Hans Fellner, shown here in an archive image from 2018, travelled to book fairs and wholesalers to hand pick the selection in his shop Matic Zorman/archives

Hans Fellner, shown here in an archive image from 2018, travelled to book fairs and wholesalers to hand pick the selection in his shop Matic Zorman/archives

The shop, which opened in November 2018, has been run by native Dutchman Hans Fellner, who hand picks each of the books stocked there. It’s also a place where art meets books--not only for the type of publications it sold, from Taschen collections to illustrated children’s books, but also thanks to the exhibition gallery in the back of the store. 

The closure arises from a number of factors, including the changing face of the city, pedestrian flows and consumer patterns. 

When interviewed for Fellner as part of Delano’s September cover story, Fellner praised the grand duchy’s expat community, comprising a good portion of his customer base, adding, “They have reinvented strolling in the city.”

Nevertheless, Fellner added in a recent Paperjam report that multiple construction projects in the centre didn’t exactly help the pedestrian situation. “Four or five years ago, together with the City of Luxembourg, we asked ourselves how to improve the situation, influence the flow of pedestrian traffic differently,” he was quoted as saying. “But today we no longer ask ourselves this question because the consumer simply does not come to town anymore.” Fellner also said that people who work in the city are also spending less time in the centre--forgoing lunch breaks so that they can leave early and beat traffic jams, for example.

He previously expressed concern to Delano about inner city malls being “lost spaces”, adding that events didn’t necessary get people walking around the city. 

“I think we need to rethink this idea of giving away the city as an event location,” he added.