Become a bookseller on the quays of the Seine to prevent the loss of this Parisian heritage!

Do you love literature and believe that the bookshops on the quays of the Seine are a veritable institution not to be missed in the capital? Then the City of Paris needs you! This year'scall for applications received very few responses, and at the end of September, 16 spaces were still sadly empty. There are still a few days left, until 4pm on October 14, 2024, to submit your cultural project and your motivation.

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For several years now, the profession has been struggling, as it is a precarious one. You need to be highly motivated, passionate and have an economically viable, quality project, to enable this atypical part of Parisian heritage to survive and receive an operating license for 5 years. Antique and second-hand books, old posters, postcards - the bouquinistes run the largest and one of the oldest open-air bookshops in Paris, stretching over three kilometers along the banks of the Seine.

Over 900 boxes are lined up, but many of them are now ownerless. After the confinements, the lack of tourists and the Olympic Games, which almost cost them their place, the booksellers are in danger. But next year, after the success of the Olympics, tourists are expected to return to the capital in large numbers, perhaps providing an opportunity to revive the profession!

In 2022, the city received 71 applications,"the highest number of applicants in ten years". But since then, the lack of vocation seems to have grown. In the meantime, in order to preserve their trade and attract new blood, the book dealers of Paris have submitted an application to Unesco: they wish to have their activity recognized as a world intangible heritage.

Bouquinistes des quais de Seine: a historic institution for art lovers - Photos
Constantly threatened with closure, the kiosks on the quays of the Seine have been part of the Parisian landscape for over a century and a half, and are a treasure trove of culture and art at low prices. [Read more]