‘Brot’ means bread in German – Slovakia was part of the Austrian empire. A conversation about the publishing industry and today’s Slovakia with Martin Jenca, co-founder and curator of Brot Books Deli
A collector’s public museum in Bratislava
Martin Jenca is the co-founder and curator of Brot Books Deli in Bratislava, Slovakia. With a background in graphic design, he runs a communication agency (Milk) in the heart of Bratislava. He began publishing a magazine called Backstage Talks, which discusses design and business. In tandem with a design conference held yearly in the capital city. Jenca realized that he was eager to expand educational activities. The most appropriate direction, or what he calls a selfish step, was to have a more extensive library or «my own public library».
Jenca explained that in Bratislava, there is little choice for bookstores with contemporary books ranging from various topics and that few people carry magazines concerning pop culture or design, for example.
Brot Books Deli serves as a point of educational reference for various topics and disciplines, all adhering to the taste of the co-founder and curator, Martin Jenca.
French, Italian, or Japanese magazines at Brot Books
Collecting magazines is a hobby of Mr. Jenca and has been for years. «I don’t really care about the topic of the magazine; for me, it’s if the magazine is a nice object and is done well from a visual perspective», the graphic designer turned co-founder and curator explained. He continued that language doesn’t matter to him, «I don’t need to understand the language; I collect French, Italian, or Japanese magazines, because they look good».
Magazines inspire Jenca and what he can learn from them. In the end, that’s the essence of a magazine; to know something new, from print updates monthly, quarterly, to gain insights from different points of view from all over the world. Within the magazines, Jenca focuses not just on the design but also the content, the network of people featured or the journalists writing the stories. When curating magazines for Brot Books Deli, Jenca strives to create a balance between content and pop culture.
Educating Bratislava on pop culture
In Bratislava, Jenca stated that design is not connected with general business. They’re two opposites in the capital city that don’t match. Same for art and business, pop culture and business. Intending to educate and bring pop culture to the community, Jenca created a way to connect these two separate realms and turn them into a reality that works. A working reality first and foremost, for himself and then for his audience.
From there, Brot Books Deli was born. They offer books and magazines ranging from within the creative industry, think art, and design to business disciplines, mental health, and pop culture. «The aspect of pop culture for me is a must», stated Jenca.
The Audience in Bratislava: curious and eager to learn
«We are open, but our specific target is the creative industry», said Jenca when touching on his target. Bratislava might not be the creative capital of Europe, but there is a thriving scene there and a community that is curious and eager to learn.
He alluded to the idea that his audience is people who work with their brains or entrepreneurs who like seeking new information and inspiration and want to educate themselves on. Also, catering to the curious youth, the next generation, is crucial within the mix of future entrepreneurs, creatives, and students.
Brot Books Deli is the food that feeds the community to grow
«We are nurturing our community of readers and creatives», stated Jenca. «It’s valuable to nurture, and I can nurture this community that I understand so well». Jenca laid it out as a metaphor for food; Brot Books Deli is the food that feeds the community to grow. «The team can be described as such: I am the designer, then we have the salespeople that are designers or photographers or students in art schools, and here we are again, connecting the dots». For Jenca, it’s about giving back to Bratislava and giving his audience something that was missing before in the culturally historic city. It’s transforming his vision of a personal library to his audience, who may or may not be interested in what he thinks they should be reading.
A subculture within Brot Books Deli
Brot Books Deli began paving the road for a specific type of subculture. It’s a subculture where creatives or those curious alike can gather in one place to be nourished on the latest topics and trends regarding pop culture, mental health, and so on; a culture of educating.
They actively go into the community to further connect to their audience. Brot Books Deli frequently participates in design or creative industry conferences, where Jenca can meet his audience first-hand to get a feel of what they want, what they need, or what’s missing.
Currently, the bookstore is planning its own events that’ll be focused on specific topics, such as the development of Bratislava. Jenca explained that Brots Book Deli has a lot of books about the city, quality of life, and ideal cities.
Curating the Library at Brot Books Deli: feminism, gender issues and climate change
Curating for Brot Books Deli is a job that Jenca takes seriously. When selecting pieces for the shop, he decides based on personal taste and attitude or motivation. He explained that through his process of selecting books, he considers three main things when curating based on his taste. He wants to see what knowledge can be obtained, how the book or magazine feels, or how it resonates with him. Then, attitude or motivation refers to skills or knowledge that can be improved or considering different points of view.
Jenca has understood that to bring culture and nurture his community; he must educate them on cultural/philosophical topics, such as feminism, gender issues, or climate change. Finally, the last category of books includes self-help/mental awareness novels.
Subculture in Bratislava: creative and hungry people
When the city of Bratislava was brought up and why he thought it was the best place for his public library/bookshop, Janca smiled. He described Bratislava as a growing city full of opportunities. «There are creative and hungry people, eager for new information and inspirations», explained Jenca. Brot Books Deli can be viewed as a tool for those looking for educational opportunities, exploring an unknown topic, and opening up their minds. «Bratislava is small compared to other cities, people aren’t particularly open, but we are trying to change it», says Jenca.
Brot Books Deli: the origins of the name
Jenca explained that brot in German means bread. Historically, Slovakia was a part of the Austrian empire, and the German language is an integral aspect of Slovakian history. «Back then, Bratislava was a thrilling city». Hungaria, German and Slovak languages flowed in and around the capital city once upon a time. Jenca settled on German intentionally with the word brot. The idea is that it’s the brot or bread that feeds your body, «we offer bread for your head», according to Jenca. «Bread, books, deli because we are creating the makings, we are picking the cherries, it’s a deli».
The future of Brot Books Deli
Jenca hopes to expand and focus further on topics, whether they be topics already discussed in the community or those less recognized. «I would like to diversify or expand our community to include more creatives». Jenca also wants to have deep relationships. He explained his customers had built a trusted network between him and the bookstore, but he wanted crowds of people who may not know him already to get to know him.
«Most of our books are in English, and many older people don’t speak English. My personal goal is to contribute to the change of the street we are on», speaking about influencing an international breath of air into the community. Jenca is working to contemporize the district and the street which hosts their shop. It may be in Old Town Bratislava, but Jenca is ready to add a modern, international twist.
Brot Books Deli
Panenská 32, 811 03 Staré Mesto, Slovakia. Opened in 2020 by Martin Jenca, Brot Books Deli in Bratislava, Slovakia, is a bookstore full of culture, self-help, business, and inspirational books and magazines. The store is in the Old Town of Bratislava, and titles are hand-curated by the co-founder and curator.
