A small thing you might not know about me is that I am an addict—a sefarim addict. Besides several bookcases stacked in double layers, I have boxes of sefarim in various places throughout my home. Yes, I do try to learn some of them, as well, from time to time.
Talking to Yaakov Bibla, president of the Ohr HaChaim chain of sefarim stores in Eretz Yisrael, was of particular interest to me. Yaakov is a phenomenon in the world of Jewish publishing, as he heads and operates several businesses that cover every step of the process in creating, manufacturing and selling a sefer.
Yaakov owns a paper company, Koteret Shivuk Neyar, selling paper to the largest publishing houses around the world. Under the Ohr HaChaim brand, in addition to 25 sefarim stores, he also has a distribution division, a publishing division, and a sefer-developing division, through which they have produced thousands of sefarim.
We discussed what makes a sefer sell, how to market sefarim, unique marketing strategies, and why you should always bring your business questions to your rav.
Yaakov’s innovative business mind led him to create unique products that bring customers into his store, including gift cards with a twist, a customer rewards program and more. Enjoy! –Nesanal
My family comes from Poland; we are Gerrer chasidim from both sides. I was born and raised in Yerushalayim, on Rechov Nechemia. I am one of four children; I have a brother and two sisters. My father ran a paper business for many years. He would import paper from suppliers in different countries and sell it to various industries, including many printers. Unfortunately, my mother passed away at the young age of 57.
“I always attended Gerrer mosdos. I enjoyed learning, but I was a macher back then and good at arranging things, whether it was trips to mekomos hakedoshim or other yeshivah events. I ran a gemach in yeshivah, as well. It was always my nature to be involved in many things at once, especially having to do with chesed projects.
“I got married at the age of 20; my wife is also from Ger. After learning in kollel for a while, I went to work for my father. Even when I went to work, I made sure to have sedarim in the afternoon and at night, something I continue to this day.
“I worked for my father for around three years, and then, with his blessing, I opened another branch of his company in Yerushalayim. My father was more focused on the banking industry, and I started focusing more on providing paper for the sefarim printing world. My business was called Koteret Shivuk Neyar, which I still operate today.
“I started importing from around the globe. I developed good relationships and grew the business through word of mouth. I prided myself on delivering a solid, high-quality product, and would also allow my clients to buy large amounts on credit—something they were understandably appreciative of.
“A few years later, one of my major clients, who always bought a lot on credit but would always repay it within a reasonable time, went out of business and left me with millions of dollars of debt. The only way I could recoup any of the money was by taking the rights he held to print certain sefarim. At the time, these included some of the more popular sets of Chumash, Shas and Shulchan Aruch. I had to borrow millions of dollars in order to print these sefarim. Then I had to sell them.
“I had never sold any sefarim before, but I had some connections through my printing business. I knocked on doors, and I spoke to people in America to sell them for me. Baruch Hashem, these sets were popular, and I managed to sell enough to break even from this debt.
“People heard I was now selling sefarim, and I was approached by someone who was working on Shas Vilna Hechadash. I partnered with him to print and distribute it. That venture was quite successful.
“Around that same time, another Yid asked me if I would be willing to purchase his businesses: He had two small sefarim stores—one in Bnei Brak and one in Kiryat Sefer—and a small printing and distribution operation, all under the name “Ohr HaChaim.”
“I decided to take a chance and buy them. First, I fixed up the stores. They started doing well and we began to grow. We opened another store, then another, and we are soon going to open our 25th store, baruch Hashem.
“Not only did we start to grow the distribution business, but we began producing sefarim under our own name, too. Ohr HaChaim became the distributors for famous titles such as Dirshu sefarim, Chazon Ovadiah, Encyclopedia Talmudit and many more.
“We started to produce a wide range of sefarim including Mishnayos, many versions of Tehillim, sifrei Chafetz Chaim, sifrei mussar—including our popular pocket sized versions—and many more. We now produce hundreds of sefarim under the Ohr HaChaim brand.
“It’s important for you to understand how the sefarim market in Eretz Yisrael differs from that in the US. In Eretz Yisrael, hundreds of titles come out every single month; most never make it to the States.
“For example, an extremely popular category over the last few years is story books. From novels for adults and teenagers to comic books for children, people like stories. In Eretz Yisrael, there are new titles coming out constantly, most of which obviously wouldn’t appeal to the English-speaking audience. My point is that the world of sefarim—reading them, owning them, and going to the local sefarim store to buy them—is a very popular and important part of the culture of frum Yidden in Eretz Yisrael. “I want to go to the sefarim store” is a common phrase you often hear from children. To the chareidi person, the printed word holds a cherished place as a form of kosher entertainment, as well as enlightenment.
“I focus on a high quality product and experience. Our prices are competitive and we have extensive sales throughout the year. But on the whole, I don’t need to drop my prices to make sales. People are happy to shop in the store and enjoy the entire experience.
“I am a Gerrer chasid and very connected to the chasidus. I also wouldn’t make any shidduch or significant life move without consulting with and receiving a brachah from the Gerrer Rebbe; and I spend the Yamim Nora’im in Gur.
Additionally, I am also very close to Rav Refael Abuchatzeira, who gives me of his precious time, displaying deep care and affection towards me.
Today, I oversee five different active businesses. We still have the paper business and provide the paper for many competitive publishing houses. Under the Ohr HaChaim banner, we have the bookstores, the distribution division and the publishing division, and we also have a large team that helps people produce sefarim, such as by producing typed transcripts of audio shiurim, editing them and preparing them for publication. A few years ago, we opened an online store that is unlike any other in the world. I also invested in a hat business, Belmonti, which has several stores in Eretz Yisrael and in the US, but that’s more of a passive investment; sefarim is my true calling.
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