Annabelle's Book Club L.A., a middle-grade and YA-focused bookstore that made its debut as a pop-up and online store, has opened a bricks-and-mortar storefront in Los Angeles, Calif., the Los Angeles Business Journal reported.
Located at 12200 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, the bookshop opened its doors to customers just after Thanksgiving. Owner Annabelle Chang, who is 16 years old, carries a selection of young people's literature and gifts that aims to "spark imagination, inspire human connection and bring joy to people of all ages."
She told the Journal that the store has "been busy so far," and she loves "seeing people come in and be excited." The neighborhood is full of families, and she enjoys "seeing kids run to the middle-grade section and get excited about books that I love."
Chang, an avid reader and the daughter of Legally Blonde author Amanda Brown, explained that the bookstore grew out of a book recommendation blog she started early on in the pandemic. "Through my blog, I started to interview a lot of young adult authors and bookstore owners and I realized that even though young adult is a hugely popular genre, most bookstores only have a small section of them."
That realization led her to start an online store and pop-up shop, with appearances at events like the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Those efforts met with success, and Chang chose to take the plunge and find a bricks-and-mortar space. She added: "It's been a really fun, definitely difficult, but very rewarding project."