Flexible hours, being your own boss, fresh air and views of Notre Dame – it’s a job with a lot going for it. Paris’ bouquinistes have been a fixture along the banks of the Seine for some 500 years and are determined to keep their profession alive.

“It’s my life, it’s not just a job,” 76-year-old Sylvia Brui, who’s been selling ancient books for eight years on Quai de Conti, told CNN. “We sell things that we love.”

The history of Paris’ world-famous book merchants dates back to 1550, when a dozen street vendors set up shop on the Île de la Cité, in the heart of the French capital. The trade took off with the construction of the Pont Neuf in 1606, the first bridge without buildings atop, offering a vast space for new vendors of portable wares.

By the early 1900s, the city standardized the iconic look of the stalls: sellers worked out of metal boxes painted the same “wagon green” color, and their open lids were designed to preserve the riverbank views. Today, around 230 booksellers stretch along roughly three kilometers of the Seine, offering antique and contemporary books, engravings, stamps and magazines.

It’s a unique setting to appreciate the written word: a skyline of historic stone buildings frames this open-air bookshop.

‘Commitment to books’

Booksellers pay no tax or rent but must comply with strict regulations. Vacant spots are allocated and regulated by the City of Paris through a dedicated committee. Candidates must apply with a resume and a cover letter explaining their plans.

“You must show your commitment to books,” Jérôme Callais, president of the Association Culturelle des Bouquinistes de Paris, told CNN. Twelve new booksellers were appointed in October 2025.

Each occupancy permit is granted for five years. Booksellers must open their stalls at least four days a week, except in bad weather. They are allowed to sell old books, second-hand books, old papers and engravings. They may add a small selection of other items – like coins, medals, old stamps and postcards – as long as they do not exceed the contents of a single box.

“You need to have experience, to be knowledgeable,” Callais said, “It’s not surprising that the majority of booksellers are over 50, about 80% of them.”

Among that older cohort is new bouquiniste Ozan Yigitkeskin, who plans to offer a selection of multilingual books. He decided to set up shop on the quays at the age of 52 after working as an online book seller. “My first job was selling books by bicycle in Istanbul at the age of 15. I’ve also been a typist and a journalist, and I’m still passionate about books.”

Yigitkeskin knows how fragile small bookshops can be, constantly struggling to cover their rent – a problem he boasts he won’t have as a bouquiniste.

Six years ago, 35-year-old Camille Goudeau opened her own stall specializing in science fiction and fantasy on Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, after spending years working for other booksellers.

“I deal in inexpensive second-hand books to encourage people who don’t read, or read very little, or have stopped reading, to read again,” she told CNN.

“I had a 30-year-old woman like that, she didn’t dare go into a bookstore,” fellow bookseller Sylvia Brui chipped in. “She bought her first book here: ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’ Later, she read Joyce. Now she goes to bookstores.”

Polling from IPSOS/CNL suggests French readers have been buying more second-hand books over the past decade, with those aged 25 to 34 reading the most books per year on average.

Working outdoors: freedom and human connection

Booksellers work outdoors all year round, often with nothing more than a folding chair for comfort and a tiny table serving as both desk and counter. Why choose this life over the comfort of working in a shop?

“I don’t like being stuck indoors, and I find it hard to work for someone else; being a bookseller allows me to be completely independent,” bouquiniste Camille Goudeau explained to CNN.

“It’s a very direct way of connecting with people,” Goudeau added. The stalls are “a refuge for some people for whom it’s their daily walk, their only daily interaction.”

Such moments of human connection make all the difference, said Claire Leriche, a bookseller for 15 years. “When people buy three postcards and I show them the stamp, explaining it was sent in 1904, they are happy because there is a little story that goes with it.”

Laura Contreras, 26, a literature student researching Simone de Beauvoir’s letters, comes to the quays often, mostly to buy philosophical works and essays. “There’s historic value; each item has its own story,” she said.

Marie-Samuelle Klein, 23, also comes regularly. “I love it because you always find gems,” she said. “I like books when they’re old, their smell. There’s something symbolic about it, knowing that many people have read it before me.”

The old threatened by the new?

Confronted by change – whether it be e-books or online booksellers – the bouquinistes are determined to survive.

“It’s up to us to make people come,” said Jérôme Callais, “Here there is eye-to-eye communication between human beings. We provide an oasis of humanity and culture.”

The most recent threat came from unexpected quarters: the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The bouquinistes had to fight displacement before the Games’ spectacular opening ceremony was held along the Seine. A public outcry helped them maintain their toehold on central Paris.

Every year, people say, “Oh my God, it’s terrible, the booksellers are dying out,” Camille Goudeau recounted from the banks of the Seine, “but in fact, we’re still here, and I hope we’ll be here for a long time to come.” (CNN)

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