Cariocas and Mineiros, a mix that works really well! One of the curators of Rio Memórias is Profa. Heloisa Starling, a “true-blue” Mineira and a deep connoisseur of the history of Rio and Brazil. Just like her, there are many Mineiros who help and have helped write an important part of Rio's history, and Rui Campos is also one of them.
Photo of the interior of the bookstore
Image description: This is a photograph of a bookstore called "Livraria da Travessa". The image shows a wide interior view of the store, with shelves full of books arranged in several rows. On the left, we see low shelves with books stacked in smaller piles. In the center, there is a checkout counter with staff serving customers. On the right, taller shelves hold books organized alphabetically. The floor is light-colored wood, and the space is lit by both natural and artificial light.Founder of Livraria da Travessa, he came to Rio in the 1970s and began his career at the Muro bookstore, founded in 1975 in the basement of a shopping arcade in Ipanema. Muro was a stronghold of political and literary resistance, and it was there that Cacaso (another native of Minas Gerais!), Chacal, Wally Salomão and so many other poetas marginais used to meet - a term coined by Heloisa Buarque de Hollanda, who was responsible for the historic anthology "26 poetas hoje," published in 1976.
After Muro came Dazibao (Centro branch), which was located at n. 11 Travessa do Ouvidor and eventually became Livraria da Travessa, its name referencing precisely the street on which it was located.
Photo of the bookstore's façade
Image description: The image shows a photograph of a bookstore called "Livraria da Travessa". The bookstore is located in a building with a black and brown facade. On the left, there is a person walking, wearing a blue shirt and beige pants. On the right side, another person is standing still, wearing a white shirt and jeans. At the bookstore's entrance, there is a person standing, wearing a yellow shirt and a backpack. The bookstore's phone sign is written in white on the black facade.Two more branches were opened in Downtown Rio (CCBB and Rio Branco avenue) before reaching Ipanema in 1996. In 2014, it began expanding to other states, and in 2019, it crossed the ocean to open a store in Lisbon. Travessa is one of the only independent bookstore chains going against the market trend and continuing to expand its territories.
Its success can be credited to the tripod of three “As” — Service, Collection and Architecture — as Rui Campos points out. The cozy atmosphere of the bookstores, designed by architects Bel Lobo and Bob Neri, invites reading and consumption... it's hard to leave there without a book!
Image description: The image is a photograph of a bookstore. In the foreground, there is a man in a white shirt, with his back to the camera, holding a set of DVDs. In front of him, there is a stack of piled-up DVDs. In the background, there are shelves full of books in different languages and sizes. On the right, there is a table with more books and a computer. In the center, there is a display featuring the title "REVOLUÇÃO" and a human figure. The bookstore has a light wood floor and natural light coming in through the windows.The quality of the collection also stands out, with a wide selection of national and foreign books. Rui shares responsibility for the venture with nine partners, among them: Roberto Guedes, Nika Monteiro, Sandra Martins and Mônica Peçanha.
