This is the third bookstore that I came across in my two-and-a half-day stay in São Paulo. This Livraria Cultura is situated in one of the more luxury shopping malls in town (Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton are its neighbors).
Like the shop they have in downtown on Avenida Paulista (see my post here), the entrance is unassuming. At the entrance level, they sell music and DVDs.
The mezzanine level, aptly named as the “Geek” department, sells comics, games and fan toys.
When the escalator reaches level “3”, I was brought into this one massive room.
It is a vast reading area with orange comfy chairs.
At one end there is a series of wooden “steps” that can serve as rows of seats – I imagine the space can host a performance or readings with an audience of more than 200 people.
If Apple is to start selling physical books, I can imagine them building a store like this one.
I spoke briefly with a shop keeper (in English) and apparently, the shop is barely a month old (I was there in October 2013).
Unfortunately most books are in Portuguese …
Unlike NYC, the existence of Amazon, Kindle and Nook did not seem to affect the brick-and-mortar bookstore in São Paulo. I did see people using e-readers but the physical bookstores appeared to be thriving.
It is a beautiful shop full of beautiful books in a beautiful mall. See the guards at the entrance ?
