The news of the upcoming closure of the Alibri bookstore hit me like a stab, snatching away more than 40 years of an idyll with this Barcelona temple of books. I was a young student the first time I crossed the threshold of this historic bookstore, which was still called Herder. Back then, they had a very well-stocked psychology section, which was what I was studying before journalism crossed my path, and there I had acquired works beyond those recommended by the faculty that were very useful to me. Another reference section at Herder was philosophy, and there I found Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell, which impacted me and which I still keep and occasionally leaf through.
When an establishment of this type that has been part of your life closes, it's as if a part of you is amputated. Unfortunately, these types of closures have become common in recent years. Unique and historic shops disappear and are replaced by chains, franchises, bazaars, and chaotic supermarkets. The city loses its commercial personality in favor of a uniformity of brands that, at least to me, leave me indifferent. It's not just a problem in Barcelona; it's a global phenomenon. At this moment, the biggest commonality among cities is that their streets are populated by the same commercial signs.
It seems that the closure is caused by the lack of economic viability of the business and that Alibri ---Balmes, 26--- will definitively lower its shutters before the end of 2022. From then on, it will disappear from my route home from work. For years, entering Alibri has been part of my routines. I like to do it for simple pleasure, even without intending to buy any book, but I must admit that I rarely resist the temptation. Alibri has also been where some friends and I have presented our books. For this and other reasons, I hold it in such high regard.
The city loses its commercial personality in favor of a uniformity of brands that, at least to me, leave me indifferentThe closure comes just three years after the bookstore celebrated its centenary.It opened in 1925 under the name Herder, a German publishing house that that year decided to incorporate Barcelona into its international network of bookstores. A photograph that presides over the room where presentations are held is a testament to those early years. During the civil war, the bookstore was collectivized, and, after the conflict, the former manager acquired it at auction.
From then on, Herder, renamed Alibri in 1991, consolidated itself in the Barcelona book market, due to its good stock, having solid suppliers such as the University of Barcelona and libraries, and having an unbeatable offer of books in other languages for many years.
The problem has come when new demands and uses of books, added to other circumstances, have caused Alibri's business model, which until now had prioritized quality service above all else, to suffer and require a high investment to adapt to new times that is not possible right now. Some summarize it as the Amazon effect, but it's not just because of Jeff Bezos's platform. Among students, the exchange of PDFs is heavily penalizing book purchases, and customers are no longer willing to wait days to get the volume they need, so they resort to alternatives like Amazon. I myself admit to being a good Amazon customer, although I only buy through the portal when I'm looking for books in English or French that I can't find in local bookstores.
The bookstore consolidated itself in the Barcelona market, due to its good stock, having solid suppliers such as the University of Barcelona, and having an unbeatable offer of books in other languagesFor some time now, I had noticed improper absences among the new releases at Alibri, but I couldn't predict that these were the first symptoms of the situation leading to its closure, especially when the health of the book sector is very good, even better than before the pandemic. These are the paradoxes of businesses like this. Now, the owners and managers of the bookstore are focused on managing the closure and employee liquidations in the best possible way.
When this happens, I will miss you all very much. I will also miss the crime novel selection and the current affairs selection, which are the two new release tables I have visited the most recently. And, of course, the presentations of some of my books. In the hope that a last-minute miracle will arise, all I can say is: thank you for all these years, good luck and see you later, people of Alibri.
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