15 years of Polish bookshop “Elephas”

Polish bookshop “Elphas” in Vilnius, situated in Antokol on ul. Holenderska [street] (Olandų), celebrates a jubilee—its 15th anniversary.   On this occasion we converse with Dorota ‎Łatkowska, co-owner of “Elephas”.

Always on the occasion of the jubilee we try to move backwards, to the beginnings. Thus, we will stick to this tradition. How has Your family’s adventure with a book begun?

“Elephas” as a bookshop became operational in May 1998.  It was exactly the Mickiewicz Year. Initially, there came an idea of organizing small school booths. First one took place in the central Wł. Syrkomla Secondary School; subsequently in other schools.
After three years there was established a bookshop which could satisfied wider Polish readership. We ourselves not only once were searching for this or that book on the bookshop’s shelves because we both are very fond of reading.

Maybe you are philologists?

Oh, no way, I’m a mathematician and Gerard is an engineer! But apparently our knowledge of hard sciences, as I always joke, needs to be diluted with fantastical world, beautiful literary word, perfect poetry—things that human life is so tedious without.

You put it beautifully but do many people in Lithuania think the same, that is, do you have many purchasers? How do you make a living with this “intelligent” business?

Maybe not in the way as in other trades but the fact that we set up in business so many years ago and are able to earn a living from this indicates that Polish book in Vilnius is indispensable and gives satisfaction because it is not useless activity.
Our bookshop is mainly Polish-customer-oriented; however, we also serve, as far as possible and needed, other readers in various languages. Lithuanians also visit our bookshop. Basically, these are educated people, well-known among Lithuanian intellectuals.
As for customers, they are loyal and regular, coming to buy Polish book (the assortment of which is the most extensive in Lithuania) from all over the country. We have a scientist form Kaunas—a mathematician who constantly tracks new releases and always buys them in our shop. The same does a famous movie critic Živilė Pipinytė and many others. As far as our countrymen are concerned, I joke that only in Vilnius half of all inhabitants are our friends, some come more often, some less, but certainly our bookshop is well-known among them.

The same can probably be said about countrymen from Poland. Thus, in summer you presumably have busy season?

Yes and no. In fact, very often tourists visiting St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church stop off in our shop which is situated close to the temple. They are interested in guidebooks, books by local writers and, of course, they buy them. However, the core of our purchasers is comprised of natives.

For what type of readers do you order your books?

Our collection is very various, beginning with dictionaries and encyclopaedias to the books for pre-schoolers and CDs. First are school readings, classics and methodological literature for teachers. People eagerly buy fairy tales, especially those which are published in a colourful and beautiful way.  We have really wide spectrum of books. Many books for children. Today particularly popular are books written by Holly Web who is undoubtedly the greatest star among 6-10-years-old girls. We also have really good board games for children. In brief, there is plenty to choose from.

But nowadays people don’t really have money to buy a book…

Undoubtedly. For sure they would buy and read more eagerly if they had more money. Desired and usually highly needed, for example, at work book for some remains only a dream.
Just now there is a great opportunity—from 20 May to 1 June all books can be purchased with a 15% discount. And our regular customers have our Loyalty Cards with a 5% discount.

Surely ladies constitutes a significant percentage of your customers.

Of course. Their interests are not restricted only to periodicals, cookbooks or romances. Women, in spite of having the immensity of work, read a lot.  We wish children read more. Because today a computer displaces a book. Yet, this is a huge spiritual loss because nothing will substitute communing with the printed word.

The bookshop is also a meeting place for the authors with their readers.

I guess it was late Jerzy Surwiło who initiated this kind of meeting. They were very popular among the readers. Today we have a lot of books and publications by Vilnius authors, for example, Józef Szostakowski and others. We always have “Kalendarz Rodziny Wileńskiej” [“Vilnius Family Calendar”] and, of course, “Kurier Wileński” [“Vilnius Daily”] which can be received at our bookshop.

You also support various projects, do you?

Of course. I will mention “Bestseler Polonijny” [“Polonia Bestseller”], a competition during which children and schoolchildren who read in Polish abroad and which aimed at introducing Polonia and Polish people living abroad to Polish modern literature and choosing the most suitable book the plot of which in an attractive manner draws from Polish socio-cultural or historical context and Polish tradition, customs and values. It is just one example. The latest.

Thank you for the conversation and I wish you traditional one hundred years of activity for a Polish book, Polish word!

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2013/05/17/15-lat-polskiej-ksiegarni-elephas/

Tłumaczenie by Hanna Hołub w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Hanna Hołub within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.