Collective ownership in the world of books

These unique bookstores, located in two totally different parts of Amsterdam, set themselves up against the status quo of the modern book market. In these times where independent bookstores are under heavy pressure due to the emergence of big chains and digitalization, these shops deliberately opt for shared ownership. This enables them not only to survive, but also to contribute to the community in a meaningful way.

Despite their varying backgrounds and ways of working both stores share the same core value: community over profit. Their stories show both the possibilities and challenges of collective ownership.

Cultural Book Centre Nieuw-West

The last bookstore in Nieuw-West
At Tussen Meer in Osdorp, one can find the only true Nieuw-West bookstore. Meck & Holt was founded about 40 years ago and has ever since grown into a meeting place for the neighbourhood residents. However, big changes are waiting behind the facades of this book paradise, now owner Eddie Mekkelholt is approaching his retirement.

Without a successor the store runs the risk of having to close its doors and that would be an enormous let down for Nieuw-West, a neighbourhood of 160.000 people, comparable to the city of Haarlem. It would be robbed of its last and only bookstore. Alas, this scenario finds its way into reality more and more often. Small, self-sustaining shops are faced with the consequences of the exploding online market (think of Bol.com), a decreasing number of readers and changing consumption patterns.

The plans for Cultureel Boekencentrum Niew-West (CBNW) must prevent the disappearance of this unique bookstore. By moving to a cooperative model, carried by the neighbourhood residents and volunteers, the book centre hopes to develop the place into a breeding ground for readings, book presentations, writing contests and the annual book gala. The closing of the store would not only mean a loss for the book lovers, but for the community, too. In a diverse neighbourhood of Nieuw-West, where there’s a strong need for connection all around, a cultural place like this is of much value.

The closing of the store would not only mean a loss for the book lovers, but for the community, too.

The birth of the cooperation
During the ‘80’s, the bookstore of Eddie Mekkelholt ’s brother, located at Tussen Meer, was in danger to go bankrupt. Eddie, by that time an economics teacher in Leiden, came to help out and took over the store. He turned out to be a passionate book seller. He even opened two extra locations, on Osdorpplein and the Johan Huizingalaan, so that Nieuw-West was well covered.

But the times, they are a-changing. The bookstore, now still running as an ltd., sees itself confronted with the challenges of today’s society and with Eddie’s retirement just around the corner the store’s future was all but certain. And so the idea came to turn to a model in which entrepreneur and cooperation exist side by side. The entrepreneur would run the store professionally, while the cooperation would offer support in the form of activities, volunteers and the neighbourhood’s involvement.

In february 2024, the cooperation was founded by three board members: Ronald Mauer, Eddie Mekkelholt and Niko Koers. The idea of a cooperation soon received a lot of support from the neighbourhood. More than a hundred people expressed their intention to become a member and contribute €1.000. That amount serves as a membership fee and the starting capital of the cooperation. The money will, however, be collected only once there is a fixed plan for the bookstore’s future.

Originally, the idea was for the cooperation to exist side by side of the ltd., with the latter managed by the entrepreneur. The cooperation would become the minority shareholder, holding 2% of the shares. This way an influence on the important decisions would be secured. The entrepreneur would be responsible for the daily affairs in the bookstore and the cooperation would provide support by bringing in volunteers, organizing activities and offering financial aid. However, the two potential entrepreneur dropped out and now the cooperation finds itself confronted to take on the business itself.

Why a cooperation?
The cooperation holds two main goals: saving the last bookstore in Nieuw-West and providing it with a new life through the organization of activities, reaching out to a wider audience and making the business future proof. According to Niko Koers, the power of the cooperation lies in the involvement of the community: ‘’It’s really nice for the volunteers to think up ideas and do things.’’ Yet, he hopes to find a entrepreneur: ‘’We need this year to prepare ourselves as a cooperation, but it would still be wonderful if an entrepreneur shows up.’’

The idea to continue as a cooperation was partly inspired by the Cooperative New Bookstore in Bos en Lommer, which had tens of volunteers buying shares after the former owner had taken her hands off the business. They learned that volunteering work alone is not enough to keep a store running. Niko explains: ‘’A bookstore is a business of penny’s and a 24-hour job at that. And a bookstore is a business. You should not do all of that voluntarily.’’

The choice for a cooperation over a foundation was made deliberately: ‘’A foundation cannot make a profit and we actually want to make a profit for the cooperation,’’, Niko explains. Even though collective ownership is not about profit maximization, it doesn’t avoid it. In some cases it is a necessary means to secure the continuity of the initiative. ‘’We want to pay back the money that the members put in, and therefore you need to make a profit.’’
Whether this is a temporary goal or not depends on the needs of the members and the phase the cooperation is going through. ‘’Besides, a cooperation has a different feel to it. It’s an association: there’s members, meetings, people feel connected.’’ The highest organ of the cooperation is the general assembly that’s held one or two times a year. There is also many volunteers, who are not cooperating, but do have a say through the domestic rules.

A lot of work is yet to be done in order to attract more people to the cooperation, but Niko is positive: ‘’It demands a lot of networking energy, but that could be a great task for a group of volunteers.’’

The cooperators and volunteers
The possible closing of the CBNW caused a wave of solidarity to roll through the neighbourhood. The one hundred cooperators have diverse backgrounds and motivations but share one goal: to keep this special place in Nieuw-West. Niko Koers says about this: ‘’Some people are principal when it comes to having a bookstore in their neighbourhood.’’
But the cooperators do not all come from the neighbourhood. Some just like the store or used to get their books there. Some even live in the canal area. They all just like Nieuw-West to have their own bookstore.

Many are willing to put in €1000, but some others show their support in a different way.
More than fifty volunteers put in their efforts to keep the CBNW running. Their involvement is vital, not only for the daily business but also for the organization of events and activities, a second-hand books section, supporting the treasurer and approaching customers.
Roelie Duyvendak coordinates all the volunteers. She knows everybody’s talents and interests and makes sure everybody feels valued and involved. This combination of financial support and active involvement is fundamental for the cooperative model.

Diversity and inclusion
CBNW is more than a bookstore. It’s a cultural centre driven by the ambition to reach out to the whole neighbourhood, which brings challenges, mainly in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Nieuw-West is a diverse neighbourhood with a big population of Moroccan, Turkish and other nationalities. Niko Koers recognizes the challenge to get to these people: ‘’I think we have a big responsibility to the people living here, who are not all white and grey-haired.’’ These groups do visit the store but not all that often. Niko thinks that this could have to do with a different reading culture, but also with the supply of the store. ‘’We might not have what they want or the way they want it, just because we don’t know about that.’’
Reaching out to these diverse population groups is thus very important for the cooperation. He sees a great potential in the idea of investigating their reading preferences: ‘’Yes, that would be a good thing.’’
The collaboration with Wij zijn Nieuw-West offers some perspective. This program is directed to the socio-economic development of the neighbourhood, and is willing to support cooperations, such as the CBNW. Niko is hoping for help with marketing and boosting the demand, particularly that of people from different cultural backgrounds. One of the main obstacles on the road is the lack of experience with marketing: it’s exemplary that efforts to reach out to the youth through social media led to nothing. Support is therefore very welcome, but Niko likes to add that ‘’I don’t think you should be a subsidy junkie, so it’d be a nice addition, but it won’t be the basis.’’

Would the cooperation in Plan A only have a supporting role, in Plan B it would be fully responsible for the business.

Plan B: the cooperation as shopkeeper
The cooperation and ltd. working side by side looked to be an ideal situation for the CBNW, but it has not brought what was hoped for, as two potential entrepreneurs dropped out.
‘’That model kind of flopped,’’ Niko says. ‘’We have found other entrepreneurs, so now we’re putting plan A on hold and starting to work out plan B’’. Plan B is ambitious: the cooperation itself becomes the owner of the bookstore.

This change has serious effects on the day-to-day affairs. Would the cooperation in Plan A only have a supporting role, in Plan B it would be fully responsible for the business. That means that the cooperation would have to operate as a shopkeeper, taking on everything involved with that.

Niko emphasizes that a couple of essential changes is necessary to make Plan B succeed. The most important thing is to limit the risks and make the management simpler. One of the first steps is to stop the selling of cigarettes. Then the book stock will be run down. ‘’People don’t rummage no more’’, Niko notices. ‘’They want something, order it and come to pick it up’’. The shop has to capitalize on this trend by stimulating the ordering process, and reducing the supply of books in the store. This approach fits in with the current situation, with half of the sales coming from online orders.

The biggest challenge now is to form a new board. Niko Koers does not see himself in that role: ‘’That’s over, I am 77 now. We need younger people with the energy to run the store,’’ he explains. But age is not defining: ‘’At least somebody who finds it a lot of fun to do it.’’

Finally, there is the possibility of failure. ‘’In a year, the current owner will retire and that’s when it should be rounded off,’’ Niko says. If plan B won’t work, only the plan C of liquidation remains. However, with the great commitment of volunteers, cooperators and neighbourhood residents there are enough reasons left to stay optimistic and look forward to a long future that Cultural Bookcentre Nieuw-West has hopefully lying ahead.  

Het Fort Sjakoo

Situated on the edge of the old Amsterdam city center, de Jodenbuurt, is Het Fort van Sjakoo. A bookstore that is not to compare with big chains or even the most independent stores. There are no novels and best-sellers for sale. Here, the shelves are full of leftist-political and society-critical literature. It’s a place where you don’t only find books, but also a rich history that defines its unique character.

Besides all this, there is something else what makes Het Fort van Sjakoo special and it’s the way the store is managed. Namely, it’s a store in collective ownership, with a group of enthusiastic volunteers spending time and energy on running this place. There is no eye on profit. Each single penny that is earned flows back into the store or is used to support other social initiatives.

The history of het Fort
The history of Fort van Sjakoo starts in 1975, when the building was squatted as a reaction to the massive demolition of the Jodenbuurt, which turned the whole area into a vast bare plain. After World War II, many buildings were dilapitaded through neglect, partly because residents of neighbouring areas came to gather firewood during the hunger winter. The remaining buildings where demolished during the 60’s and 70’s, as the subway line constructions demanded deep building pits and the way-too-ambitious plans for a highway with office buildings cutting right through the area would make large parts uninhabitable.

The local population responded to these plans with much resistance. Some residents established the action group Nieuwmarkt to oppose the massive demolition. The subway line could not be cancelled, but the highway and office behemoths could. As the execution of the plans took much longer than expected, the action group took that meantime to squat multiple buildings. In 1975 it was a building that would come to house a book store two years later.

The bookstore has grown from a network of activists who were connected to like-minded groups in cities such as Copenhagen, Berlin, London and Paris. These groups were exchanging much information and materials and so the idea grew to create a physical place to do that. When Bas Moreel, a distributor of anarchist books, stopped with his activities he was searching a destination for his stock. That’s when Het Fort van Sjakoo grew into a bookstore and meeting space, completely run by volunteers.

Starting the foundation
In the early years stuff was rather unorganized and the squat was endangered with eviction. Only in the 80’s that changed.  The plans for offices where wiped off the table for good and the municipality decided to buy the squatted buildings in the neighbourhood anyway. These buildings where then sold to Woningbedrijf Amsterdam which entered into contracts with its inhabitants and users. Het Fort van Sjakoo got a low rent, which made it possible to continue the store.

As the building was legalized in the second half of the 80’s, the foundation was soon to come into existence. The main goal was to manage the bookstore and take care of the finances in a professional way so that the place would be future proof. The foundation provided structure to the collective character of the store, without giving in to its original ideals.  

The new owner wanted to apply a market-based rent, increasing with no less than 900%. For a volunteer-run store that was impossible to handle.

At the end of the 90’s Het Fort van Sjakoo found itself under pressure once more. Woningbedrijf Amsterdam, by then Ymere, was privatized. A few years later the store received a letter with bad news. The new owner wanted to apply a market-based rent, increasing with no less than 900%. For a volunteer-run store that was impossible to handle.

The volunteers didn’t let up and ask their constituents for help. ‘’We received support from all directions’’ says Jeroen, one of the Fort volunteers. ‘’Former customers who used to pound down the doors here, people who had worked here or had been active in social movements here in Amsterdam, but strangely enough de Kamer van Koophandel as well.’’ The plan was to raise concerns and that worked. One façade of the Ymere inner city office was painted in rainbow colours and the office was even occupied. During a debate in the Mozes and Aäron church there was a joint thinking to stop the rent increases in the whole of Amsterdam.

Ymere, however, stayed put and threatened with legal proceedings. A court case was filed to set a rent price, with an increase of 400% being proposed as ‘’reasonable compromise’’.
The collective didn’t see it that way. ‘’It was like a deferral of execution,’’ Jeroen explains. ‘’In five and ten years time it could happen again.’’

In a final effort to save the bookstore, the collective proposed to buy the building. Against the run of expectations, Ymere agreed. ‘’They immediately said yes,’’ Jeroen remembers. ‘’Apparently they were fed up with it.’’ The offer was 70% of the market value. In case of an eventual sale, the company would be the first to be presented with an offer, namely 70% of the then running market value. The purchase price of €200.000 was enormous for the collective, but the volunteers managed to get the money together through donations, rent-free loans and the sale of debt instruments.

The collective
Besides the collective of enthusiastic volunteers, there is a second foundation involved with Het Fort van Sjakoo, which is Stichting Stort voor het Fort. This foundation is responsible for the building and rents the space to the bookstore for an affordable price. The goal of the foundation is to make sure that the people who put in their money at the time of the purchase, won’t lose that money when the store isn’t doing well.

The boards of both foundations consists of people who do not work in the store. In general it is a so-called ‘’sleeping board’’, meaning that they only come together once a year. During this meeting they get to see the annual reports and they talk about big supporting operations or loans. The day-to-day decisions are made by the volunteers. ‘’We’re not going to bother the board with every trifle. They don’t even want that.’’ Says Jeroen. Only when a big sum of money is on the line, they go to the board.

The store now has a large group of 22 volunteers. ‘’That’s a lot. It’s never been that many,’’ Jeroen notices. Working with volunteers brings in a unique dynamic. It can be challenging to align the different capacities and responsibilities. ‘’Everybody is different, learns at his own speed, has different interests,’’ says Jeroen. There is always a search for the middle ground, with some taking more initiative while others stay in the background. Despite these differences the volunteers try to help each other. Knowledge and capacities are shared, everybody can always learn from one another. That’s important, as each volunteer needs to know a few basics about running the store.

New volunteers are coming in the organic way. It’s often people who have been visiting the store for a while, who find the collection and the volunteer-run organization inspiring. ‘’Many people initially think that everybody here gets paid, that it is a commercial store,’’ says Jeroen. ‘’When they discover that it’s not, they often offer to help.’’ Potential volunteers write an e-mail with their motivation, wherein they say what they like and what they are missing. Then the selection is made.

The internal way of working
The volunteers of Het Fort van Sjakoo share the responsibility for the store. ‘’There is some things you just need to know,’’ says Jeroen, ‘’it’s useless if you’re sitting here if you don’t even know what to do when somebody wants to buy something.’’ Apart from the basics, there are tasks that demand a more specialized knowledge. The volunteers distribute those tasks among themselves, according to the different interest and talents. Some people deal with the IT and software, while others do the accounting. Keeping track of new books is another of these tasks.

The volunteers are not only responsible for running the store, but also for maintaining the building. In recent years, there has been a lot of refurbishing work done, such as fireproofing the ceiling, renovating the storage space, laying a new floor and painting the walls. It’s often the handymen among the volunteers doing these chores. The store functions efficiently and everybody contributes in his or her own way. 

A wide audience
Het Fort van Sjakoo attracts a diverse audience. There are the regulars from way back in the day, accidentally passing tourists and special visitors from abroad. Some people know the store by name and come for the unique collection, others happen to pass by on a walk through the neighbourhood. It’s a place where people come together for more than just books. There are even Amsterdammers who come from all corners of the city just to drink a coffee, not even once glancing at the books. Het Fort van Sjakoo is a meeting place as much as it is a bookstore.  

At Het Fort van Sjakoo, the formal responsibility lies with the board, but in reality it’s the volunteers. The board is more of a controlling organ.

The foundation model
The choice for a foundation model, instead of a cooperation such as Cultureel Boekencentrum Nieuw-West, was deliberate. Jeroen explains that the cooperation members collectively decide the course of the business during the general assembly. At Het Fort van Sjakoo, the formal responsibility lies with the board, but in reality it’s the volunteers. The board is more of a controlling organ.

An important feature of a foundation is for the money to stay within the organization instead of being distributed among the employees or board members. All those involved are unpaid, even though a foundation could theoretically speaking pay its members. ‘’From the beginning we’ve been saying that we don’t want to work with salaries,’’ says Jeroen. He believes that paid workers could lead to a skewed environment, with the paid employees pulling more strings than the volunteers.

The money that Het Fort van Sjakoo is left with is not shared among the volunteers, but goes to other initiatives. ‘’We put that money into different things. If it’s not the store itself, like the extension of the assortment, we try to help external initiatives, groups, or people,’’ says Jeroen. For example, they support the anarchistic library in de Bollox, which is therefore no longer depending on the charity nights for the purchase of new books. Het Fort van Sjakoo also tries to support alternative structures, such as de Nieuwe Meent and Bajesdorp by offering practical help.

Initiatives
It has been mentioned before: Het Fort van Sjakoo is more than a bookstore. In order to boost the atmosphere of the meeting place, activities are organized on a regular basis. There is a stage for book presentations and discussion nights, which offer end up in engaging conversations. Despite not happening each week, these activities are characteristic for the place. Jeroen says that the initiative for the activities often lies with the authors themselves: ‘’About 85% of the activities comes from authors themselves getting in touch to hold a presentation.’’ When it clicks, the volunteers try to host an event. Het Fort tries to organize this six times a year, sometimes multiple events occur within a short period of time.

Once every couple of years Fort itself publishes a book. Often these are works of authors who don’t know how to spread their own material. The store offers a platform for these writers, for example by providing an ISBN, so that books could be ordered in other stores as well. Het Fort wrote, for example, a squatter’s manual after the 2010 ban, as well as a detainees manual with information about rights and obligations that come with an arrest.
Het Fort also published a book with the history of action posters, including a CD with thousands of posters. These publications illustrate Fort’s involvement in social and political themes. 

Het Fort van Sjakoo is a unique place with a rich history and a strong ideology. Visitors are invited to come and experience the place for themselves and discover what is on offer. ‘’Let the people come and see. We have a lot. You could also find a lot through the keywords on the website,’’ Jeroen finally adds.


Conclusion
Even though both initiatives go for collective ownership and community, they differ in approach and background.

Cultureel Boekencentrum Nieuw-West symbolizes transition and renewal. The cooperative model introduced here, emphasizes the power of collaboration between the neighbourhood residents, customers and volunteers. This initiative transforms a traditional store into a cultural centre, where the making of connections between the diverse communities in the neighbourhood is very important.

Het Fort van Sjakoo, on the other hand, breathes history and activism. The store has its roots in the squatter’s movement and had to fight hard for its existence. The choice for the foundation model enables the organization to offer an unique collection to a niche audience in a sustainable way.
Whether it’s saving the last bookstore in the stretched-out neighbourhood of Nieuw-West or an historical place of activism in the heart of the city, both shops show are committed to their community and resilient in these times where small, independent bookstores are struggling to keep their heads above the water. They offer an alternative for the market-oriented model and show how collective ownership can create an added value. 


Cultureel Boekencentrum Nieuw-West
Tussen Meer 46, 1068 GC Amsterdam
www.cbcnw.nl

Fort van Sjakoo
Jodenbreestraat 24, 1011 NK Amsterdam
www.sjakoo.nl