INCLUSIVE POP-UP BOOKSHOPS IN THE UK AND IRELAND

One per cent of UK children’s books featured a BAME protagonist in 2017. When we opened a five day pop-up bookshop in October filled ONLY with representative books we were overwhelmed by the response: families knocking on the window to get in before we had unpacked any books.

THE DEMAND IS REAL: people came from across London to visit the temporary shop – with incredible, emotional and passionate responses. The power of readers seeing themselves represented on shelves was inspiring and lead some to tears. 

We are going to bring the #ReadTheOnePercent pop-up bookshop to other cities around the UK and Ireland. With a central store in London’s Brixton, we want to hire a permanent bookseller to focus on making the #ReadTheOnePercent stores happen in as many cities as possible. The pop-ups, and the Brixton shop, will be focal points for all representative books, from all publishers, and shared with those that truly need it--a flexible, mobile store that we can move quickly and make destination events for readers to see themselves in books across the country. 

Want to help make it happen? We have rewards for every one and no matter what whatever level you support you will have an opportunity to use the pop-up space for events and receive early access to tickets and discounts. 

We know there’s a need and this is our way of filling just a small part of that.

"To redress imbalances in representation is not an act of charity but an act of necessity that benefits and enriches all of our realities" 

- CLPE Reflecting Realities Report

WHERE WILL WE POP-UP?

We have invites to LIVERPOOL, EDINBURGH, and BIRMINGHAM, if we can raise the funds then we will meet these requests – and fulfil the commitments agreed in the rewards. After that we’re open to suggestion and will be looking for partners to help us find pop-up opportunities across the UK and Ireland. 

WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?

We want to hire a full-time specialist bookseller - to run a pop-up programme across the UK and Ireland, with a base in Brixton as a permanent bookstore. The majority of the funding will go to paying for that never-before-seen role: an inclusive specialist children’s bookseller serving the UK and Ireland.

The other largest expense is shop fittings! Building mobile pop-up bookshelves to ensure that we can get around the country, carry books and look good when everything arrives. We have a rough estimate on the cost but the more we can raise the more imaginative we can get!

Smaller costs include setting up accounts, till systems and deposit costs on the Brixton space too. And of course fulfilling the rewards we promised to make it all happen!

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

"It means so much. It would have meant so much for me as a child to read a book where there was a character in it that I could relate to. I could see myself in the book." 

- ADE ADEPITAN