We Sell Books: ‘We want to contribute to a positive change in the way the world thinks’

Bríd Conroy owns the recently-opened Tertulia Bookshop in Westport, Co Mayo, along with her husband, Neil Paul.

When did Tertulia open?

We opened on July 10. We are getting a great reception from local people and tourists visiting for the summer.

How did you come to open a bookshop?

We came to live in Louisburgh, about 15 minutes from Westport, in 2000. I’m from Dublin, Neil is from London. We lived together in London for about 13 years and then we came here. We bought an old schoolhouse by the sea and our journey started there.

I’m an accountant and Neil worked as a lighting specialist on film sets. We decided to move to the countryside and raise our daughter here. I had my own practice here and Neil went back and forth working on films. But in that time we got involved in a lot of different community ventures. We were also involved in managing another bookshop and in other little ventures as well, we did bike hire and we had a coffee trailer at Roonagh pier. It was that thing of living in the country and looking for things to do to make money and engage with the community because we live in an isolated place and you need to be out there doing stuff.

Where did the name Tertulia come from?

We wanted a word to encompass our ethos — a place where people can come and talk about things, to read but also to philosophise. We couldn’t find a word in English. A friend of ours who is a Spanish speaker came up with the word ‘Tertuli’a. There was a bit of apprehension in that people wouldn’t be able to pronounce it, including ourselves, but at the same time it has actually made people interested because people are asking about it, what it means and how do you say it.

Tertulia refers to a circle of people who get together. Originally, they were more like salons in Spain, men with cigars and stuff like that but it has evolved into a circle of people who get together to discuss current affairs or literary events.

What has the reaction to the bookshop been like so far?

The response has been excellent. Westport is a fantastic location, we are down by the quay, and there is a growing community down here. People are looking for something different. We describe Tertulia as ‘a bookshop like no other’ because it is about more than the books.

Our mission is that we want to contribute to a positive change in the way the world thinks. It is not just about selling books even though is reading is amazing. It is about our interaction with people, creating a space that people feel welcome and positive in. We have had a lot of tourists but I’d say more than 50% of our customers have been local.

It’s early days but we have had people coming in for a look and for a coffee. People are finding their way to it, in small towns, word gets around fast. It’s great to have tourism, and Westport has tourists all year round, but we want it to be about the people in the community as well. We aim to run various different events in the autumn, including a Sunday Tertulia, where people get together for a discussion.

The design and layout of the shop is very striking, how important was the aesthetic to you both?

It is very important, it says who we are and that we have confidence in what we are offering to the world. If we are saying it is a bookshop like no other, it has to look like that. Our shelving and tables are all custom-made. Also, Neil has collected a lot of memorabilia from his work in films so we had lots to use in the shop. We have found that people come in and go ‘Oh, wow’. It is a very positive thing if people come into a space that is a bit unusual and different.

We have a coffee corner, a film corner, and we also have a featured artist of the month. The flooring is designed to direct people in and around the shop. Our children’s corner is Harry Potter-themed and we have built our own ‘cupboard under the stairs’. Harry Potter is still as popular as ever. I have just ordered another lot of The Philosopher’s Stone.

Neil worked on the movies in the studios in Neasden [near London]. The kids who come in love to meet someone who has worked on the movies. We also have a science fiction corner with items from other movies Neil has worked on.

What kind of books do you stock?

We have a wide selection of books. I did a masters in Trinity in peace studies which I finished last year. We wanted a section on humanity, environment and nature, we want to promote that, informing ourselves about the environment and the world. We want to be a place of information as well as a bookshop.