Danbi Books

Aim

Help us open New Malden’s first bookshop, Danbi Books!

Welcome to Danbi Books, a literary shelter for rainy days…

Inspired by “danbi", a Korean word meaning “sweet rain, or timely rain”, our hope for the book shop is that it’ll become a shelter for those rainy days in life - both figuratively and literally 🌧️

We’re currently raising funds to help cover the cost of stock and resources, and would be delighted if you could support us in bringing this vision to life.

(There will be a grand raffle for a chance to win a £100 Danbi Books Giftcard. Please view the Donations heading for further information!)

A little bit about the owner...

Hello! My name is Ahya and I’m a children’s book illustrator about to launch my very own indie bookshop in the heart of New Malden.  

Having illustrated children’s books for the past 5 years, I’ve discovered that as much as I love spending time with books and creating art, I equally love chatting to people about all things books. 

In fact, it seems to be one of the only topics that gets me out of my naturally introverted shell, hence why I created my BookTube, Ahya’s Cottage, so that I could get it out of my system! It did not in fact get it out of my system, and chatting to friends online and creating an online book community only further solidified my desire to open up a brick & mortar book shop in my home town.

And so at the start of this year with nervous trepidation, I decided to start looking at a few different properties around New Malden with my husband, but it wasn’t until this summer that we finally found a place where we could make Danbi a reality, and we can’t wait to welcome you soon.

Ever since then, I’ve been a busy bee wrapping up my final picture book project and learning as much as possible about what it takes to run a business!

What you can expect

For the young, and young at heart...

At Danbi Books, we believe that books are for everyone, and so we’ll strive to curate a selection of books for both adults and children to enjoy. You can expect books across various genres, as well as a small children’s corner for little ones.

Korean and Japanese literature lovers, rejoice!

Reflecting Ahya’s British Korean heritage and New Malden’s history as London’s Korea Town, Danbi Books will focus on having an excellent selection of translated fiction, especially Korean and Japanese literature, alongside general fiction and children’s fiction.

Our vision is to become the bookshop in London to visit for Korean and Japanese literature!

Fables and tea...

Ahya has long parroted C.S. Lewis' philosophy on books and tea: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

At Danbi, it’s incredibly important that we create a warm and whimsical safe haven for bookworms, and we can think of no better way than by offering a small curation of seasonal tea at the bookshop. So come in for a browse and enjoy a hot cup of tea 🍵

Community events

Having grown up in New Malden, we recognise the need for more dedicated bookish spaces in our community to promote reading and the arts. Here are some ways we hope that Danbi will spearhead this vision:

• Monthly Book Club
• Children’s Story Time
• Author events & book signings
• Exciting pop-ups & collaborations e.g. book swaps, matcha pop-ups, journalling clubs
• Workshops e.g. writing, illustrating, floristry, crafts, Korean lessons

Gifts & Stationery

As a huge stationery enthusiast, it only made sense that there would be a wonderful selection of gifts and stationery at Danbi, from greeting cards and stickers, to book sleeves and bookmarks. We’re over the moon to be sourcing beautiful stationery and supporting independent artists!

What Your Donation Will Fund

Your support would enable us to to cover: the cost of future utility bills; refitting and decorating our shop floor to be as accessible and beautiful as possible; establishing a vibrant collection of books for adults and children, and securing artists and practitioners for upcoming events to ensure that they are paid fairly.

Grand raffle

Every £10 donation will qualify as an entry into our raffle for a chance to win a £100 Danbi Books Giftcard* e.g. a £50 donation will count as 5 separate entries.

The raffle winner be announced on Instagram close to the opening (date to be confirmed).

*Please note that whilst we’d be honoured to receive donations from abroad, the giftcard reward is only available to UK residents only, sorry!🥺

How to follow along!

If you’d like to see any behind-the-scenes moments and our progress, here’s our Instagram and my YouTube Channel where I’ll be sharing more in-depth info~

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and whilst there’s absolutely no pressure at all to donate anything, we’d be utterly grateful if you choose to do so 🤍

With heartfelt thanks,

Ahya, Ian & Milk 🐶

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 17th November 2026 at 9:12am