Main Character Bookshop

The Design

What a dream project! Elly’s sister came to us with a simple idea for her new romance bookshop, Main Character she was opening in Spitalfields market. She wanted it to feel warm, welcoming, and easy to spend time in, with a look loosely inspired by Oliver Bonas. Nothing too polished, just thoughtful details, soft colours, and a space that feels welcoming for all.

Alongside that, there was a very practical brief: plenty of storage. Shelving for books was needed of course, but also clever joinery to keep everything else tucked away and the shop feel calm and uncluttered. We’ve been building bookshelves for a long time, but this was our first commercial venture and bringing her ideas to life was an absolute pleasure

One of the most challenging decisions was making sure the space was multifunctional, it needed to be a bookshop in the day and event space for book launches and book clubs in the evenings. Martyna, the Interior Designer at Herringbone helped design this so that the large pink bookstacks can be wheeled into the interior furniture to create and event space.

Another issue was storage, without a stock room, Cassie needed space to keep her books, glasses etc.

“The bookshop is designed so well, we can store books everywhere! Everything opens up!”

Another particularly difficult choice was selecting the colour scheme. It had to be the perfect shade of pink, which Martyna found! Vibrant and fun, to reflect the branding of Main Character.

Seating, Café and Bookshop

The bookshop also operates as a café in the day time, and potential bar for hosting events in the evening. Cassie wanted a welcoming space that was versatile throughout the day.

“I love how much space we have to hold everything. The pink display shelves really hold a lot of storage. The way the bookshop is designed means people can sit with a coffee, while others browse the books, the whole space feels really social.”

We loved working on this beautiful bookshop with Cassie are excited to be a part of Main Characters journey.