William Crocodile: new mobile French bookstore in Milan
Both e-commerce and mobile point of sale, the neighborhood children’s bookstore was created by two French women in Milan. An innovative concept that gives books a second life, mainly in French.
William Crocodile, a new neighborhood French-language bookstore, is born in Milan. Unusual – and not only for its mysterious name – the second-hand bookstore for children was born from the meeting between two French women living in Milan, Aurélie Bazex and Caroline Zanon.
The initial idea is to take the book (in English) to the heart of the city. “Among French articles, books are surely what we miss the most in Milan”, says Aurélie Bazex. Some 3,000 children’s books, having had a first life, were thus collected from French and bi-national families in Milan, with a view to being resold via the site or (very soon) directly to the bookstore: a bicycle.
The circular economy based on reading
Aurélie, Milanese by adoption for ten years, and specialist in e-commerce, developed her sensitivity to the circular economy during a previous professional experience at Armadio verde, an Italian “re-commerce” of second-hand clothes. “We are all overwhelmed with objects and among those which have the most meaning to be reused, there are books”, she believes.
Caroline, as for her Milanese since 2011 and former bookseller of old books in Paris, does not always hide having dreamed of creating a bookstore since her arrival in the heart city of Stendhal.
The idea really germinated in January 2020, but the project took several months to develop because of the vagaries of the pandemic.
“At the beginning we imagined a place, but the Covid meant that we had to reimburse, reframe and adapt the project by developing the idea of commerce”, explain the two entrepreneurs. However, a physical presence remains essential, hence the idea of a rolling logistics object: the bicycle, customized in the colors of the bookstore!
It is finally an “association for the promotion of reading in French abroad” which was created. “This allows us to give the books to us and thus participate in the development of the library, or to leave us in consignment. We are also always on the lookout for new books! “, specifies Aurélie Bazex.
The enthusiasm of the reading public can only be detected: “We did not take long to collect hundreds and hundreds of books”, explain Aurélie and Caroline, thus reinforced in the usefulness of their project.
And for good reason, it is generally unthinkable to throw away a book. Even more so when it has only been used once or remains in good condition.
“The occasion is not necessarily a damaged product. This means that the book had a first life, but most of the works in our selection are practically new ”, Caroline assures us. Books that are too damaged, not selected, will find new life thanks to donations from associations.
The offer is built in French to meet all age categories, from the child’s first month of birth to 18 years old or to young adults. And in all areas of children’s literature, to meet all expectations: novels, comics, joke books, animated books for the little ones, pop-up books, or even school classics .
If the main offer is in French, William Crocodile also collects some works in Italian but also in English thanks to the families of expatriates arriving from the four parts of the world.
How to buy a book from William Crocodile?
To date, only the e-commerce site has been launched, pending the administrative authorization of the itinerant trade to be given (imminently) to go directly to meet young readers.
It is possible to buy the books directly online (with payment on the site or upon withdrawal). Deliveries are organized at a relay point or by a bicycle delivery person, under cover in this case at a slightly additional cost. Soon, purchases can take place directly on site, from the mobile bookstore. But beware, the 3,000 books will not be transported every time!
Where to find William Crocodile books in French?
Initially, the main meeting will be given in front of the French lycée Stendhal during the week, and on Saturday for the young people of the association Flam (French mother tongue). “But depending on demand, the idea is to move to other neighborhoods to meet Francophones, to create events and opportunities”, adds Aurélie.
So to know where the William Crocodile bookstore is hiding during its future outings, keep an eye on the website and social networks.
But in fact, why William Crocodile? “We wanted a name related to Stendhal given the link the French writer had with Italy and Milan in particular. Or William Crocodile is one of some 200 nicknames that Stendhal gave himself! “, explain Aurélie and Caroline. An offbeat, curious name, ideal for a children’s bookstore.
Useful information :
The books are classified into three categories to define the selling price:
– Like new, at -20% of the initial price,
– Good condition, at -40% of the initial price,
– Imperfect, at -60% of the initial price