In our series The Art of Bookmaking, Luster gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of the world of publishing. We interview people with whom we work and who work in publishing: Printers and distributors, retailers and designers - some of whom are sometimes indirectly involved, although most of them often work in the very heart of our industry.
Dirk van den Berghe has been running Alta Via for over 15 years. His independent travel bookshop specialising in maps and guides for active travellers is located in Antwerp’s Eilandje neighbourhood, near the MAS Museum. Although we are positively inundated with digital travel information these days, van den Berghe remains a staunch believer in paper and the power of the brick-and-mortar shop. "I do something the Internet can’t do."
Who is Dirk Van den Berghe?
Fifteen years ago, Dirk Van den Berghe founded Alta Via, a map and travel bookshop in Antwerp’s Eilandje neighbourhood. After studying Slavic philology, he ran a bar, after which he got his start in the book business at Audivox, an English-language educational bookshop. Before establishing Alta Via, he spent seven years at the helm of one of two branches (at the time) of Atlas & Zanzibar, the well-known and much-loved travel bookshop in Ghent. Van den Berghe lives in the Flemish Ardennes, from where he commutes daily to his shop in Antwerp.
What inspired you to open Alta Via?
I managed one of Atlas & Zanzibar’s two shops in Ghent until about fifteen years ago. Although I loved my job, I never felt really free. One day, I said to my wife: I want to have my own business. In those days, Antwerp didn’t have a specialised travel bookshop. Although it takes two hours to get to Antwerp from where I live, I decided to go ahead with my plan nonetheless. I rented this property together with a friend. Back then, the Eilandje was a very different place: they were still building the MAS Museum and the street was a construction site. The early years were very difficult. I was able to pay myself a salary for the first time in the shop’s fourth year of existence. We had to make significant investments and had very few customers. After a year and a half, I decided to go it alone. I told my partner: “If the shop goes bankrupt, I will have given you a gift. If it’s a success, you will have given me a gift”. We’re still friends.
Do you think that you underestimated the start-up phase?
Definitely. My plan was based on the shop in Ghent where I had been involved as a manager from the start. That shop was a success from day one. But it had one very important thing going for it, namely that it was located in an AS Adventure store (Belgian retail chain specialising in outdoor sports and outdoor equipment). It meant that customers naturally found their way to the shop. In Antwerp, by contrast, the shop was rather far from the city centre. As a result, the rent was affordable, but we didn’t get the footfall we needed. But I never stopped believing that it would be a success. Although I did not have such a large customer base, I soon realised that I had returning customers.
Since then, Alta Via has become a fixture in Antwerp. How do you explain the success of a physical travel bookshop in these digital times?
Everything you find here is also available on the Internet. But it is the combination of a pared-down collection, an atmospheric shop design, and the know-how of my employee and me that makes people return. The Internet is simply unable to offer this combination.
You sell lots of maps. Don’t people use Google Maps these days?
Maps account for 60% of my sales. The range of maps we offer is unique. You’d have to go to Stanfords in London to find a collection with such a scope. Did you know that they are publishing more maps than ever today? Obviously, these are specific walking and cycling maps. I also make maps myself. In 2017, I started making my own maps, including long-distance cycling routes and walking maps with train connections. Thanks to digital tools, I can make them myself and sell them across Europe through a distributor. The idea came from my own travels: every time I needed something but couldn’t find it, I thought “I’ll just make it myself”. My most recent map was published a month ago: it’s a city map of Antwerp. To date, we have sold 500 copies. A map forces you to think. It also provides an overview, and you have the freedom to deviate from the route from time to time.
What about guidebooks?
To be honest, I’m really surprised that so few travel book publishers go out of business. Because sales of classic travel guides are plummeting. Specialised guides continue to sell, though. You need to carve out a niche, like you are with The 500 Hidden Secrets. Or like the Wild Guides, the outdoor guides with lots of visuals and information. Or the Bradt’s guides, which always remain critical and provide plenty of background information. Mass production and superficial content no longer work. I don’t believe in going completely digital either. If Lonely Planet were to only publish digital guides in the future, I am convinced they would fold within a matter of years. Most of my customers prefer a combination of paper and digital. The perfect match!
How important is your website?
Almost everyone who visits the shop has also visited my website. I can tell by how focused people’s questions are. In terms of sales, however, my online shop accounts for only 1 to 2% of our total turnover. So yes, a website is essential, but not for direct sales. This doesn’t bother me. There’s no passion in online stores. They’re all about the numbers, not about the people.
A young couple walks into the shop. Dirk interrupts our conversation to assist his customers. When he returns, his eyes are twinkling: “They are thinking of visiting Bosnia, and I think that I provided them with the right information. This is why you do it. If you are opening a bookshop for the money, then you’re in it for the wrong reason. It is a passion, and in the best case scenario, you can also make a living off it”.
Besides being a retailer, you also started creating and publishing your own maps. Are there any new initiatives in the pipeline?
Yes. During a walk in the Sonian forest, I had the idea to launch a second website. The homepage will feature a Google Maps version of Europe, with lines tracing walking routes that start and end at train stations. If you click on a route, you will immediately receive information on the guides and maps available for your trip. A great combination of digital and paper.
Do you still have time to travel?
Of course! You can usually find me in the mountains. My passion for mountains also inspired the shop’s name. Alta Via means “high road” in Italian, the mountain trails where I love to head for my hikes. And I always travel there by train. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a plane. Everyone makes their own choices, and I do enjoy listening to the stories of customers who have flown to Japan or South America. But for me, the pleasure lies in watching the landscape change very gradually along the way. Making rail just the perfect mode of transport.
Thanks for the conversation