Cozy Bookshop Dreams

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

I’m not sure if I want to put it out there since, for somebody who doesn’t believe in jinxes, I’m pretty leery of jinxing it.😂

I’ve described this in detail to my sister. It would be a cottage all the way in Infanta, tucked away on a side street off Marilaque Highway, either adjacent or parallel.

It would mostly be a secondhand bookstore, but it would only sell cozy books – nothing too modern or gory or gut wrenching. They’re the kind of books that would leave you feeling good about life. They might make you cry in some parts, but a happy ending is always guaranteed.

There would be book merch, of course – pretty bookmarks and stickers, funny shirts that only readers get, etc.

The place is crawling with pothos, fern, and ivy. And the staff includes at least two cats.

The shopkeepers (my sister and I) are very knowledgeable. They know if your next read should be Aurora Teagarden, Anne of Green Gables, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Emma, or The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Bring your kids. They have a vast selection of vintage middle-grade books, many of them Newbery winners.

Bring your grandmother. There are also lots of vintage sweet and clean romance novels from the likes of Emilie Loring, Essie Summers, and Betty Neels.

There’s Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and P.G. Wodehouse.

There are old-fashioned board games and puzzles. The owners are GenX and revel in nostalgia.

There’s warm lighting, and there are plenty of comfy chairs. There’s an element of hygge that’s carefully cultivated and nurtured. The weather outside supports it. That spot of the Sierra Madre is notoriously damp and windy.

Oh, it’s a haven for all kinds of introverts, including the ones that crave intimate kindred gatherings every now and then because the shop also hosts regular reading group meetups and the occasional book-themed potbless.

Off on one end of the cottage, maybe taking up a quarter of the space is a coffee bar. The coffee is basic but excellent quality. There are plenty of baked treats. It’s called Onyx Coffee, named after the owner’s dearly departed Scottish Straight. It has been two years, but the family is still grieving.

Also on the property, perhaps about 500 meters into the woods are Airbnb units, a smattering of tiny houses for those who want to experience the charms of the area – sightings of kalaw (rufous hornbill), the sapinit (local wild raspberries) season, etc.

The cottage is surrounded by flowering bushes and herbs, festooned with solar fairy lights.

Parking isn’t a problem. There’s plenty of space. There’s probably even a small exhibit of vintage vehicles on one side because the owner’s husband collects and restores them.

What do you think? Will you come to my shop if and when it ever materializes? What would you suggest I add? Chipi, comment the details I forgot.😂