Peter Farrugia meets the voice behind Buġibba’s best-loved bookshop, Thomas Cuschieri, and the passion that drives his approach to a new reading culture in Malta.
Adventurer, entrepreneur, avid reader – Thomas Cuschieri’s eclectic and exciting life are well represented by the unique way he does business.
Tommy’s Bookshop has been a fixture on the Malta holiday scene for decades, supplying tourists with their weekly dose of fiction during interminable summer holidays. Now, Tommy’s have set their sights on locals too. “It’s not a way to make money,” says Cuschieri, “you’ve got to do it for the love”.
Tommy’s began its love-affair with books in 1973 as a Buġibba tourist shop. Couched between cigarettes, liquor and novelty hats, an impressive selection of second- hand books always took pride of place. “Books are very precious to me, I honestly get offended if somebody mishandles them.”
Calling it a day in 1995, Cuschieri spent a year thinking about his life.
He decided that his real interests were reading and travel, and he’s since been all over Asia, enjoying long trips to Indonesia and Vietnam.
“The way they live there,” he says, “and the way they do business has been an inspiration. They’re very passionate about what they do.”
Returning to Malta reinvigorated Cuschieri decided to get to work again and this time dedicate all his energy to books. The new shop has been running since 1997, and is still going strong.
“Online shopping has affected sales but we’re much cheaper than online shops, and you can’t replicate the personal touch,” he says.
The fact that he remembers each customer by name, and more importantly, their likes and dislikes when it comes to new books, has made the shop something special. “You need to know your customers, select books you know they’ll like and suggest some new ones too.”
It’s this popularity that has customers returning year after year. Tommy’s has been an established name since the 1970s, with a fiercely loyal clientele – Cuschieri tells the story of one elderly English woman who stumbled across the new shop quite by chance, and returned a book she had purchased 20 years earlier.
Another customer visits every couple of months and exchanges a selection of 50 crime novels at a time, discussing the stories with friends and sharing recommendations.
Indeed, Tommy’s returns policy is another much imitated factor that makes them unique. If a patron returns their book no matter how long after they’ve bought it, you’re assured half your money back.
“Some customers return books from the 1980s,” says Cuschieri with a smile. Unfortunately, the popularity of Malta as a tourist destination with a certain generation of travellers seems to be declining - also, the disappearance of many hotels from the area means things are changing, fast.
In hope of bringing a touch of contemporary appeal, Cuschieri’s daughter Nicole, Dazzle Troupe director and the creative mind behind Malta’s Burlesque/Vaudeville line-up, has since stepped up and is now co-managing the shop.
“I’ve had to reorganise it, it was a bit complicated,” she laughs. Creating new sections for textbooks and literary fiction, the shop is reaching out to a broader audience.
It is the support of the locals which will see this special shop weather the current economic changes. On my visit to the bookshop I was excited to pick up several books you’d be hard pressed to find in other leading local booshops.
“Our books come from hotel cleaners, charity shops, car boot sales. Everything is lovingly bought,” says Nicole, spreading her hands to show off the shelves with a flourish.
“We’re planning on opening a book café during the summer,” she adds. “We want to bring more Maltese people into the shop to see what we have to offer.”
While early afternoons are best for visitors, the shop is open most of the day and books never cost more than €6, even the brand new ones. Cuschieri and his daughter reflect on the bigger picture:
“We want to encourage a reading culture in Malta with reading as sharing,” he says. “Parents must encourage reading as a sharing activity with their children, teachers with their students. It’s not a completely private pursuit.”
It’s this kind of attitude, focused on the customer and the idea that reading should be enjoyed by as many people as possible of all ages, that will see Tommy’s go from strength to strength and find a valued place among Maltese readers.
“Whether you’re travelling or relaxing, there’s nothing better than a book,” says Cuschieri. And isn’t that the truth?