La Două Bufniţe Bookstore

Dora García

Timișoara’s La Două Bufniţe (At Two Owls) independent bookshop opened on Dec. 2, 2016, at the initiative of two long-time, childhood friends, Oana Doboși-Potcoavă and Raluca Selejan, who decided to turn a shared passion into a business venture.

The two friends, graduates of the Letters, History and Theology Faculty within the West University of Timișoara, aimed to create a cultural landmark space for both locals and the city’s artistic circles, as well as for tourists. Through the shop’s book offerings and numerous hosted events, they succeeded in creating a warm, friendly and cozy place also recommended by a handpicked book selection, mainly focusing on Romanian and international literature, as well as arts and humanities. The two also made a mission of getting kids and books closer together through a dedicated reading spot. Through these and many more, La Două Bufniţe managed to attract and cultivate an audience that knows how to appreciate the finer things, literary or otherwise.

One year and a half after the official opening, the bookshop joined the European and International Booksellers Federation, also receiving the Bookshop of the Year 2017 distinction awarded by the “Poezia e la Bistriţa” literature festival, on top of numerous interviews with print and online publications and radio and TV channels. The bookshop also received the “Urban Regeneration” prize awarded by Timișoara’s Association of City Planners (Asociaţia Urbaniștilor din Timișoara) and has hosted events featuring Romanian, German, Austrian, Hungarian, Serbian, American and Icelandic writers.