Cafes and bars that open and close after two years rely on the simple minting of money. We want the places of Vilnius to be cute and cozy, because this is the face of the city, says LRT.lt, the founder of the bookstore-cafe "Mint Vinetu", second-hand writer Jonas Valonis. As he says, although friendships in different fields help each other, the union of a bookstore and a cafe is still more familiar to foreigners, bookstores in other countries usually sell not only coffee, but also wine.
- Bookstore-café "Mint Vinetu" twice won the title of the most hospitable cafe in Vilnius. How did the idea of founding Mint Vinetu come about? Did you imagine it as it is now?
- This is probably how we imagined everything, but not to the extent that it is now. From the very beginning, we considered combining the cafe and the bookstore into one space, which became relevant over time and when we realized that it would not be possible to survive on book sales alone. But it did not disappoint, because now one side supports the other, friendships from different fields help each other. If it was only a bookstore, some people would choose it, if it was only a coffee shop, different people would choose it.
- Currently, more and more unions from different fields can be seen in public spaces. Maybe people get used to receiving several services at once?
- You can say that. I think there is also a purposeful business maneuver at work here. Whether the bookstore itself initiates the sale of beverages or not, this is a way to attract people to stay longer. For example, there is even wine in bookstores in other countries, it is completely normal there. If only coffee was sold, some would not even understand it.
- Do you need a lot of investment to establish a similar type of place? Is it possible to do it with your own hands?
- I think you can do it with your own hands, but I say this from my current experience, after many years. There were similar bookstores in Panevėžys, Šiauliai... The main reason why they did not remain is that people did not yet understand what they were. For some cities, it was too early. In Lithuania, it is often believed that the sale of old books takes place only in the market or on the hood of a car, maybe even in a library. But here we are, managing to survive. Maybe because we are not fully focused on business and earnings. So you should always think about whether you want to open a bookstore and why.
- How do you assess the situation of gathering spaces in Vilnius? What places do you think are missing?
- I think that Vilnius lives very well. There are many bars, cafes, restaurants. There are enough seats for all audiences, they are distributed. I want this business to be honest and fine I don't like places that open and close after two years. It's simple coinage. There is quite a lot of everything in Vilnius, but it can always be better.
As for old bookstores, there are some, but they are scattered around Vilnius. Such places can be found Lazdynas, in Karoliniškės, etc. People who do not come to the old town go there. People who are interested in specific books are drawn from the center to those regions.
I want the places of Vilnius to be cute. I believe most businesses like ours are the face of the city. I myself try very hard to make the people who come to Mint Vinetu feel as good as possible, so that I can help them and at the same time represent the city. For example, for me, certain bookstores are associated with the country, reflect it. Some see the country's museums or attractions, but for me something special is bookstores and cafes.
- Reviews about "Mint Vinetu" are the best. How do you manage to create such a cozy, welcoming atmosphere?
- You just come up with something and make it. Everything changes here, the accumulation of that atmosphere is like a spark. You create and create, and if it doesn't work out, you create something anew. You need to create an environment that makes you feel comfortable. This is the key. Everything is more or less based on gut feeling.
If someone who knew about interior design or the distribution of positions came to our bookstore, they might say that everything is bad here. There are ways to get better at a person, but they are very technical, then there is no sincere communication.
- What are the visitors of your bookstore-cafe?
- Children and their parents, schoolchildren, and people of retirement age, representatives of various professions visit here. However, we sell old, used books. Some people just buy such books not good. So they naturally fall back.
I don't know how to describe the visitors of Mint Vinetu. Some come for the books, others for the space. There are visitors who still, eight years after opening, ask if books are available here. I think that such a bookstore-cafe model is much more familiar to foreigners, residents of Western countries.
- Are you thinking of opening a second bookstore-cafe?
- It's happening, I think it will be like that. Only when there is a second child can the first be forgotten. We are thinking of either Vilnius or Kaunas, which is the only one capable of gathering and keeping such people as our visitors.
- At book fairs and other events, you present yourself as booksellers. Maybe someone has not heard this word yet. What is a secondhand bookmaker?
- A book dealer is a buyer and seller of old books. This is where the transaction, the buying and selling process is important. In the world, a second-hand book collector is perceived as a person who knows a lot about old books - where to find them, what the books are worth, etc. For people who don't know where to put their old books, I suggest taking them to secondhand booksellers. These are the people who can decide whether the book is necessary or not. Our duty is to preserve what is valuable.
Virginija Sližauskaite, LRT.lt
