Bókakaffi Hlöðum
(The Book Cafe)

Bookshop or a café… it’s like having a coffee at grandpas book room, but with better coffee*.

Popping and Rocking

Bókakaffi is created and run by the Icelandic philosopher and 80’s popstar Gréta Sigurjónsdóttir. It is an old bookstore that Gréta’s uncle-in-law ran for many years by the bridge over Lake Lagarfljót in East Iceland.

Now it is Bókakaffi. Even though Gréta still occasionally sings about black and white heroes. and story-girls with her fellow Dúkkulísur, now her main passion is to create a relaxing and comfortable experience for the guests of her
little café.

What happens at the café?

The café is a meeting point in East Iceland for people to eat and drink, read, think, discuss and browse books or the internet. In such small community it’s often important to embrace variety rather than specialising one way or another.

Bókakaffi has truly adapted to the needs of the community hosting all kinds of events including smaller concerts and performances, poetry readings and the weekly dance meeting of the local accordion club.

Shelves filled with old books covering all walls, a menu of traditional farm food** and music played of an old vinyl player make the café experience some what traditional but combined with the high ceilings, fluorescent lighting and bright red chairs the result is really quite original.

Luckily Gréta never leaves the guitar far out of reach and her lunch time live music sessions create an atmosphere that is hard to beat. Bókakaffi Hlöðum is a place worth the visit.

Credits

Illustrations by Craig Johnson

Issue 1 written by Karna

Photographs and design by Glamour