Saturnàlia bookshop

Saturnàlia bookshop (Llibreria Saturnàlia) is a second-hand bookshop in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Spain. It opened on 8 June 2020 at Carrer Planeta, 17, near Plaça del Sol. The shop occupies about 80 square metres and began with a catalogued stock of 7,000 books. It is organised as a non-profit worker cooperative, meaning that salaries are regulated and profits are directed to social purposes. The founders, María Olivera Pérez and Joel Montserrat, had previously worked and volunteered at the second-hand bookshop that occupied the same premises. They had planned to open in December 2019 but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the launch until June 2020. The name Saturnàlia refers to the ancient Roman Saturnalia festivals held in December, the month they had originally intended to open. The shop's values, such as the inversion of the established order and a preference for horizontality, are closely tied to the cooperativism that characterises the business. Beyond selling books, Saturnàlia has hosted presentations, poetry recitals and talks of various kinds. Its stock comes from donations by individuals; it accepts all kinds of volumes except textbooks and encyclopaedias. Most of the offer is narrative, but there are also sections for art, history, philosophy, politics, cooking, spirituality, health, other languages and a children's corner. Sale prices range from one to eight euros depending on condition, rarity, quality and demand, with an average of three euros. The shop uses social media to publish and review its 'new arrivals'. Barcelona Activa advised the cooperative on marketing and business plan matters, while the cooperative Col·lectiu Ronda advised on administration and finance. After the Sant Jordi day of 2022, when a hailstorm damaged sales in the literary sector, Saturnàlia joined a statement claiming that the impact of weather circumstances was unequal for small publishers and bookshops.

Saturnàlia bookshop opened on 8 June 2020 in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, at Carrer Planeta, 17, near Plaça del Sol. The founders, María Olivera Pérez and Joel Montserrat, had previously worked and volunteered at the second-hand bookshop that had occupied the same premises. They initially planned to open in December 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the launch until June 2020. The name Saturnàlia was chosen in memory of the Saturnalia, the ancient Roman festivals held in December, the month they had intended to open. The shop is a non-profit worker cooperative, with regulated salaries and profits directed to social purposes. It began with about 80 square metres of surface and a catalogued stock of 7,000 books in 2020. The stock is fed by donations from individuals; the shop accepts all kinds of volumes except textbooks and encyclopaedias. Most of the offer is narrative, but there are also sections for art, history, philosophy, politics, cooking, spirituality, health, other languages and a children's corner. Sale prices range from one to eight euros depending on condition, rarity, quality and demand, with an average of three euros. The shop uses social media to publish and review its 'new arrivals'. In addition to selling books, it has hosted presentations, poetry recitals and talks of various kinds. Barcelona Activa advised the cooperative on marketing and business plan matters, and the cooperative Col·lectiu Ronda advised on administration and finance. After the Sant Jordi day of 2022, when a hailstorm damaged sales in the literary sector, Saturnàlia joined a statement claiming that the impact of weather circumstances was unequal for small publishers and bookshops.

• Planned opening in December 2019, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Opened on 8 June 2020 at Carrer Planeta, 17, Gràcia, Barcelona.

• Joined a statement after Sant Jordi 2022 claiming unequal impact of weather on small publishers and bookshops.

Non-profit worker cooperative second-hand bookshop with a focus on affordability and community events.

• Second-hand books

  Stock sourced from donations, priced 1–8 euros, average 3 euros.

1. 1Llibreria Saturnàlia - Wikipedia (Catalan)ca.wikipedia.org
2. 2Saturnàlia bookshop - Wikidatawikidata.org