Coffee & Books in Havana
Starting each day with a cup of Cuban coffee provides energy enough to boost your day. I would love to say that a few sips are enough to deal with the recent transportation crisis or shortages of the most basic products, including coffee itself, but that would be an exaggeration. It is, anyway, the best way to start my day and my best ‘partner’ through my teaching and reading journey. Studying Linguistics and Translation at the University of Havana was a great opportunity, and required a lot of coffee, but becoming a professor at my alma mater has been the sweetest grinding experience. Nonetheless, teaching fits perfectly well with my other passion, reading, which is doubtless the best tool for mastering a foreign language and critical thinking.
Being a bookworm is not as easy as you would think in Havana, and launching my own bookstore in Cuba has been a puzzle of innovation. Bookworm Bookstore, my personal project, originated from an idea of community growth, not economic, but cultural. My partner and I share a passion for literature, and we are avid readers, devouring books from wherever we can find them across the city. This sparked the idea for the bookstore.
However, being a young bookstore owner in today’s Cuba presents many challenges.
HOW TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR UNDER U.S. BLOCKADE
Cuba has faced numerous challenges due to the internal economic crisis and the complete embargo imposed by the United States since 1962. While the blockade has had wide-reaching effects on Cuban society and the economy, it is particularly hard on the emerging entrepreneurial sector. Cuban entrepreneurs have had to navigate a complex web of obstacles in order to establish and sustain their businesses given the inability to purchase any goods from the United States.
Finding alternatives is not always easy. The recent attempts to realign the Cuban economy after the detente offered by President Obama has created many painful consequences, but offers new possibilities for the growing the Cuban entrepreneurial community. Small new projects are many and varied; some propose very niche and unique ideas, reinventing concepts, innovating with materials, while many others simply attempt to replicate what seems to sell.
This entrepreneurial community is developing in a hostile context. Cuba is currently facing the most severe economic crisis of the past 60 years, together with one of the largest migration waves to the U.S. The scarcity of resources, limited access to technology, and restricted trade opportunities maintain a challenging environment to operate a successful business. Additionally, the embargo has limited the availability of essential inputs and raw materials, making it difficult to manufacture products and provide services at competitive prices.
Despite Cuba’s literary richness, cultural heritage, and educated population, the demand for diverse literature exceeds the supply of books in the country. With Cuba’s universal access to education and culture, the passing of the Law of Libraries and Provincial Book and Reading Centers, daily reading is common routine for all social strata, age groups and professions.
One of the most significant challenges Cuban independent bookstore owners face is the restricted access to books and publishing materials resulting from the embargo, as well as the lack of technology and raw materials. The absence of the regular import and export of books leads to higher prices for old, dusty copies stored in personal libraries. The demand for specific titles and literary genres has increased, contributing to price inflation and making access to books more difficult due to low personal incomes.
In the early 2000’s, the introduction of the concept of self-employment led to the emergence of private booksellers and bookkeepers, which increased the circulation of titles. This resulted in a price difference between state bookstores, which are subsidized and have fewer titles, and the newly established private bookstores.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Cuban citizens became entrepreneurs in an attempt to bring-in dollars during the economic crisis. It was during this period that most of the online bookstores managing the circulation of second-hand books in Cuba were born.
But this is nowhere close to a sustainable system for small bookstores to ensure a constant flow of books. There are no donations or collaborations with libraries or state-run bookstores, which limits the volume and diversity of titles. Without access to outside imports and an improved, stable flow of titles and authors, reading in Cuba for most is condemned to an experience of often unappealing reads and obscure, uninteresting books that remain on the shelves of state bookstores for months or even years.
To address this problem, my partner and I launched our own private shop in Havana called Bookworm, offering a diverse selection of second hand books at reasonable prices. Are there challenges? Yes. Is our business fast growing? No, but it is not fair to say that we (and Cuba at large) are necessarily stuck in time. Our business (like our island) is patient and constantly striving for progress and renewal, reinventing itself without losing its essence. It’s a bit like a roller coaster, but in the end we understand our core values and are committed to persevere. What choice do we have?
As Americans become more educated about the world around them, it is important to recognize the potential of the emerging Cuban entrepreneurs and the positive impact they can have on the Cuban economy and society. Cuban booksellers facilitate the transformative power of literature and foster a culture of intellectual engagement within our communities. We are all waiting for the day when the U.S. wants to have a normal relationship with us – you know, to stop in and have a cup of coffee and take a look at the new books on our shelf. In the meantime, I will continue my hunt for paper treasures around town, and keep preaching to my students the undeniable power and pleasure of reading.
- Coffee & Books in Havana - March 1, 2025
Key West Events This Week🌴Mar 4-10, 2025Let's Connect!
