La Bookinerie: Arthur and Camille achieve dream of opening Monaco bookshop

Arthur and Camille Laure’s dream came true on 27 August with the opening of La Bookinerie, a new cultural space on Promenade Honoré II.

“It all started with trips I took with my parents, particularly to Scotland and Edinburgh,” said Arthur Laure, recalling the inspiration behind the project. “It was the kind of place with bookshops, with that very British atmosphere—leather armchairs, dim, cosy lighting. I’ve always had this ideal of a bookshop in mind.” Although the dream had always been there, Arthur initially followed a different path. Holding a PhD in health sciences, he worked in lung cancer research, while his wife Camille was an engineer at INSERM in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. “At first we took different paths, but we always had the idea of opening a bookshop one day,” he said. The turning point came four years ago, when Monaco expressed interest in opening a small bookshop. The couple, then living in Montpellier, returned “especially for this project,” adds Arthur, who is originally from the region. “It took a bit of time, four years in total.”

A living space centred around books

The name combines the English “book” and the French “bouquin”, reflecting its identity as a generalist bookshop. “There are books for everyone, for all ages,” said Arthur. The space also offers “greeting cards, stationery, candles, tea, board games” and a café corner with carefully selected drinks such as kombucha and cold-pressed juices. “We try to choose quality products; we don’t serve soda, for instance, because it’s not part of our ideal.”

The couple’s ambition goes beyond selling books. “We really wanted to create a living space, a community around books, a place where people feel comfortable,” said Arthur. Their scientific background also shapes their plans for events: “The bookshop is a great place to simplify complex topics, which is why we want to host events and hopefully include scientific topics too.”

Among his favourites, Arthur highlighted La Bombe by Alcante, Laurent-Frédéric Bollée and illustrator Denis Rodier: “It’s a graphic novel I really enjoyed. It traces the whole history, from the concept to the making of the nuclear bomb. It’s a timely subject, with the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” He noted that the graphic novel was released before Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer: “It’s very informative—you learn a lot. The black-and-white illustrations give it a vintage, serious feel, and it also reflects another era.”

“Become Monaco’s cultural quarter”

Located on Promenade Honoré II, La Bookinerie is part of a promising cultural dynamic. “We might even become Monaco’s cultural quarter, and that would be amazing! It would be nice to have that label,” said Arthur, noting their proximity to the future Caroline Multimedia Library. “We have an excellent relationship with them.” The collaboration is already taking shape: on Monday 8 September, La Bookinerie made its first delivery to the Media Library, launching their partnership.

The new opening is also a bold move in a context where digital formats often take preference over paper—but the couple are fully embracing physical books. “I think there’s still an interest in reading. There’s still a core group of readers who read a lot, even more and more,” says Arthur. “You can still easily encourage people to read. I have activity books for young kids, which help them to take their first steps in reading. After that, it’s just about finding a subject that appeals. You have to experiment.”

Arthur and Camille are ready for this new adventure: “You have to do things that make you happy. I really believe in doing things out of passion, which unfortunately few people do today.” Their enthusiasm is palpable despite the intense launch: “I’m thrilled to come in every day, even if we’re still surrounded by boxes! We work from six in the morning until midnight!”

Since opening on 27 August, the early feedback has been encouraging. “We’ve had lots of curious visitors, which is fun,” said Arthur, noting that a loyal clientele is already forming: “We already have regular customers after just a week!”