A redo for Redu?

Those of you fortunate enough to have spent time in Europe may have visited or at least heard of Redu, Belgium, which describes itself as a village du livre, a "book town." Beginning in the 1980s, the village of about 400 became home to more than two dozen bookstores--more shops than cows, its boosters liked to say--and thousands of tourists thronged its winsome streets each year. Sadly, as the Washington Post reports, more than half of Redu's bookstores have closed in recent years, and more are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Several local bookstores have found success by trying different strategies to cope with an aging clientele and competition from the internet. La Reduiste, for instance, hosts jazz nights and film screenings, in addition to selling books in multiple languages and serving espresso and Belgian beer. Books -- or, perhaps, just as important, the idea of books as symbols of comfort or quaint sophistication -- remain at the center of its business model, which can be replicated elsewhere, supporters say.

Anne Laffut, Redu's mayor, is optimistic. "The elders think the village is changing because there are fewer bookstores and it is a disappointment. But there is a new generation, which is very active in Redu. Many volunteers are teaming up with the same desire for the village to continue to endure."