Renaissance / The glorious revival of Paris’s English bookshop |
Stepping into Smith & Son bookshop across from the Tuileries, my first instinct is to look for signs of change. A regular customer for decades, this is my first time here since its rebranding.
The ground floor storeroom is brightly lit and pleasantly appointed. On the front-of-store table display, I recognise several titles, including Deborah Levy’s My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein, John of John by Douglas Stuart, and Jennette McCurdy’s Half His Age. Immediately to the left, a cozy nook decorated with William Morris wallpaper is furnished with a soft purple sofa for customers to sit down with a book. Queen Elizabeth II looks down regally from an official portrait on the wall.
The big change at the English-language bookshop once known as WH Smith is not the facelift. It can be found in its business plan.
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After struggling under its UK-based parent company, the famed Paris bookshop is under new management. Ironically, the bookshop known for its quintessentially English character is owned by a Frenchman, 55-year-old Patrick Moynot. Under his stewardship, the time-honoured Paris branch of the WH Smith chain has become an indie bookshop, like its competitors Shakespeare & Company, Abbey Bookshop, Red Wheelbarrow, Galignani, and San Francisco Book Company.
These are not easy times for indie bookshops in a marketplace dominated by Amazon and big retail chains. While there are some hopeful signs of a rebound, many independent book retailers are floundering or closing.
In Paris, Smith & Son has not only survived, but it is profitable and growing with ambitious expansion plans. A second bookshop has opened in the trendy Le Marais district of Paris, followed by another Smith & Son in Versailles. Coming soon, a new location two doors down from the flagship store on the Rue de Rivoli. It will be devoted entirely to children’s and young adult books.
That’s an impressive........