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Libros787 Puts Puerto Rican Literature in the Spotlight
Reports 150 percent sales growth in first quarter of 2021
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Giovanna Garofalo
ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com @giopgarofalo
Libros787, an online bookstore dedicated to selling Puerto Rican literature, reported substantial growth throughout the pandemic, showcasing the importance of e-commerce for local businesses while underscoring the need to conserve the island’s literary legacy.
It comes as no surprise that as people were forced to stay indoors to curb the spread of COVID-19, consumer behavior shifted to online retailers. According to a February 2021 analysis by Digital Commerce 360, online sales grew by 44 percent last year in the United States, while online spending represented 21.3 percent of total retail sales in 2020 compared with 15.8 percent in 2019.
Carlos Goyco, co-founder of Libros787, told THE WEEKLY JOURNAL that last year, the company’s sales increased by 121 percent. Meanwhile, sales in the first quarter of 2021 currently surpass those from January to March 2020 by roughly 150 percent.
He attributed this major growth to people seeking different forms of entertainment to pass time under lockdown and the fact that avid readers had scarce options to support local bookstores, as many businesses were forced to suspend their operations or even close their establishments. “The bookstores that they usually went to in Puerto Rico are closed and there was a shift in that market that fell on us,” Goyco stated.
Goyco, who created Libros787 with Gerardo
Enríquez, affirmed that the e-bookstore has experienced sustained growth since its conception in December 2017, just months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. The idea surfaced after he noticed the mass exodus of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. mainland, thus limiting their access to Puerto Rican literature.
After launching www.libros787.com via the Shopify platform, the co-founders participated in two pre-accelerator programs for startups, Startups PR and Pre18, the latter of which was a precursor to their participation in Parallel18’s accelerator program. Now, the company has a total of five staff members who work in packaging, customer service and curating content, among others.
“When we left those programs we followed
The e-bookstore features a variety of works from Puerto Rican and other Hispanic authors, as well as literary classics in Spanish. >Courtesy of Libros787
a growth path that was not something as exponential as what we are seeing now, but by the beginning of 2020 —when there was still no pandemic—, we expanded the catalog,” Goyco said. “Our average order value was about $25 and now it’s $40, so people are buying more with each purchase,” he added. Libros787 indeed has a diverse literary offering. The site sells books by past and contemporary Puerto Rican authors, ranging from poetry, recipe books, art and photography, children’s literature, young adult novels, fictional works and Puerto Rico history, with this being a top-selling genre among customers, according to Goyco.
“We also started working on books by [other] Hispanic authors. That is why you see that there are books by Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, all those greats,” he stated, adding that they also sell international works in Spanish, such as George Orwell’s “1984” and Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis.”
A Little Something Extra
Apart from books, Libros787 also has a “Gifts” section that features a variety of products featuring the company logo or commissioned art that illustrates Puerto Rican culture. Some of these include coffee mugs with a “garita” (sentry box) from El Morro, bookmarks featuring the Puerto Rican flag, stickers of Puerto Rican icons, board games and more. Moreover, the company is in talks with Coffee Roasters to sell locally-sourced coffee on its website. This way, even Puerto Ricans living stateside can get a taste of home.
Expansion Plans
Goyco revealed to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL that Libros787 is in negotiations to launch its own publisher, called 787 Editores. He compared this business strategy to Netflix, the multinational streaming platform that started out by renting DVDs before moving on to streaming movies and TV shows, and now has a growing list of original content as well.
“We see many publishing opportunities there because we noticed that there is a very large gap in terms of alternatives and diverse content being offered now in Puerto Rico, and we can make our contribution with that. Plus, we already have many independent writers who work with us, so the move is not as drastic,” Goyco explained, adding that this effort could be materialized by the end of this year.
He noted that Libros787 would not have distribution exclusivity with books published by 787 Editores. Rather, the company seeks to see its works in the shelves of local, national and international bookstores. “We are really excited because nobody has really done this in at least the past five to 10 years. So, we will see if we can export our literature to other countries in Latin America, the United States and Europe,” Goyco affirmed.
The Piñones area of Loíza is famous for its stretch of beaches and food shacks, or kiosks, featuring authentic Puerto Rican street food. >Carlos Rivera Giusti, Archive
Local Entrepreneurs Moving Loíza Forward
Training, job creation and self-empowerment are critical
Rosario Fajardo
rfajardo@wjournalpr.com @RosarioWJournal
Loíza is famous for its rich cultural traditions, such as bomba and plena music and dancing, as well as Puerto Rican street food found in the Piñones area, including tostones, “bacalaítos” (crunchy cod fritters) and empanadillas (filled turnovers).
While it has become a popular tourist area in recent years, many Loíza residents still live in poverty. According to 2019 U.S. Census figures, an estimated 48 percent of the municipality’s estimated 24,553 residents live in poverty. The median household income in the town is about $17,852 a year. About 40 percent of Loíza residents are Afro-Puerto Rican, the highest concentration on the island.
Meanwhile, about 75 percent of its population have at least high school diplomas, while less than 15 percent have college degrees. Roughly 49 percent of its adult population are considered to be in the labor force.
Today, a group of local entrepreneurs is doing their part to help the municipality’s residents by creating businesses and jobs. In fact, 11 of them have created or maintained 30 jobs during the pandemic and generated more than $100,000 in economic impact for the community after participating in the Loíza Glocal Bootcamp, developed by two nonprofits, Vitrina Solidaria and the Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico. The executive director of Vitrina Solidaria, Raquel Skerrett Escalera, reported that the estimated economic contribution of the nine companies established by the group of participants is preliminary and has greater growth potential in the coming months because several are in the preproduction phase. In total, five new direct, 14 indirect jobs were created and another 11 direct jobs were maintained.
“We are really happy because these entrepreneurs have worked hard over the past few months. They took on a big challenge, gained confidence and were able to believe in their projects and business ideas. We will continue to provide them with advice and support,” she said during a webinar.
Success Stories
Among the businesses highlighted include Ciri Esco Nutritional Hydroponic, which produces hydroponic products and achieved sales agreements representing more than $83,000 with Select Supermarkets and Mr. Special in Loíza, and FamCoop of Rio Grande. Ciri Esco has also begun to supply seven Kairos food trucks with a variety of vegetables, lettuce and herbs. Entrepreneurs Sixdaira and Carlos Cirino have now doubled their plant production to 8,000 pounds of produce per week and employ 15 people.
“Thanks to the trust I acquired at Loíza Global, I dared to present my company with my products to potential buyers and I have had very positive results. It was an excellent experience,” Sixdaira Cirino.
Likewise, the company Enamora tu Cabello (Fall in Love With Your Hair) created four new jobs after obtaining distribution agreements amounting to $6,000 per year with three beauty salons in Loíza: Magda’s Cinnamon Salon, One Off Beauty Salon and Annie’s Braids & Beauty Style. In addition, Deniece Martínez is in the process of exporting various products to Arkansas, as she has obtained a new customer in that state.
“I got the tools I needed. I didn’t consider myself an entrepreneur and now I have my own product line. The themes were straight to the point and well dynamic,” Martínez said of the experience.
Another example is the Ruta del Sabor (Taste Route) that created two jobs. Owner Ileana Calcaño reached a five-week agreement with the nonprofit PathStone to provide meals to 19 people in Loíza, amounting to $2,280. This agreement was very important to the entrepreneur because her original food truck business had not been operational due to various repairs.
Meanwhile, entrepreneur Lorenis Cepeda, of Enchanted Girls Spa Party, managed to reinvent her business. Now, she also offers wellness workshops to young women. She took workshops as a community health promoter, so she will receive an economic incentive and be a resource for the nonprofit Taller Salud. She participated in the activity Círculo de Mujeres de Amor Propio (Women’s Circle of Self Love), where she presented samples of her coconut oil products.
The Loíza Glocal Bootcamp is a free 40hour workshop for entrepreneurs in the Loíza, Canóvanas and Río Grande areas.
Miglia Arroyo Rivera, co-owner and general manager of Caldera Café > Brandon Cruz González The pandemic forced them to close the establishment in Old San Juan. >Brandon Cruz González
One Year Into the Pandemic: Cup Half Full at Caldera Café
Santurce venue still afloat despite losses due to the virus
Génesis Ibarra gibarravz@wjournalpr.com @gibarravz
COVID-19 came knocking on all our doors in March 2020, after months of global reports of a mysterious new virus. Worldwide, business halted, schools closed, and masks and social distancing became the new reality.
At Caldera Café, located in Santurce, the knock came when they were forced to close their second venue, a mere few years after opening in Old San Juan.
Miglia Arroyo Rivera, co-owner and general manager at Caldera Café, shared the uncertainty of the first months after the pandemic hit, as well as the effort involved in keeping afloat a business that changed her life.
It was six years ago when Arroyo left her job as a dental assistant to partner with a close friend — who later moved on to other projects — and coffee-taster Alfredo Rodríguez, owner of
Hacienda Adelphia in Maricao, home of Offeecay.
“After a while we decided to open the second venue in Old San Juan. That one closed, unfortunately. Last year with the pandemic, we had to close that business,” she said.
Between February and March, when the world had no idea of how dangerous COVID-19 would become, “Caldera Café San Juan Station” began to receive only one customer per day. His name was Enrique, she recalled, and his order was always the same.
“We were selling a single scramble egg with ham and cheese, and whole wheat toast a day. I remember because it was the same man every day. Everything [in Old San Juan] was closed. I stayed there for a little while, with one more employee, but the operational expenses were higher than the earnings,” Arroyo explained.
As a result, three full-time employees were left on the street. There are no plans to reopen, since the hotel where they rented the space also went bankrupt.
“I cried. I cried a lot. So much work to keep that space open. In 2017 — when it opened — Hurricane Maria came, then [the movement] Ricky Renuncia (Ricky Resign), then the earthquakes, then the pandemic. We struggled a lot to keep that place open,” recalled Arroyo.
The venue in Santurce also came close to shuttering. Fear, along with a strict government lockdown, during the first months of the pandemic prevented people from leaving the safety of their homes to buy coffee. With no income, everyone at Caldera Café was forced to apply for unemployment. pandemic for Arroyo and four other employees at the cafe. Today, it would not survive another closure.
But the local business owner is no stranger to trauma and the experience of Hurricane Maria in September 2017 allowed Arroyo to adjust to the novel situation. “Maria taught us a lot. We stopped serving some products, we minimized the menu so as not to have losses. If we had losses, they were minimal,” she added.
The dining room was closed for much of the COVID emergency and now hardly any customers are allowed in. The barista area was moved to a window at the entrance to allow service from the sidewalk. This is how the “orange tent” arrived, with chairs and tables outside.
“By having moved [the entrance of the business] and being closer to the people who are walking, we have not had to close. We are making our sales,” Arroyo said. “We have our very good days, as we have bad days.” To stay afloat, Caldera Café added homemade desserts to its menu, has begun to allow a few customers to be inside — with time limits and strict security measures — and organizes a brunch menu every other Sunday.
“What have you learned?” your correspondent asked. “To make croissants,” Arroyo laughed. “We have learned to read more into people, whether they care about their health or not; that the government cannot be counted on 100 percent. We, as a society and as a people, have to unite a little more,” she said.
Melissa Cherry
The Elephant in the Room: Cultivating A Unified Travel Industry
We all know that 2020 was a year of extraordinary challenges. But through a series of additional challenges – budget cuts, global elections, social unrest and injustices, natural disasters – compounded by a global pandemic, our world has completely changed. The status quo no longer exists and we all need to look to solutions for a post-pandemic recovery.
And of course, in Spring 2020 with the deaths of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor and Amuad Arbrey, the conversations around equity, diversity and inclusion accelerated in ways our society has never openly and honestly addressed. We have all witnessed how everyone is not treated equally, that privilege to access and resources exists, and that voices are not always respected or even heard.
At that same moment, the tourism industry, along with the rest of the world, had to pause and ask ourselves why have we not been able to address these hard conversations, and what do we need to do to advance our thinking of what this means to implement action to move our industry forward?
As the global trade association for destination marketing organizations (DMOs)and tourism boards in 15 countries globally, Destinations International recognizes the importance of cultivating a unified tourism industry. We know it will be critical for destination organization leaders to embrace the role that equity, diversity and inclusion will play to move our industry forward, especially at a time when our industry must face one of the most challenging moments in modern history – recovering from the devastating impact of COVID-19. Through the recent release of a Strategic Roadmap for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, we have laid out initiatives and opportunities that will be imperative to enable structural social change for all of our members’ communities. One the most common reasons these efforts fail, is due to the lack of commitment and support of leadership. To date, over 250 destination organization executive leaders and CEOs have signed our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion CEO Pledge. Industry professionals must acknowledge their role as fundamental changemakers and commit to doing the work first before asking the same of others. Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s official DMO, was among one of the first executive leaders to sign this pledge and has committed to making equity, diversity and inclusion a priority for Puerto Rico.
Recently, I had the pleasure to join the team by Zoom to discuss the critical role equity, diversity and inclusion plays for our industry. The most refreshing take away was looking across the screen to see women in leadership roles, and faces of varied age, experience and ethnic and cultural diversity.
The Discover Puerto Rico team is deeply connected to their community. The organization understands the power of diversity and different perspectives within the community and workforce. They understand that inclusivity and diversity is critical to foster innovation and are committed to being the brand stewards of Puerto Rico to ultimately cultivate current and future residents, businesses and visitors.
There have been countless published reports that further supports that diverse and inclusive teams tend to be more creative and innovative than teams who have similar demographic structures by bringing different experiences, perspectives and approaches to solving day-today business challenges. The “2020 Diversity Wins” report by McKinsey & Company found that companies in the top quartile for both gender and ethnic diversity are 12 percent more likely to outperform all other companies in the data set. Diverse teams are also better equipped to target and serve diverse customer markets, such as women, ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ communities that currently represent an increasing share of consumer purchase power that is often overlooked or not leveraged.
At the end of the day, equity, diversity and inclusion is a long-term commitment. Destinations must push towards inclusive and equitable marketing practices that are essential to tourism marketing and destination brand stewardship. Destination organizations must evolve destination promotion practices to be welcoming and hospitable to all audiences to remain competitive and relevant. They must push for inclusive and equitable marketing practices that prioritize community partnerships, contributions and authentic experiences.
Destinations International encourages destination organizations to share experiences of their destination’s history, character and culture and grow an inclusive and equitable workforce that reflects the level of diversity we wish to welcome to our destinations. In today’s global economy, every community must compete with every other for its share of the world’s visibility and tourists. Those destinations who fail to compete, those who fail to implement equity, diversity and inclusion best practices, will be left behind.
