the essential
Chloë Bénéteau has just opened an independent and general bookstore at 54 rue du Faubourg Bonnefoy, in Toulouse. It is called Human Landscapes.
The smell of paint and wood still hangs in the air. The Paysages Humains bookstore opened its doors this Wednesday at 54 rue du Faubourg Bonnefoy, instead of a hairdressing salon. At the controls of this 75 m long liner2 is Chloë Bénéteau. Almost zero ball, dark glasses, this independent bookseller has been in the business for 17 years.
Also read:
“A lot of work, too little vacation, no money, I can’t go on!” What future does the independent bookstore L’Écume des jours have?
Its brand new bookstore, with white walls and light shelves, dotted with touches of green and pink colors and swallows, is made up of three spaces. The first, the largest, gives pride of place to literature, poetry, comics, human and social sciences. At the back, it houses a counter, behind which is Léanne, her employee. From there, you access a small passage which houses works dedicated to travel, cooking, nature… Then, at the end of a slight climb, indicated by pink polka dots on the ground, is the youth and fine arts. The name of his bookstore, Paysages humaine, is part of an editorial history. “I wanted, and have done so for a long time, for this name to echo the editions of the bookseller-publisher turned author and translator: François Maspero”.
Also read:
Although very complex, the profession of independent bookseller is always a dream
“A difficult job that doesn’t pay”
Originally from Toulouse, having attended the Raymond Naves high school, Chloë Bénéteau is very attached to the identity of the Croix Daurade district, “its popular history, its current changes”. She absolutely wanted to establish herself in this corner of the city. She started working as a bookseller in Lyon, at Terre des Livres. Returning to the Pink City in 2008, she worked in various bookstores before taking the plunge and setting up on her own. At 42, she realized her dream after “essential years of employment” which allowed her to learn and practice the profession “in all its joys and its difficulties. Moving into management, and all the challenges it entails, it was a real desire,” she continues. Her project required an investment of “more than €200,000. I was enormously supported by all the book institutions,” she rejoices.
Also read:
“To set up an independent bookstore, you have to get up early, or even not go to bed”
Faced with the challenges that await her, “it’s a difficult job that doesn’t pay, that requires a lot of hours…”, Chloë says she’s ready. She has already increased her presence on social networks “and it reacts quite well”. And for its first opening day, the public was already there. “It felt like Christmas,” notes his employee. A first meeting is scheduled for Saturday October 12 with Eva Offredo, a children’s author, who wrote the album “My name is Billy of the clouds”.
