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It's so beautiful right next door!
By W. Christian Schmitt
Between 1950 and 1975, the legendary "Darmstadt Talks" event series took place. In short, the aim was to bring culturally interested citizens closer to relevant topics and issues through public discussions. This is also the goal of the "Darmstadt Table Talks," where those who contribute to the preservation and further development of our society in various capacities have their say. This time, journalist and publicist W. Christian Schmitt, along with cameraman Werner Wabnitz, are guests of Judith Kautz, owner of the Bessungen bookstore.
Books can, should, and must be considered essential to life. They often tell stories "about life" and are vital for many people. They not only inform and entertain, but can also provide guidance. Just think of the desire to take at least one's favorite book to a desert island. Books allow us to share in the experiences of others. They are often brimming with lived experiences. And booksellers are the ones who make it possible to acquire such literary treasures.
Judith Kautz is a representative of this very special profession, which, however, has been undergoing a transformation for some time now – like so much else in this country and in the retail sector in particular. That's why we arranged to meet her in her living room to learn firsthand how "the book reaches the reader" today, in times when Amazon & Co. are increasingly trying to dictate the "rules of the game" – and making it difficult for brick-and-mortar bookstores to survive.
Sitting directly across from me is Judith Kautz, who, after graduating from high school, "wasn't quite sure" what to do next and initially wanted to become a landscape gardener. But not only her father, a respected architect, advised against it. So she began studying in Hamburg and Frankfurt, ultimately graduating with a Master's degree. And now what? Earning money was the order of the day. First, she worked as a secretary "at a property development company." On the side, she took on a part-time job that brought her closer to what she does today. She helped out at the Bessungen bookstore, founded in 1978, for Mechthild Steiger-Kühn, and thus became a newcomer to the book trade. Much later, on January 1, 2019, she was able to take over the bookstore from Eleonore and Alfred Hofmann and became the boss of some 4,000 books, which she now offers her customers.
We're in the middle of a conversation about worries, concerns, but also joys. About local culture, about what makes Darmstadt special and distinguishes it from other cities. It's about the role of booksellers yesterday, today, and tomorrow in this charming provincial capital, which has so much to offer: the German Academy for Language and Literature, the annual Büchner Prize, the Literary March, the Mathildenhöhe and Rosenhöhe parks, the Kellerklub (cellar club), and the Literaturhaus (House of Literature), etc., etc.
The once-leading bookstores in the city center, such as Schlapp, Megede, Gutenberg, and Lichtenberg, among many others, are gone. In their place are the smaller shops that have loosely formed associations to host the occasional cultural event related to books. "How does one stay informed about books?" I ask Judith Kautz, "when trade publications like Buchreport and Buchmarkt have ceased publication, and the Börsenblatt für den Deutschen Buchhandel, which used to be published twice a week, now only arrives in bookstores every two weeks?" The bookseller, who is well-connected in Darmstadt's cultural scene (she was previously active in the Darmstadt Literature Initiative and has been a board member of the Kellerklub for over ten years), is anything but pessimistic despite the many challenges: "The book market as a whole has become more complex, but many small, niche, and neighborhood bookstores have a good chance of survival." Because they are and will remain close to the wishes of their reading customers.
And then, of course, we also talk about bestseller lists and how the publishers affected by them deal with them. Judith Kautz isn't a big fan of such "sales aids": "I'm the first one to remove those book stickers – if they're not already part of the book cover." Customers want advice, she says, and points to the focus of her bookstore, which ranges from children's and young adult books to fiction and crime novels ("I enjoy reading those too") and many regional titles.
Finally, on their website we read: “Our small but excellent shop offers a wide range of products… The strength of the Bessungen bookshop lies in its personal and individual service. It is considered a meeting place for young and old in the neighborhood…”. That's exactly how we felt too: small, excellent, and right next door.
Judith Kautz She then studied English literature in Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main, graduating with a Master of Arts degree (major in English, minors in American Studies and Children's and Young Adult Literature). In January 2019, she took over the Bessungen bookstore as its owner.
