October is my favourite month. That riot of colours wrapped in morning mist with the first hint of frost in the air tugs at my heartstrings every year. It reminds me of playing outside, running through the trees as the leaves fell, and my grandmother waiting at home with hot chocolate. Then, as I got older, curling up with a book and a cup of tea, music playing in the background, and candles in the window.
This week is half-term in Denmark. When my son was little, it was my favourite holiday. We went on ghost walks, we baked cookies and played boardgames, we watched the leaves turn as we ran through the trees and then went home for hot chocolate.
So because it’s half-term, yesterday, even though it was Wednesday, The Story Cellar was open.
For the first time, it was possible to enjoy a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, while you read a chapter or two and decided if you want to take these books home.
I miss going to those big bookshops I remember from my twenties in the US and the UK. I miss being able to sit somewhere and have coffee while I tried to decide where these were the books for me, and then maybe going back to pick up a few more. Even though my space is small, that’s what I want to try and recreate.
And, in my mind, this is the perfect time of year to try and do it. When the autumn mist swirls outside, what better than to curl up somewhere with a good book or two and a slice or cake. Yesterday was spice cake. Saturday might be coffee cake, I haven’t quite decided yet.
Because we never throw anything away in my family, I’ve moved my old desk down to the bookshop and am using it as a display table. With conkers, because it’s autumn.
The Story Cellar 