What a time to be alive!

Dear friends,

Can you imagine? 

When we opened our doors on this day in May 2009, there was no such thing as Instagram. We relied entirely on word of mouth to get customers into the shop, and guess what, it worked! 

Here we are, seventeen years later, in a book business that’s been pronounced dead more times than I care to recall, yet thankfully, to quote the great writer Mark Twain: ‘The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated’.

And not just that. As befits a newly minted 17-year old, we are apparently hipper than ever.

Any young actor, musician, model and influencer worth their salt has a bookclub, promotes books, and walks the streets of New York, Paris and London carrying a bookshop tote. Harry Styles recently declared that he would only grace the cover of Runners World magazine if interviewed by Haruki Murakami himself; Dua Lipa’s book choices are known the world over, and everyone wants to spend time in Reese Witherspoon’s bookclub orbit. 

Reading has become, in a word, glamorous. 

So what is going on? 

Well, based on extensive research conducted over many years in a small independent bookshop on a quiet side street in the suburbs of Copenhagen, it seems clear that while cheap prices, convenience and technology may be here to stay, we are rapidly realising that the one thing they cannot deliver is joy. The mesmerizing one click ease of being able to do everything from the comfort of your own home in leisure wear is slowly but surely losing its magic and being replaced by loneliness, estrangement, and a need for connection.

Enter: the local independent bookshop!

Done well, we deliver on good books, good stories, good people, and good community. 

We deliver, in a word, joy!

The past seventeen years have seen us grow from one bookclub to twelve, from monthly events to weekly ones, from the few orders that fit on one handwritten page to the many orders that now require the use of Google sheets. 

Strangers have become friends, and a bookshop has become home. 

Much more important than what we do, however, is what you do. You give us your time, your support, and your loyalty. You drop by, you text, you send emails, and, sometimes even, letters and postcards. You appreciate our help, look to us for recommendations, and take the time to chat. You share your life stories, easy and hard, funny and sad, and we cherish it all.

We wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you!

So, while AI may be coming for us all, there is no doubt in our minds - or in the minds of trendsetters and instagrammers across the globe -  that the stories we share, the books we read, and the communities they create are making this a great time to be alive!

Thank you for being a part of the Books & Company family and, as always, we look forward to seeing you at the shop!

Isabella and your friendly team at Books & Company