Strangled by debt, the Strasbourg bookstore La Tache noire calls for help – Libération

2023-09-10 11:13:16

While Strasbourg will be Unesco’s world book capital in 2024, this establishment specializing in crime fiction is launching a crowdfunding operation to raise 25,000 euros.

All authors of the genre know her, some even emerged thanks to her. La Tache noire, this bookstore-café specializing in crime fiction, founded on September 1, 2018 in Strasbourg by Eric Schultz, launched on Saturday September 9 on Instagram a call for help and donations via a crowdfunding operation. Strangled by drafts and late rent, she is no longer able to get by even though her business continues to progress. “We achieved a 5% increase in our turnover this year compared to last year, Eric Schultz told us. The problem is that we have accumulated debts since 2020. We managed to catch up with them and we are underwater again. Every month we have account blocks. For example, we were blocked at the exit of Fred Vargas. All the bookstores in Strasbourg had it except us! The new novel by Víctor del Arbol is the same, we don’t have it even though it has come to us several times and our customers appreciate it enormously.

“Heartbreaking”

For several months, the bookseller has been trying to improve the situation by reducing his fund (“a heartbreak”, he says), reducing his orders and his income. But that is no longer enough. Current economic tensions (transport costs, paper crisis, rising inflation, etc.) – not to mention the current tensions in the world of publishing and distribution – do not allow it to make up for its liabilities through its own efforts. activity.

It was to liquidate this liability that Eric Schultz first appealed to local customers and then launched un crowdfunding. Objective: raise 25,000 euros. 10,000 to improve relations with suppliers, 8,000 to catch up on rent arrears, 5,000 to relaunch author meetings and events in bookstores, and finally 2,000 to expand the collection of thrillers and dark novels , and in particular classics from which the bookstore had to part in an attempt to survive.

“Used books go very quickly”

If activity remains buoyant, because Tache Noire customers are truly passionate, purchasing practices have changed recently under the pressure of rising prices. Those who often bought large formats are buying a little less, others have moved from large formats to paperbacks and paperback readers, particularly students, are buying second-hand paperbacks more and more often. “Second-hand books are going very quickly, we can see that people are having a lot of trouble making ends meet at the moment,” confirms the bookseller, who himself says he has to pay less than an RSA, i.e. less than 600 euros.

Eric Schultz had many lives before opening the Black Spot. He was elected green at the town hall of Strasbourg, worked in associations, taught at Sciences-Po. His life is now devoted to his bookstore which he runs with his partner, who also has a part-time job. His customers often rely on his advice when making their purchases. At the moment, he is mainly advising Okavango (Série noire) by Caryl Ferey, Despite all my rage (Rivages) by Jérémy Fel and The Coral Bride (Black Dawn) by Roxanne Bouchard, of which we spoke highly of the last week in Libé. It would have a bad effect if this Strasbourg bookstore were to close its doors while Strasbourg is preparing to become, in 2024, the Unesco world book capital.