Rizzoli, a story too big to fit in a book

Wednesday. September 23rd. Rizzoli’s CEO rang our door bell a few minutes after 4pm. In our living room, more than two dozens of titles from the italian giant set the pop up bookstore that we were about to open to the public and he was the opening cocktail’s guest of honor. With a dinner jacket and blue pants, matching his eyes, and a tote bag on his shoulders e presented himself: “Hi, i’m Marco!”.

Marco Ausenda, Rizzoli’s number one, always with a kind smile on his face asks automatically if he can peek at O Apartamento’s apartment. Hopping from one room to another whilst question about the concept of our ‘home’, probably with the same curiosity and interest that he visited Lisbon in 1975, on a road trip with friends, to peek the effects of our newborn democracy. At last, Marco seat on the sofa and says, in his English with an Italian accent: “This is such an interesting project”.

Rizzoli’s Pop Up Bookstore at O Apartamento
Photo Rodrigo Cardoso © 2015

From gastronomy to fashion, to photography and design, around him are 23 books from Rizzoli ready to be sold to the visitors of this publisher’s first pop up bookstore in Lisbon. Among them, three titles not yet released worldwide: “Terry Richardson: Portraits & Fashion”, “Swarovski” e “Becoming, by Cindy Crawford”. And this is how Marco Ausenda’s promenade to O Apartamento starts. Rizzoli’s story starts further back in the beginning of twentieth century.

Angelo Rizzoli, nothing worth having comes easy

The life of Angelo Rizzoli could have inspired many of the magazines, books and movies created by this italian visionary. After his father’s suicide, little Angelo ended up in an orphanage where he lived until adolescence. There he learned everything he needed to know to start working as a helper typographer and this was the foundation for what would become an Italian publishing empire. Endowed with unparalleled astuteness, Angelo saved enough money to buy his own typography. The rest is history, known worldwide. Between First and Second World Wars his business flourished as well as his reputation and entrepreneurial skills. Bought magazines and newspapers, boosted the sensationalist journalism, invented paperback, published books and produced movies with Fellini. In the beginning of the 60’s Italy was to small for him and so he decided to cross the Atlantic ocean towards the United States of America.

Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vida, by Federico Fellini (1960)
Filme produced by Angelo Rizzoli | Photo Cineteca di Bologna/Reporters Associati © 1960

In 1964 he opened is first bookstore in Fifth Avenue, New York. To overcome the language barrier of the international titles he quickly understood that illustrated books should be his next great editorial bet. Once again he was right. More than simple books or magazines Rizzoli became a trendsetter, publishing wonderful works of art. “Nowadays we publish 150 books a year, from a total of more than 15,000 titles available”, reveals Marco Ausenda, between a glass of champagne and Queijo da Ilha cheese. “Fifty-one years later i assure you that you will find Rizzoli’s books all around the world. We export outside the US about 50% of our business.”

Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep in Falling in Love, by Ulu Grosbard (1984)
Interior of Rizzoli’s old store | Photo Paramount Pictures © 1984

From New York to Lisbon

Even though Rizzoli family have sold the company in the 80’s, the life and vision of the italian tycoon will always be presente at RCS Media – holding titles like “Corriere della Sera”, “El Mundo”, “Expansión” and “Marca” newspapers. In what concerns to business, Angelo Rizzoli believed that you should risk and look into the future. The opening of this pop up bookstore in Lisbon seems to be the reflection of that straight forward attitude. “O Apartamento’s potential is very interesting for us and it makes perfect sense for us to jump in this experience. Armando is a trendsetter and this is a good idea”, says Marco Ausenda. “Our books excel by their images, which means that our sales didn’t decrease due to the options available online. Even so, it’s our responsibility to find new ways to sell and reach the readers.

New Rizzoli’s bookstore in NoMad district
Photo Rizzoli © 2015

Until October 5th, O Apartamento is the closest address for those in Lisbon who want to get to know and buy the novelties of this publisher. Afterwards you can always fly to New York and take a peek at the mythic Rizzoli’s bookstore even though they recently moved the entire store to a new location. According to Marco Ausenda: “it took a year but we were able to build a replica of the old store at the new NoMad’s address, New Yorks’ new creative hub. As the other building was demolished to give place to a skyscraper, we decided to pull out the entire wooden work one by one, screw by screw, to recreate the same atmosphere in one floor. It worth a visit.”

As soon as we have the time to visit New York, we will definitely stop by.

Rizzoli’s Pop Up Bookstore at O Apartamento
Photo Rodrigo Cardoso © 2015