for gatherings that contrasts with the basement's bookshelves, making the sale feel more like a community fair than a conventional shopping event.

People shop for books at dbBOOKS' warehouse in eastern Seoul, in 2025. Courtesy of KiM Byeong-mun

The book talk will be on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The discussion will focus on "Bonobo," Jeong's novel about a primatologist whose consciousness enters the body of a monkey following an accident. The event will be conducted in Korean with English interpretation by Eunseo Kim, followed by a book-signing session.

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For dbBOOKS, the WOW Family Sale is about making books accessible, giving surplus copies another chance to be read and creating opportunities for people to connect through a shared interest.

The warehouse may be the reason visitors first arrive, but the community forming around it is increasingly becoming part of the attraction.

Agrim Bhalla recently completed his studies in hotel management (English track) at Kyung Hee University. His interests include storytelling, culture and visual media.

dbBOOKS将于本周六和周日在其位于圣水洞的仓库举办WOW家庭特卖会，届时将推出折扣英文书籍并举办社区活动。活动包括周六由小说家郑有贞（You-jeong Jeong）带来的读书分享会，以及周日面向成人和青少年读者的图书交换活动。dbBOOKS于2023年恢复举办此项特卖会，旨在为滞销书籍和难以售出的书籍提供再次接触读者的机会。公司希望这些以家庭为中心的活动能够吸引更多韩国家庭和本地读者。

周六下午 4 点至 5 点将举行关于郑氏小说《倭黑猩猩》的读书会，将以韩语进行，并由金恩熙进行英语翻译，之后还将举行签售会。

周日，成人图书交换活动定于下午 4 点至 5 点在屋顶举行；儿童、少儿和青少年读物将在地下大厅提供。

周日的图书交换活动由 BookTube 频道 cari can read 的 Cari 和 Nathan's Nook 的 Nathan Truong 共同主持。

总经理 Katch Hahm 表示，图书交换活动已经进行了三次，而且不会与销售竞争，因为交换的图书通常不适合常规零售。

发布于2026年11月2日上午11:58（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月2日下午12:20（韩国标准时间）

作者郑有贞将出席新书发布会

10月22日，作家郑有贞参观了位于首尔东部的dbBOOKS仓库。图片由dbBOOKS提供。

每年两次，首尔圣水洞一个巨大的地下仓库会向爱书之人敞开大门，为他们提供不同于普通书店的阅读体验。这里摆满了折扣价的英文书籍，访客不仅可以浏览和购买，还可以交换书籍，结识其他书友。

由英文图书经销商dbBOOKS主办的“欢迎来到我们的仓库”（WOW）家庭特卖会将于本周六和周日回归，届时将带来一系列仓库特价商品和社区活动。今年的活动包括：韩国获奖小说家郑有贞（You-jeong Jeong）的读书分享会，她的作品《倭黑猩猩》（Bonobo）近期已出版英文译本；以及图书交换环节。

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对于 dbBOOKS 来说，这次促销活动已经不仅仅是把书从仓库货架上清理出去的一种方式了。

该公司集批发、进口、分销和零售于一体，为韩国各大线上线下零售商供应图书。其产品目录涵盖流行小说、儿童读物、百科全书和非虚构类书籍。公司拥有约35名员工，除了面向成人和外国居民外，还运营着面向韩国家庭和年轻读者的独立线上平台。

6月4日，书评博主Nathan Truong在dbBOOKS春季仓库特卖会上选购书籍。图片由dbBOOKS提供。

仓库特卖会为公众提供了比传统书店更丰富的商品选择。总经理卡奇·哈姆表示，疫情迫使公司大部分业务转向线上后，公司于2023年恢复了此类活动。

此次促销活动也为读者提供了一个机会，让他们有机会接触到一些在韩国可能难以找到读者的书籍。国际发行市场的价格通常比美国市场优惠很多，但需求并不总是能跟上库存的增长。因此，一些书籍，包括破损版本和不适合转售的书籍，可能难以通过传统的零售渠道销售。

dbBOOKS 并没有让这些书籍闲置不用，而是越来越多地通过交换和捐赠等方式赋予它们新的生命。

图书交换活动现已举办至第三届。前几届活动都包含样书和预售书，这些通常是出版社在正式出版前分发的。这些样书在完成宣传用途后，一部分可以收集起来用于交换，一部分可以捐赠出去，而不是被丢弃。

哈姆表示，图书交换活动并不与公司的销售业务构成竞争。可供交换的图书通常不适合常规零售，而前来仓库特卖的顾客则是为了寻找价格优惠的新书。这两项活动反而可以相辅相成，让更多原本可能无法接触到这些书籍的读者有机会阅读到它们。

今年的活动更进一步，将于周日举办双人图书交换会，由BookTube频道“cari can read”的博主Cari和“Nathan's Nook”的博主Nathan Truong共同主持。两人凭借其线上图书内容和参与文学活动，已成为首尔英语阅读圈的知名人物。

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5月17日，Cari在首尔东部dbBOOKS的仓库里挑选书籍。图片由dbBOOKS提供。

成人图书交换活动将于下午4点至5点在楼顶举行，而儿童、少儿和青少年图书则将在地下一层大厅提供。欢迎访客携带一本旧书前来交换。此次活动以家庭为导向，旨在吸引更广泛的读者群体，而不仅仅局限于外国社群或成人读者。

Cari 和 Truong 的参与也反映了线上读书社群在促进读者线下交流方面日益重要的作用。BookTube、Bookstagram 和其他社交媒体让人们更容易发现推荐书籍、分享阅读兴趣并找到志同道合的人。对于 Cari 和 Truong 这样的创作者来说，这种联系可以超越屏幕，延伸到读者可以线下见面交流的活动中。

负责dbBOOKS市场营销和活动策划的艾米丽·瑟比(Emily Serby)一直积极参与这些关系的建立。她此前曾协助首尔静默读书俱乐部(Seoul Silent Book Club)组织读书活动，并将公司与首尔各地的读者和创作者联系起来。

首尔静默读书俱乐部致力于为热爱阅读的人们打造“第三空间”。

当被问及以往的义卖活动中是否有某个特定时刻最能体现这场活动对参观者的意义时，塞尔比指出，每次义卖活动中，参与者都表达了感激之情，其中包括一些主动帮忙、花时间在书堆里翻阅书籍的参观者。她说，他们的热情一直是义卖组织者们感激的源泉。

该公司也希望拓展现有受众群体。虽然图书销售长期以来吸引了外国居民和国际学校社群，但dbBOOKS希望更多韩国家庭和本地读者能够发现这个仓库及其举办的活动。增设儿童和青少年图书交换区是让图书销售更受家庭欢迎的一种方式。

地理位置本身就是一大吸引力。这间仓库位于首尔东部的圣水洞，这是一个遍布各式餐厅、咖啡馆和精品店的繁华街区。建筑的屋顶露台是聚会的理想场所，与地下室的书架形成鲜明对比，使这场特卖会更像是一场社区集市，而非传统的购物活动。

2025年，人们在首尔东部的dbBOOKS仓库选购书籍。图片由金炳文提供。

本次新书分享会将于周六下午4点至5点举行。讨论将围绕郑恩熙的小说《倭黑猩猩》展开，该小说讲述了一位灵长类动物学家在一次意外事故后意识进入一只猴子的身体的故事。活动将以韩语进行，并由金恩熙进行英语翻译，分享会结束后将举行签售会。

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对于 dbBOOKS 而言，WOW 家庭特卖会旨在让更多人能够接触到书籍，让多余的书籍有机会再次被阅读，并创造人们通过共同的兴趣爱好进行交流的机会。

仓库可能是游客最初来到这里的原因，但围绕它形成的社区正日益成为景点的一部分。

阿格里姆·巴拉最近在庆熙大学完成了酒店管理（英语授课方向）的学业。他的兴趣包括讲故事、文化和视觉媒体。