Smoloskyp Bookstore finally opens in Kyiv

The man behind the creation of a strictly Ukrainian bookstore is Osyp Zinkevych, director of Smoloskyp Publishers. “Because he supports young people, he recruited them for this project,” says bookstore manager Olha Pohynaiko. “In fact, we had a long road to travel to open the bookstore: it took two years before we received all the required authorizations.”

The bookstore specializes in Ukrainian books in the humanities. There are separate sections devoted to history, political science, philosophy, humanities (cultural and literary studies), Ukrainian literature, foreign literature, children’s literature, reference works, and albums. There is a separate department for Ukrainian journals. Some Ukrainian publishing companies will occupy separate shelves (e.g., Smoloskyp, Osnovy, Fakt, and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy).

“We are largely oriented toward the younger generation, particularly students. This doesn’t mean that people without a postsecondary education won’t find books to their liking here. People who are interested in Ukrainian history, culture, and literature will find fascinating books here, although the emphasis is on the educated reader, of course,” says Olha.

In addition to salesclerks, the bookstore will have professional consultants on staff to help buyers select books to their taste from among some 3,000 Ukrainian book titles. According to the manager, the bookstore will soon have comfortable sofas and a coffee machine, so that book buyers can examine their prospective purchases in a relaxed atmosphere.

Smoloskyp is meeting readers halfway, offering a maximum democratic pricing policy. According to Pohynaiko, the founders are primarily seeking to make Ukrainian books available to the general public: “This isn’t the first Ukrainian bookstore in Kyiv. There is the Yavorsky Bookstore, but their markups are murderous. Our markup is 35 percent: that’s a minimum percentage, just so we can survive in business.”

The opening ceremony gathered many people, including noted writers and public figures. Half of those present were young people. Dmytro Pavlychko said in his impassioned address: “I have finally lived to see the opening of Ukrainian bookstores, because in the 1990s, when the commercial approach was dominant, these kinds of bookstores were being closed all over Ukraine. Unfortunately, our times hate books, so the opening of the Ukrainian-only Smoloskyp Bookstore is an event of exceptional importance.”