The courage is there, there is no question. The lure of books is not something that can be improvised, it is now a sacred passionto be defended: the historic one Alphabeta bookshop, while remaining in Corso Dante, has moved a few metres at number 121, occupying the premises vacated by the shoemaker and Mario Pandolfi’s old fish shop.
The owner Luisa Turri defines hers as a heroic choice «because we read less and less and we suffer from strong competition from online sales. But the passion for books is stronger than everything. After taking over the business in March 2022, the opportunity arose to be able to purchase these shops: I chose to do so in order to feel like the shop was more “mine”, because I created it. Now he has my mental scheme.”
The two windows bear the sign of the stationery shop and the other of the bookshop: «Stationery is my other great passion that I have carried with me since I was little. You can also find didactic and educational games. A little gem.”
The structure of the new venue will make it more usable: «At the end of last year the opportunity arose to be able to make this investment purchasing the two vacant shops. We therefore decided to merge them. It will not be a larger room than the previous one, but it will be possible to divide the space more efficiently, creating an area dedicated to stationery products and another dedicated to the bookshop, with two distinct windows which will better highlight the different proposals.”
Luisa Turri intends to introduce a few more presentations of books and more initiatives for childrenwhich represent one of the stationery shop’s target audiences, thanks also to the presence of the Dante school in the shop’s prices
«Precisely to meet the needs of the students, during the school term we open at 7.30, so that anyone who needs a last minute purchase can do so before entering school; in the summer period however, the opening hours move to 9am.”
The owner is helped in her business by Tiziana Piano: «We are not a ‘franchise’ – he concludes -: I choose the books also based on the opinions of my customers and then many volumes for children which is an important niche reality».
