Photo by Berfin Karaman. Coffee, lit and a good dose of female empowerment at new book nook Bookinista in Wilmersdorf’s Meierottostraße.
Well-heeled West Berliners have no shortage of distinguished cafés at their disposal, and with Autorenbuchhandlung, Godolt and Marga Schoeller Bücherstube, they’re not struggling for awesome bookshops either. Now they have Bookinista, the only Buchladen in City West with barista-standard coffee brewed solely by women. Here, bibliophiles are invited to browse, peruse and generally do their own thing over an aromatic cup of house blend (a special roast from JOCaffé) or a cushion-soft oat cappuccino (€3.60). The brainchild of Isabelle Krössin-Walzinger, a former translator/interpreter for the German Foreign Ministry, Bookinista gives a nod to her enduring love for French litérature and commitment to female empowerment. In fact, she has taken it upon herself to rectify the underrepresentation of women in the bookselling business by hiring a fully female workforce. For this Freiburg-native who’s called Wilmersdorf home since 1981, the shop is also about fulfilling a childhood dream “to create a real Kiezbuchandlung – for residents to meet, neighbouring UdK students to study, for book clubs, poetry readings and vernissages, as well as everyday Kaffeeklatsch.” Belletristik was the initial focus, Krössin-Walzinger’s multilingualism has recently found its expression in two cabinets stocked with English- and French-language works. So, if you happen to be in the Berliner Festspiele’s neighbourhood, there is no excuse – stop by!
Bookinista | Meierottostr. 1, Wilmersdorf, Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 10-16.
