Things have been quiet here lately at Destination: Books as we have been touring parts of Europe the past month. Books are always a part of our travel experiences, and this one was no different.
In Paris, my book loving partner Denise and I visited the most famous pop-up booksellers in the world, the bouquinistes who have been selling books in their stalls along the Seine River since the mid-1600s. They tried to move the booksellers for the 2024 Olympics, but booklovers and traditionalists would have none of it. See this article in Smithsonian Magazine.
Our timing wasn't so good as many of the stalls were closed because of the windy and misty weather. (We understand.) The few stalls that were open briefly had mostly secondhand books, posters, cards and such. I didn’t glean any takeaways on merchandising, but Destination: Books did notice some similarities. Like the bouquinistes, we enjoy talking books with our regulars and the out-of-towners visiting the Freedom Farmer’s Market at the Carter Center here in Atlanta for the first time.
Weather permitting, we will at Carter Center on Saturday morning, July 20th to resume our bookselling traditions but sans beret, of course.
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