Letters Matters
Letters Matters – Livraria Com Sabor
This project is about opening a unique book store, Letters Matters, right in the heart of Lisbon, containing only the most important books ever written. How do I know what they are? I asked over 1000 readers from around the globe to share the books that have had the biggest impact on their life journey. I would like you to contribute too.
But Letters Matters is more than just a place that sells important books. It is an atmosphere bookshop, an emotional bookshop, an inspiration and a motivation bookshop. It is a large space designed to be able to hold music gigs, artist exhibitions, literary circles and workshops. The store will contain a café serving fresh, delicious, healthy food in full acknowledgment that we need to nourish our minds, souls and bodies alike.
Letters Matters is a place for conversation and connection, an attempt to reconnect people with books and with each other. To give back time, time to discover letters, ideas, tastes and emotions, to express and discover yourself. It is meant to create a true and long forgotten comfortable ambience, non-virtual social media surrounding, to inspire people, help build their confidence, and open their hearts and minds to dreaming again.
My name is Florentin Bosse, a “professional nomad”, born in Bucharest, with German ancestors and a Portuguese heart, who lived and worked in New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Frankfurt, München, Berlin and Lisbon.
I had the idea of creating this place of harmony, wisdom and emotional well- being during my five month self-imposed exile from society – when I undertook a solitary pilgrimage of over 3.800 km, from Berlin to Santiago de Compostella in Spain and further to Fatima in Portugal. I came back from my journey with this strong feeling that there is a painful search all the way through our communities for regaining authenticity, authenticity of our values and our purpose. My intention with creating Letters Matters is to give people back the joy of reading, to give them back the ability to dream with open eyes. As Oscar Wilde said, “it is what you read when you don’t have to, that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
It is my deepest hope that reading will not be a skill or a function that will lose its meaning and get atrophied like an appendix in the next centuries; it is Letters Matters’ mission, philosophy, and credo that our duty is to ensure this will not happen.
The store will be located in the middle of Lisbon, in one of the most sought after areas in Lisbon, Principe Real. With over 200 square meters, with two cosy terraces, the store contains plenty of space to accommodate books, cosy reading corners, and a café. The business plan has been validated by certified accountants.
There is an initial investment required to completely refurbish the place. The initial investment has been estimated to be ca. 250.000€, with a capital / fixed assets value of 80.000€.
It goes without saying – but I write it – that all the money collected via this financing vehicle will be utilised exclusively to build the premises for this unique experience.
The request
Creating such a project comes up with a high start-up cost component. I am acting in a private capacity and not as a corporate investor. This is a passion and heart project, and I would like to request your financial help to enable me to open this unique bookshop-café, and reverse the irreversible.
Furthermore, let’s create this project together not just financially but also with our united hearts and minds: Please send me the names and authors of the best 5 books they have ever read, so that YOUR books can find their place on Letters Matters’ shelves, too.