On the occasion of its 8th anniversary, Bukinist, the largest online platform for Albanian books, creates a large space in the most dynamic area of Tirana, serving the community of readers and authors.
Eight years ago today, on July 22, 2016, the book platform Bukinist.al was launched, with the clear mission of its founders to assist all readers inside and outside the country to have the opportunity to buy Albanian language publications online. This journey began to fulfill many of the needs that the Albanian book market had at that time. In a short period, its team offered an innovative way of managing and marketing Albanian books, creating value in this market and in cultural management in general. Thanks to a well-prepared staff with a passion for books, Bukinist became the best online platform in Albanian, as well as the main destination for information about publications in our language.
Today, after 8 years, Bukinist.al is one of the two largest book operators in Albania, with a community of around 85,000 readers who have followed it everywhere, with a portfolio of 17,000 titles, most of which are in the Albanian language, with two major fairs: “BookFest” and “Days of the Book” held in partnership with two of the largest shopping centers in the country. Since January 2024, every reader can also order books in the English language.
Eight years is a lot in the life of an individual or enterprise, but it is modestly little compared to the cultural needs of a country and the demands that reading communities have to find publications that properly meet the daily mental and spiritual nourishment needs and to gain knowledge that brings them closer to or better aligns them with our times. Precisely for this reason, and to expand all age groups of our readers, we have long seen the need to have a physical space for book exposure and physical contact with readers.
Now, on this 8th anniversary, Bukinist.al also has a physical bookstore of about 500 m2 in the liveliest area of the capital, in the former Block, which will be entirely at the service of the community of readers and Albanian authors. We have thought to have a corner for meetings of Albanian authors with young readers; an area for promoting new authors, – a corner for reading clubs or other creative writing courses: Above all, this will also be an opportunity for our publishers to promote their titles. This message also serves as an open invitation for new authors who now have a new book house that thinks about their creations…
Like the online platform, the Bukinist.al bookstore will also maintain the strong identity formed over 8 years; continuously informing readers about the titles that are put into circulation, following the policy of offers, keeping the Bukinist Friend reader close, and increasing the recommending power.
Over these years, we have learned from the challenges we have faced, especially during the pandemic period, – while readers have understood us for our service delivery issues, but also for the great problems that the Albanian book market in general has. With the opening of this bookstore, we will improve our services for our loyal readers who want our online services, speeding up book delivery time, expanding book categories, especially children’s publications, books in foreign languages, professional and academic texts, and many other categories that had their difficulties in online trading conditions.
In the premises of the Bukinist bookstore, all creators are welcome, those who love books, those who believe in the transformative power of books, – therefore we aim to co-create a dynamic ecosystem with the participation of experts, managers, and business leaders, people who make cultural policies, teachers, lecturers, and communication experts, and many others who have the book as part of their journey.
The “Bukinist” bookstore will also be a promotional space for bibliophiles, bibliographers, stamp and map collectors, as well as all students and experts who want to understand and learn better the history of book development, its transformative power even in our days, and the impacts of reading on our lives. Similar to Plato’s cave, monastery spaces, and universities, modern bookstores become places where imagination is ignited, knowledge is gained, the world of ideas is renewed, and the cultural agora is enlivened, from where ideas and initiatives that transform society take life.
Finally, another thing that will intrigue many: The “Bukinist” bookstore is located inside two tunnels built during communism to protect the dictator Hoxha’s villa. Quite different from the past, today, by turning it into a bookstore, I believe this space, through books and with readers, – will have the power and magic to liberate the mind and enhance the dimension of freedom for all those who make reading a daily part of their lives, and through it, have the ability to adapt to the world and understand it better.
In difficult times, investing in books is the right decision that goes beyond the goal of profit. This challenge was undertaken by the shareholders of Bukinist.al 8 years ago, but also today by creating this center in the service of culture.
The doors of the physical bookstore “Bukinist.al” are now open, waiting for our friends – the readers.
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