Alexis

How can a small bookstore succeed in the strong competition of chain book retailers? What can it offer to customers? We seek a solution in creating a flexible space that, in addition to selling books, would create conditions for organizing various accompanying events - screenings, readings, small concerts, workshops, etc. This requires maximizing the potential of one of the many spaces in Bratislava's Cvernovka, where the shop is located. For the purposes of the previous operation, the longitudinal section with a ceiling height of 5 meters and pleasant lighting through a skylight was divided into two levels in one third.
Both levels are connected by cascading steps - seating for accompanying events, which during the regular operation of the bookstore allows customers to sit down, browse a book, relax, and communicate. The focal points of the bookstore are located at both ends of the longitudinal space of the shop. The cash register at the entrance and the café at its opposite end, on the original elevated gallery. The books are concentrated in two shelves along the entire space of the bookstore. This achieves a clear organization and an impressive monumental effect of the number of books across the entire wall area. New arrivals and selected book titles are displayed on separate mobile stands on individual steps of the cascades. The fixed part of the bookstore's program - the background with an office, storage rooms, and restrooms - is hidden under the gallery and accessible by a single-arm staircase at the junction of the cascades and the café.