A mini Seen Library pop up in London

No. 3 — A mini Seen Library pop up in London and the first outside of Los Angeles at Studio Arva.

After the London book giving with Sourcewhere, many asked how they could join and when the next one in London would be. I had no plans to do a pop up in London initially — they are much more time consuming than a book exchange or book giving as they require many more books. But when my dear friend Abi so kindly offered her space for the occasion, it was hard for me to say no.

Pulled together last minute, for the first time ever and for one day only, Seen Library had a mini pop up in London at Studio Arva. The pop up was open to the public for anyone to come by and say hello and browse and shop a limited quantity of pre-loved and intentionally curated books, each wrapped in the Seen Library creamy paper and signature library card with its handwritten clues. Each title was chosen with the theme of Endless Summer in mind, evoking some of the feelings one gets during the summer months — whether it be the excitement of new destinations, experiences and adventures, the sense of freedom from everyday routine, the joys in friendship and love, or a deeper appreciation of nature.

There was also a spritz and madeleine bar, where guests were able to enjoy Yuzu + Pear and Lychee + Hibiscus spritz by Drink Arva and vanilla bean white chocolate madeleines by Abi’s sister, Dee’s Basement. I love that my mom, aunt and cousins took a couple hours from our mother-daughter vacation to help me set up that morning and Abi’s sister provided the desserts — it made the event feel so much more personal.

Even before open, we had people already waiting outside the store and in the first hour and a half, we sold out of the books. While I wish we had more to go around, I had to keep it smaller than previous pop ups and order an amount of books that I thought I could realistically manage while away on vacation with my family. I also had no idea what the response would be — I wanted to test the waters with a smaller batch to see if there was even any interest in London and partly because I was scared I’d have to lug back books home with me in my luggage.

Because the pop up took place just two days after the book exchange in Paris and in the last couple days of my two-month long trip, it was pretty exhausting. But more than that, though, it was inspiring and energizing. It was really incredible meeting and talking to everyone interested in Seen Library. It was even cooler to see people mingling with one another during and after browsing the books. One girl told me that Seen Library had pulled her out of a low place and got her back into reading again. I discovered that another started her 30th birthday celebrations at the pop up. Another brought me a Seen Library-inspired candle that she made herself. And one (and the only) male customer took the time to chat with me about how much he appreciated the little details of Seen Library — from the hand-wrapping to the handwritten clues to the feel of the paper. As in every Seen Library event, I am blown away by how kind, warm and open everyone is and it really made me want to do something in London again soon.

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