Books Are My Business: Michael Finucane, Chapters Bookstore, Dublin

Michael Finucane is co-owner of Chapters Bookstore on Parnell St in Dublin. He previously co-founded Gamesworld, which later became Gamestop Ireland. Originally from Finglas in Dublin, he now lives in Co Meath.

Michael Finucane, Chapter Books. Pic: Norma Burke

How did you get into the bookselling business?

We inadvertently got into the bookselling business in 1994, when myself and my business partner Kevin Neary opened a video game shop in the back of the original Chapters shop in Middle Abbey St. 

The owner Willie Kinsella was very kind to give us 250sq ft at a nominal rent for the time. We were only babies and he gave us an opportunity that we will always be grateful for. 

When Willie and his wife Ger announced that they were going to close Chapters, he said the only people he would sell it to was me and Kevin. 

Everyone was talking about the closure and how upset they were about it. Chapters is part of our story and our beginning, and so many other people have their own wonderful stories around it. 

We went to Willie and Ger, and we eventually came up with a plan, and reopened in March last year. 

We were blown away by the reaction — it was covered on the RTÉ news, which we were completely blown away by. 

It has been good — we have learned a lot in the last year and a half. 

We are delighted by the way it has been growing. 

We also did a deal with [garden centre] Arboretum to open up on the first floor and that has been an incredible addition to our offering, plants and books go together very well.

You were recently nominated for TikTok Indie Bookshop of the Year — how did that feel?

We were surprised and delighted to be in the mix. 

We have a small team here and we all pull together — our TikTok is a reflection of the people who work here and the values we try to get across as a bookstore. 

It is about interaction, not selling, we want to engage with people. 

All of the staff are involved, whether it is behind the camera, editing them, or appearing in them. 

Somebody asked me if we get many sales out of it, and we don’t really but what we do get are job applications. 

We have a young girl in with us for the last couple of weeks from Germany who had seen us on TikTok and came over to do three weeks' work experience with us because she thought it was the type of place she would like to work.

What do you like most about your job?

It is the most enjoyable thing I have ever done career-wise. It is different every day. 

We have a great community between staff and customers, and authors and publishers as well. 

The book world is a very friendly world. I have got to meet some wonderful people, it has been fantastic.

What do you like least about it?

The early starts and the late nights. We are just taking care of the Chapters brand. 

It had been going for 40 years before we took it on and the first rule is not to mess it up.

Why are bookshops so important?

They are a hub for the community. It is also important for people to read, wherever they get their books, from a bookshop or a library. 

It gives people a wider view of the world and a greater sense of themselves. You can be transported to a different world in a book. 

We are also so lucky in Ireland that we have an abundance of brilliant writers. We are spoiled for talent. 

It is also about accessibility — second-hand books are one of the pillars of Chapters. 

It works well because we have great customers with great taste, it is a circle. You will find stuff you never knew you were looking for. 

You might come across a book that has been out of print for 20 years, and it might be the book of your life. It is like a treasure hunt.

What three books would you bring to a desert island?

I’d want to bring more than three… From books I’ve read in the last 12 months or so, I would definitely bring Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, it is one of the best books I have ever read, and also Sebastian Barry’s new book, Old God’s Time. 

For something older and a bit left of centre, it would be The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, it’s probably my favourite book of all time. At Christmas, I gave it to my four kids as a present. Some of them enjoyed it more than others but they all liked it.