Where can you go to catch a glimpse of the current state of international art and design? Do you miss the instant gratification of purchasing an art book in the real world, instead of the boredom of ordering online, and having to wait for it to be delivered?

Basheer Design Books provides all of that in addition to being an excellent place to kill some time in between appointments, or while waiting for friends to grab some food. Should you decide to share the place, your friends will be impressed.

Located on the border between Causeway Bay and Wanchai, next to a firehouse, Basheer Books is tucked away on the first floor of a non-descript building. The exact street address of Basheer Design Books is 1/F, Flat A, Island Building, 439-445 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay. To get there, you can walk from the Causeway Bay MTR stop at Sogo, about three long blocks towards Wanchai.

Once you reach the building, forget waiting for the elevator and take the staircase – you’ll be treated to an informal art show just walking up. The walls are covered in graffiti and stickers from patrons of the shop!

Stepping into the large store, it’s difficult to decide which direction to proceed first. Books with provocative covers and interesting titles jump out at you from every angle. There’s also a large selection of current design magazines against the wall that’s hard to equal. In addition to graphic design and fine arts, the selection of books is vast and includes photography, architecture, interior design, street art, and many more. Aside from Hong Kong, Basheer Books also has branches in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Singapore.

It’s well worth a trip just to browse the large and diverse selection. Several heavily stacked rows of shelves, in addition to tables loaded with books, display the offerings. While you may go looking for something specific, it’s hard not to discover something new and interesting just by glancing around the shop.