The key facts
- Topar started in 2018 with a few boxes of books and an Instagram page; today it is a chain of stores in Tashkent, a book club, an online platform, and 8,000 titles.
- Khalmuratov named five books: Daniel Keyes, Saint-Exupéry, Tony Hsieh, Jim Collins, and Stephen Covey.
- He prefers paper books; he has about 100 books at home, most of them not yet read.
A Selection from the Topar Founder
Topar bookstore founder Abbos Khalmuratov shared with the publication Spot a selection of five books that influenced his views and approach to work. The Topar project began in 2018 with a few boxes of books and an Instagram page; today it is a chain of stores in Tashkent, a book club, an online platform for ordering books, and an assortment of 8,000 titles. Earlier, Khalmuratov had already given Spot a long interview about Topar's move offline and competition with the gray market.
Reading as a Hobby and Paper Books
Khalmuratov said he does not consider himself an avid book lover, but reading is a hobby for him that allows him to escape everyday hustle. He most often reads paper books: physical presence matters to him — the binding, the texture of the paper, the smell of a new book. He has now accumulated about 100 books, most of which are still unread; he picks new titles for himself when they appear in the stores of his chain.
Fiction: Keyes and Saint-Exupéry
The first book in the selection is 'Flowers for Algernon' by Daniel Keyes. According to Khalmuratov, it makes you reconsider your attitude toward others and reminds you that a person's dignity does not depend on education, abilities, or status. An important idea for him is not to judge a person by first impressions: behind metrics and tasks there are always people, and this applies to both employees and customers. The second book is 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which, in his opinion, you truly understand only in adulthood. He remembered the thoughts about friendship, care, and responsibility, in particular the idea that trust cannot be earned once and then require no further effort — he applies this both to the store's relationships with customers and to responsibility for the team.
Business Literature: Hsieh, Collins, Covey
'Delivering Happiness' by Tony Hsieh, the autobiography of the former CEO of Zappos, interested Khalmuratov as an entrepreneur. He remembered the idea that service is made up of the overall impression of a company, and that culture begins with people's daily behavior. He wants Topar stores to be spaces that are pleasant to visit, not just points of sale. 'Good to Great' by Jim Collins became relevant when Topar grew and managing through personal control alone became impossible: the book taught him to create conditions in which the team understands the tasks and takes responsibility for them. Finally, he opened 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey when he began thinking about personal effectiveness and time management; the idea that stuck with him most was to begin with the end in mind and to distinguish the important from the urgent.
Whom He Recommends Them To
Khalmuratov recommends 'Flowers for Algernon' to lovers of powerful fiction, 'The Little Prince' to both children and adults, 'Delivering Happiness' to entrepreneurs and those who work with customers, 'Good to Great' to owners and managers developing a company for the long term, and Covey's book to everyone who is constantly busy but wants to choose priorities more consciously. According to him, business books are not ready-made instructions but a reason to reconsider habits and think about what impressions a customer receives and what atmosphere the team creates.
