How Austin's Livra Books opened shop
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The interior of Livra Books. Photo: Asher Price/Axios
I recently stopped by Livra Books, a used bookstore that opened in the fall on Guadalupe, just beside NeWorlDeli, to check out the selection.
Why it matters: It's a time of flux in Austin's surprisingly resilient independent bookstore scene.
- The last decade has seen notable openings — Black Pearl Books on Burnet, Reverie on Menchaca, First Light on Speedway and Vintage on East Eleventh.
- On the other hand, South Congress Books recently closed shop and, in this age of Amazon, book peddlers are constantly trying to figure out how to draw in buyers.
What I found: An absolutely charming store with an eclectic mix of high and middle-brow — nearly all of them somehow singular, in the loveliness of their editions or peculiar in their subject matter.
- For $3, I bought an attractive paperback edition of "Going After Cacciato," a funny-sad, semi-surreal Vietnam War novel by Tim O'Brien — long a writing teacher at Texas State.
I talked with the bookstore owner, Moctezuma Seth Gonzalez — he goes by Seth — about why he opened the store.
The background: Gonzalez, 31, grew up in southeast Dallas and came to the University of Texas as an undergrad to study philosophy, anthropology and history.
How did you get into bookselling?
SG: "I started selling books at the start of the pandemic. I found myself spending time at thrift shops and bookstores because those places were still flexible in terms of having folks browsing around. There I got to meet a curious collection of booksellers who operated online but were a community of sorts. I slowly got immersed into this community and decided to dive in mostly to fund my day-to-day expenses while I dedicated time to my writing."
- "The idea was that I would dedicate most of my time writing short stories and my novella, but it turned out that bookselling was a strangely addictive activity."
What's the competition like?
SG: "There's a lot of competition, and I quickly started seeing it as a sport or a game in which I wanted to outperform everyone around me. It was a friendly kind of competition. I befriended every book dealer willing to reciprocate kindness. Some were and continue to be bitter rivals."
Why did you decide to open a brick and mortar?
SG: "The brick and mortar came as a natural extension to my business. I was already selling online, selling wholesale to decorators, and selling books in the rare book trade. I had also dabbled in selling books in person in my backyard and after the events gained a small following locally. After my 1,000th customer, I figured it was a safe bet to start looking for a retail space to continue expanding my business model."
How would you describe what makes Livra distinct?
SG: "The objective I have with Livra is to bring to the forefront books that would traditionally have a rough time selling online into a retail environment where these specific items actually have a more direct appeal to book lovers."
- "These include vintage paperbacks with fascinating cover art that are overshadowed by contemporary reprints of the same title. It also includes odd titles that nobody would ever intentionally seek out, but because you stumble upon it in the right moment in a retail setting, you purchase it."
Tell me about your programming.
SG: "I have monthly meetings that I call 'theory night' where we discuss a philosopher and a fiction piece and engage in deep conversation about these two works in a setting that doesn't feel high stakes with grades and such. I want to eventually expand this to twice a month and even expand it into a Spanish version of it. The objective is to create a place where ideas can be discussed. Kind of like the American salons of old."