Chrissy Ryan outside the BookBar store in Blackstock Road

IS it a coffee shop? Is it a wine bar? Or is it a bookshop?

The owner of a new business in Blackstock Road says it could be all of those things, as she aims to put a bit more fun into selling books.

Chrissy Ryan said she opened the BookBar to make bookshops “less intimidating”.

She told the Tribune: “I was keen to be on this strip. It’s well connected and I wanted it to feel like a space for a community – north London is a really bookish place – but also a destination for people from outside of north London to discover.”

Ms Ryan said she had always dreamed of opening a space which marries the social side of reading and bookselling.

She previously worked as a bookseller in the Maldives and in communications and international sales for a publishing company before that.

“When I was working in bookselling and publishing I just really felt like there was an opportunity for bookshops to be even more fun than they are,” she said.

“Independent bookshops are real pillars of the community but I wanted to create a space where someone who doesn’t necessarily read all the time might find a fun place to spend time.

“Someone might read when they are on holiday but may find bookshops intimidating – they maybe feel they have to know what they are talking about to be there.

“I wanted to create somewhere that was really warm and welcoming. It’s as much a wine bar as it is a coffee shop. There are tables amongst the shelves so books can be a conversation starter.”

The BookBar’s book club, launched this week, has already welcomed more than 100 subscribers. After the lockdown is lifted, Ms Ryan hopes the shop will host events such as discussions with authors and poetry readings.

Chrissy wants the business to be ‘less intimidating’ than traditional bookshops

An alcohol licence has already been secured.

Ms Ryan said she decided to view the pandemic as an opportunity to make her dream come true, adding: “The whole vision is to bring people together through books. After a year of isolation, it’s been quite a lonely year for lots of people, and some have been replicating that feeling of connection through what they read.”

She holds personal consultations about the types of books readers are looking for and then arranges a monthly subscription.

“Reading is so personal,” said Ms Ryan. “I think that’s the wonderful thing about being a bookseller – you have the most incredible conversations with strangers because books automatically open up the conversation and that conjures up emotions.

“I just think it’s a powerful and an incredible thing to be able to do with my life.”