Thomas Barbier from De Reyghere bookstore in Bruges shared his impressions of the latest RISE bookselling conference. The original article was written in Dutch, but here we bring you Thomas's translation to English, together with his own photographs of Riga's early modern old town, and the 19th and 20th century city centre. For more photos you can visit De Reyghere's Instagram page. You can see our recap of the conference here.

A big thank you to Thomas for sharing his reflections and beautiful images with us!

You can find the original article here.

DE REYGHERE @ RISE RIGA 2025

For the third year in a row, EIBF – the European and International Booksellers Federation – organized a conference specifically aimed at booksellers from around the world. Not a 5-day celebration of literature, no, but 2 days of intensive interaction with 300 passionate book lovers, exchanging ideas about how we can best do what we do.

At the end of March, we traveled to the Latvian capital, Riga. Belgium was never far, as the city is filled with hotels and cafes where our national pride flows abundantly. As lovers of a dash of couleur locale, we preferred to explore a little further and took a walk through the city.

That couleur locale is best taken literally. The colourful streets and facades of the small, historic Riga bring a cheerful note among the dozens of towers and churches that the city is rich in. And despite the striking palette, it is not the most remarkable feature of Riga's architecture.

The city’s advantageous location by the water made it an important trading city. The local guild and aristocracy were no strangers to internal feuds, and their wealth was clearly spread throughout the city. In the first half of the 20th century, Latvia fully embraced the architectural flow of the time, Jugendstil – better known to us as Art Nouveau.

A day of exploration also meant visiting the local colleagues. Riga differs from our familiar Bruges as a shopping city, lacking real shopping streets. Instead, shops are gathered in the many shopping centers scattered around the wider area of this old city. Yet, we stumbled upon the tiny cocktail bar-and-bookstore Haibullin with its decadent interior and later visited the veterans of the trade, Irina and Ainars – who started with one bookstore and now lead a Latvian book empire with 38 branches.

The mascot of this large family business is the company's own cat Rudis, together with his companion Rudite. These literary cats are not just a book-related thing in Latvia. They have achieved the status of a national symbol, and this is evident. Recently, Latvia caught international attention with the film Flow, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Film. The black cats are now inseparable from Riga.

However, the history of Latvian cats goes further back. The streets are filled with them, but a remarkable cat can also be found on the tower of the home of a wealthy, historic merchant. He directed the rear of the rooftop ornament towards the house of the trading guild, which preferred to have no dealings with the businessman. The cat stood at the center of a conflict that lasted for decades.

Booksellers Among Themselves

On to the order of the day! After a day of soaking up the atmosphere, we took our seats at the breakfast table with 298 other booksellers from near and far. The third edition of RISE radiated with international presence. For the first time, a significant portion of the attendees was also from non-European backgrounds. Australians, Americans, Africans, and South Americans were also present.

The diversity of bookstores was also vast in numbers. A gathering like this proves once again that each bookstore has its own face, character, size, and history. It offers an incredible wealth of inspiration to draw from, which means: lots of ideas and experiences to exchange, plenty of self-evaluation, and a lot of pride in being part of a world that works so cohesively.

The program consisted of two days full of panel discussions, keynotes, workshops, interviews, and inspiring pitches from colleagues on their approaches to bookselling, the choices we sometimes face in our profession, and technological developments on the horizon. RISE gave a bird's-eye view of the very idea of bookshops, but also a focus on mental well-being among colleagues because, how do you stay healthy as an individual while running a challenging business?

Several prominent booksellers took the stage. We met Nadia Wassef from the Egyptian bookstore Diwan. Years ago, she and a group of friends founded a progressive, literary bookstore in Cairo with several women at the storefront, which in itself was a bold move in a regime that offers less space to women. She spoke about the many challenges, mistakes, but also glorious moments she experienced and collected in her book Shelf Life.

Another remarkable guest was Ukrainian colleague Oleksii Erinchak from the bookstore “Cenc,” which means "meaning" in Ukraine. Oleksii started his new bookstore in the heart of Kyiv during the war with Russia, with 200% commitment. He spoke about the conditions under which they are trying to make a difference for the residents of the besieged city and how colleagues support each other mentally during a time when the horrors of war have a heavy impact on the psyche. He was determined and courageous, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd for his bravery in using Cenc as a platform to make a difference.

Ramunda Lark Young from the American bookstore Mahogany also understands what it means to identify with her message. As a member of the Black community in Washington, she developed an entire line of merchandise with which her customers could make a statement. Every year these bookateers launch a new shirt with the slogan "Black Books Matter", donning bright and colourful sleeves as the cherry on top! In a country where the political climate is not exactly supportive of inclusion and diversity, they provide a social response to that oppression.

Hi-tech between the Low-tech

Books and technology have an ambiguous relationship. So much was obvious during several talks about more technical matters. Our profession is not unfamiliar to a few contradictions, and maybe that’s how we like it. When we examine technological innovation, topics like online retail, social media, and AI quickly come to the forefront. At the same time, these are the very technologies that can move us away from our core, so they must be used cautiously and consciously.

As a physical bookstore, we still prefer to engage with people rather than parcels. And doesn’t generative AI undermine the position of authors, who give us our very reason for existence? After all, a bookstore is ultimately a bridge between author and reader. Social media also presents us with ethical questions in 2025, with fake news and toxic narratives flourishing. We have personally taken a step back from socials due to these concerns, while others can no longer imagine running their business without the likes Instagram and Tik Tok.

It makes one think about how these technologies and business choices can be implemented in a healthy and correct way. The book profession certainly leaves room for AI to automate internal processes. And certainly, in terms of data usage, the profession could still professionalize to give bookstores a map and compass to keep the business side of books healthy.

At the same time, we must ensure that the book remains at the core in all of this. Challenges in our profession often come down to logistics, budget, competition with other media and huge online retailers. Still, we believe that independent bookstores play a unique role in this landscape. They are the places where hungry readers can come into close contact with literature, celebrate their own identity, and enjoy their hobby – and these places are rare.

We too had the chance to speak up at RISE. Our unique story is offers perspectives through the long history of our family business and the loyalty to our values, which we have managed to preserve for more than 135 years, spanning five. Ours is a story of building bridges, sticking our necks out, stepping outside of our own walls, and spreading the love of books in our local community. Questions we pose ourselves are many, but come down to a few missions. What does it take to spark a reading culture? How can we cultivate connections to bring books to the places where people are, and not only the other way around? And the ultimate question: how will we ensure that the 6th generation of our family has a future?

Bookshops for Democracy

That bookstores play a significant role was once again undeniably proven during the panel discussion “Bookshops for Democracy.” With a wink, the session was announced as “a dictator’s worst nightmare.” As slogan-esque as that may sound, there is much to reflect on here. Especially at a time when Putin, Trump, Xi, and other world leaders are dividing the planet, bookstores are increasingly being forced to make decisions about which values they wish to embody.

The panelists proved this in the discussion. Ramunda Lark Young again stood tall. She puts “Black Books Matter” on the agenda in a country where diversity and inclusion were brutally erased from the policy. Not giving in to the pressure, but questioning these tendencies and letting other voices be heard. It doesn’t have to be called activism, as long as it is clear that this diversity of opinions is still alive, even though it is systematically suppressed. Toni Morrison would have liked to hear this; echoes of her words resonated through the room.

Fleur Sinclair from the UK and Jan Smedh from Sweden also shed a European light on engagement through books. Fleur, as a descendant of the only black man in her village, was always an outsider. But through her commitment and personality, she found her place in the city center of Sevenoaks, which became a destination for commuters between Canterbury and London. In Sweden, they pride themselves on being a super-inclusive and progressive society, where quality of life and human rights steer policy in the right direction.

Bookstores are, after all, built on empathy; they stand firmly in society and reflect what is happening in their surroundings. Literature offers windows into the psyche of others, and in that lies a desire of “wanting to understand.” This plays out socially, creatively, and certainly politically. By definition, there is no place for oppression in bookstores.

In addition to spreading knowledge, part of our mission is also to help shape ideas. Through quality non-fiction, individuals can inform themselves and gain knowledge about the challenges facing the world. Freedom of expression in a bookstore means critical thinking, historical perspective, debate, and sometimes challenging the status quo. This way, we can critically examine current events and the increasingly prevalent “narratives.”

Bookstores are places of radical empathy for our fellow human beings. Their identity is built around seeking dialogue, nuance, and togetherness. These are values we are eager to advocate throughout the streets of Bruges.

Fighting Spirit on the Way Home

With our minds full of information and our stomachs full of Latvian buffets, we headed to bed after three days in Riga. There wasn’t much sleep to be had. Not only because we had an early flight to catch, but because all those questions, topics, and opinions needed their time to settle. Even at night, a notebook at the ready, the to-do list for our return home was growing fast!

What do we take home with us from our colleagues? Above all that books, even among those who handle thousands of them daily, always provide new inspiration. That we are well aware of what is happening among people and in the world. That we care about those around us, with a sincerity that would warm anyone’s heart.

And where does that come from? Because every day we are exposed to compelling stories, learning about the dreams of others, but also the challenges they have faced. Because we are offered every possible perspective by experts in the field. Because we see how readers react to what they read and how it enriches them.

It may sound romantic and fleeting, but that is exactly what enriches the social fabric and what we as booksellers also want to contribute to. Being relevant to our surroundings on one hand, but also helping to spread the pure joy of reading books. Because that sparkle in someone’s eyes when they’re talking about the last book they’ve read is nothing less than pure magic!

Thomas Barbier

Riga – Bruges 28/03/2025