"Treehugger Dan" expands Budapest book franchise to Vienna

Budapest's own book-loving, bike-riding, environmental activist nicknamed "Treehugger Dan" is exporting his bookstore franchise to Vienna by the boxful. Last week a fourth Treehugger Dan's Bookstore opened in conjunction with Discover Vienna and Travel Shack, offering the same mix of fiction, non-fiction, and travel books alongside the partner businesses information point, internet café, bike rentals, and walking tours.

"How? It just happened," said Dan Swartz, sheepishly. The American expat has been in Hungary for nearly two decades and in the last two years has watched his startup secondhand English and foreign-language bookstore explode.

"I have too many books," he said. "And everyone has found out."

Last November a second location opened in Lazar utca in conjunction with Yellow Zebra Tours, more recently, the Treehugger logo was spotted at their second location near Deak Ferenc Ter. And now, Vienna.

"I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be lording over a chain of bookstore and cafes," said Swartz. He explained he kept getting books by truckload, and soon the environmental activist was moonlighting as a bookseller, getting people to keep reading, recycling, and drinking the fair-trade coffee by the mug full.

"Who says you cannot 'do good' and also be a business success?" he said, with a smile. Indeed, he's convinced many people that buying "fair" coffee can actually be cheaper and good for the world. His clients include the Hungarian president and the new expat fetish Arriba Taqueria Mexican Restaurant, and All Hungary Media Group.

In addition to the books, tours and Internet, the new bookstore in Vienna is currently building the café.

"Everyone who works there seems really excited about serving fair trade," Swartz said.

In Budapest, Treehugger Dan's bookstores have become spaces for local community groups to meet including Budapest's Pilvax and the local chapters of Greenpeace and Amnesty International. The shops have also been concert venues for independent musical groups.

The multi functional aspect of the bookstores have served Swartz's goals to make the world a more connected, positive place, which he writes about on his "Positive Blog."

"I like to keep things positive and say nice things," he said. "There's not enough of that; but the new bookstore is even bigger than what we have here, so there is room for meetings there too."

• Email
• Save to My Caboodle