Brent Pinheiro
brent.pinheiro@guardian.co.tt
Huug Berkheij and Kosi Graham have spent decades working with books. Now they have joined forces to open T&T’s newest bookstore – Caribook. Graham and Berkheij say it’s a misconception that people are no longer wanting physical books, pointing to an increased demand for printed material around the world.
Graham says he jumped at the opportunity to provide reasonably priced books to the population. “I’ve always been fascinated with books and growing up in a big family, books provided a way of escape from some of the craziness we experienced in life. As a child growing up in the ghetto, one of my escapes was going to libraries and reading books because my parents couldn’t afford to buy books for all the children in the family.”
Within hours of opening, shoppers had already flocked through the doors of the Sackville Street bookstore eagerly looking for bargains.
To keep prices reasonably low, Berkheij says they have one physical retail location with an attached warehouse that facilitates online orders. Their website, allows shoppers to purchase from their own devices and either have the books shipped directly to them, or be picked up in store within 24 hours. According to Berkheij, 99% of their products are available online for purchase and they’ve been fulfilling online orders even before the store’s physical opening.
While the bookstore doesn’t currently stock books by Caribbean authors, Graham says there are plans to partner with local and regional authors and help promote their work.
The company has plans to open other locations in the region. The company also operates several Spanish language bookstores.