Book shop is having a novel impact on Louisburgh

A HIGH end book shop in Louisburgh, Books@One, is a community enterprise run by part-time staff and a big heap of volunteering, writes Tom Gillespie.

Thanks to the philanthropic One Foundation group, the book shop opened in what was a derelict building at the end of the town just over three years ago.

Anne O’Leary, who is in charge of Books@One, said: "We are part of a new movement of independent ‘Destination Bookshops’ where we don’t just sell you a book. We’re a place to visit, in which to become immersed, and where you can participate in community events or somewhere to find out what’s going on in the area or to just relax and enjoy a coffee, a browse and a chat.

"A key figure in the One Foundation group has a holiday home around here and he was helping out with another community project that was going on at the time.

"There were two derelict buildings here and we decided to buy them. That took a while to bring into effect and the book shop finally opened on August 16, 2016.

"It was just intended to be a bookmark shop, which is an incredible thing in itself in Louisburgh. It is a high end book shop where everything is very well finished."

They then invested in a state-of-the-art Espresso Book Machine (EBM) printer which prints a single book in just a few minutes.

Anne added: "When the book machine came from America it changed the dynamic of the whole project.

"Firstly we had to find some place to put it, which was a year long process from when the book machine became part of the whole operation."

So an adjoining derelict building was purchased to house the EBM.

Anne continued: "We were turning the book shop in to another level and we suddenly found ourself with the use of two buildings. The Foundation kindly agreed to let us have the use of two buildings. Now we have a co-working space upstairs and an Airbnb above the book shop which is booked out until January with long term stays."

Anne, who is originally from Dublin, first came to Louisburgh when she was 14, but knew she was going to live in Louisburgh at some stage. She lived elsewhere for 12 years but has been in Louisburgh for the past 16 years.

Referring to the book shop, she added: "This is an atmosphere in which people engage with books in a communal way again. Our passion is books and we want to re-create the way people loved and treasured them before.

“Being a community book shop, we want everyone to enjoy this space and we promote good old-fashioned reading to kids and anyone else we encounter.

"We aren’t Luddites, we recognise the value of modern gadgets and gizmos, and we’re about encouraging children and teens to put down their devices once in a while and become immersed in the many sensory pleasures of a real-life book.

"The book shop has proven a catalyst in the town. It is regeneration through providing community space but also a business which has to break even at some point, which we are hoping to do next year.

"A lot of people who come into the book shop pass comment on the change the book shop has brought about in Louisburgh.

"People come over the bridge from Leenane, see the book shop and visit us and walk around the town for a few hours, which gives confidence to other businesses to open up."