Peanut Butter Books

In the fall of 2024, my friends Kalleen and Ryan reached out to ask if I could help them assess a commercial space they were looking at as a possible site for a their planned international book store and coffee shop. They had successfully met their goal in a kickstarter campagne to launch the project, which was already a sign of meaningful community support. I believed in them as people as well as in their intention of creating space for an international community of book lovers, so I agreed. The space was very well located, but had some quirks that needed to be thought through. Their primary needs were a bunch of shelving for the books, a register and coffee counter equipped with a sink, some basic appliances for cold storage, an oven, some display, and a storage space upstairs. All of the different elements were prefabricated in the studio and either delivered in small assemblies or flat packed and assembled in the space. Ryan came and worked with me in the studio on several occasions to help bring it all together. This co-construction was practical for the physical work but also allowed me greater insight into the aims and motivations of the project. I was able to experiment and propose new details in real time and the project grew through these improvisations.

2024

Grenoble, France