books
© Katrijn Van Giel
The art and architecture bookstore Copyright in Antwerp is closing its doors after 28 years. The branch in Ghent will continue to exist.
Copyright is a household name in the book landscape. The store and online webshop have an excellent reputation as a specialized bookstore for art, architecture, design, photography and fashion. The Antwerp branch, next to Momu in Nationalestraat, now announces that it will close its doors on June 1. The bookstore in Ghent, where Copyright started in 1983, will remain open.
Business manager Hilde Peleman wants to take things slower together with her partner Johan Boeykens. “The corona crisis and the temporary closures of Momu had already made us think,” she says. “Two shops and the daily commute between Ghent and Antwerp during rush hour started to weigh on us.”
As recently as 2018, Peleman sent an emotional message to the world via Facebook. “Everyone knows our bookstore, but fewer and fewer books are being sold,” she complained at the time, complaining about dwindling sales and cutthroat online competition. (gvds)
