Toc na Cuca: Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo has its share of large chain bookstores — among them FNAC and Saraiva — that don’t rival Barnes & Noble or Borders nearly so much in the annoyance factor, probably because they’re not on every block. Those latter conglomerates have a way of making me feel numb after about 2 minutes inside. But I’m seeing more and more specialty book retailers pop up, a few of them I’m coming across by chance. One of these is Toc na Cuca, whose minimalist design first intrigued me. Their newly opened space in my boho neighborhood of Vila Madalena is delightfully simple, airy and quiet, with white walls and occasional splashes of orange accent, surmounting to an ideal background to hang out and browse the store’s surprisingly abundant imported art books on architecture, fashion, street art, food and hobbies. In fact, since 1991 this bookseller (whose original location still operates in another part of the city) has been the art-book supplier for Sao Paulo’s others bookstores, but going to the source directly means Paulistanos can save up to 30% on titles like Friends With You Have Powers! or anything hard to find within this grand metropolis. Make a note to check out the beautiful space, in an old transformed house at 345 Rua Aspicuelta, if you’re around these parts and getting to know the neighborhood anyway.