Chapters bookstore in Dublin, the largest independent bookshop in Ireland, closed its doors Monday after 40 years in business. Noting that it had "gone in the same week that the world celebrates 100 years of Dublin's most famous book, Ulysses," the Irish Times called the store "another commercial casualty of the pandemic."
Chapters launched in 1983 on Wicklow Street. Owners William and Ger Kinsella moved to the current location in Parnell Street in 2006. Although the "problems faced by independent bookshops long pre-dated the pandemic," the Irish Times wrote that Covid-19 "decimated city centre businesses like Chapters that are heavily dependent on the footfall of customers."
Foot traffic was not an issue on Monday, however. "We have been pleasantly overwhelmed and run off our feet," said store manager Sara Whelan. "Chapters stayed open during the pandemic doing phone and online sales. We knew it was an incredible shop and offered so much to the people of Dublin. It has made reading accessible for so many people with second-hand bargains and new releases. Generations of families have visited here."
Longtime customer Leo O'Connor agreed: "It's more than a bookshop, it's really a bit of Dublin."
In an Instagram post yesterday, Chapters wrote: "One final thank you for your support and custom over the past 39 years. It has been great to see so many of you over the past number of months. The whole team is humbled by the response to our closure, and so proud of the legacy that we leave behind."
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More than 43 million books were sold on the general book market in the Netherlands last year, which was 5% more than in 2020. The European & International Booksellers Federation's NewsFlash reported that gross turnover increased by 8% in 2021 to €647 million [about $740 million]. However, not everyone shares in this success. Sales in the e-commerce channel have grown by 20%, while the physical channel has contracted by 7%. For physical stores, this is another sharp drop in book sales.
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EIBF has unveiled its new logo and branding, highlighting the organization's commitment to its members and the sector. EIBF represents national booksellers associations in the European Union and worldwide, speaking on behalf of more than 25,000 individual booksellers of all kinds, including independents, chains, specialized, online, and bricks-and-mortar bookshops.
"We believe bookshops are an integral part of local communities, providing access to literature and culture, contributing to financial sustainability in their areas, and helping to improve reading outcomes for all," EIBF noted. "Since the launch of the current EIBF logo, we have experienced many technological changes. To ensure EIBF's continuous visibility in this digital age, we developed a new EIBF look tailored to display and be used on digital screens, as well as working well in printed form."
EIBF co-presidents Fabian Paagman and Jean-Luc Treutenaere commented: "Through our numerous member and partner organisations, EIBF represents the voice of many booksellers around the world. It's important our visual identity reflects this position. With this new change, we are confident EIBF will go from strength to strength."
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The Australian Booksellers Association's newsletter shared an Examiner article reporting that Clive Tilsley, former owner of Fullers Bookshop in Hobart, was among the Tasmanians honored on Australia Day with a Medal of the Order of Australia.
After buying the iconic Hobart bookshop in 1982, Tilsley "expanded the brand to Launceston around the turn of the 21st century," the Examiner wrote. In 2014, he "handed the keys to the Launceston store over to new owners Michael French and Ash Campbell, who subsequently transformed the store into the Volume 2 Bookshop."
Tilsley remained closely connected to the Fullers Bookshop in Hobart until last year, when he and his wife moved to the Barossa Valley in South Australia. In addition to his work as a bookseller, Tilsley also helmed the Fullers Publishing arm, through which he helped publish more than 25 books. Fullers congratulated Tilsley on Facebook --Robert Gray