About the Interviewee: Annabelle Chang is an entrepreneur, designer, and a lover of all things books. She is an identical twin and a future Stanford University graduate who enjoys surfing in her spare time. At only 16 years old, Chang founded the YA bookstore known as Annabelle’s Book Club LA. Now, at 18, she is a successful bookstore owner with a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and fostering a love of literacy in those around her. The bright pink storefront draws in customers, and the store’s interior has a multitude of interesting bookish features that make avid readers feel at home. In this interview with Annabelle Chang, we learn a bit about how this beautiful store came to be, what her plans are for its future, and a bit about Ms. Chang herself.
Follow Annabelle’s Book Club LA on the following platforms:
Address: 12200 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
Abby Ballas: Hello, and thank you for taking the time for this interview! What inspired you to open your bookstore?
Annabelle Chang: Growing up, bookstores were my favorite places, and I’ve always been an avid reader. When the pandemic hit, I received so many requests for book recommendations from friends and classmates that I decided to create an Instagram account to share my favorite books. After seeing how excited people were about the stories I featured, I launched a blog, where I continued to share recommendations and reviews, as well as publish interviews with YA authors, bookstore owners, and other inspiring people in the book industry. I started selling some of my favorite YA books online and eventually transitioned to in-person pop-up events like the L.A. Times Festival of Books. After seeing the overwhelmingly positive response, I started to think about creating a store where my book curation would be more permanent. As I researched bookstores in L.A. and across the country, I realized that there were no YA-focused ones, and I wanted to fill that gap in the market.
AB: Annabelle’s Book Club LA is a vibrant, yet cozy setting. What are some of your store’s physical features you love the most?
AC: Thank you! Designing the store was such a fun process, and I’m so happy with how everything turned out. I knew from the beginning that I wanted the space to be bright and full of color. I especially love our pink exterior! Another one of my favorite features is the book dress in our window, which was designed by Rob Younkers, an incredibly talented local artist. The dress is made entirely out of real book pages and covers! I’ve also always dreamed of having a reading nook and library ladders, so I’m thrilled that we were able to incorporate these fun features.
AB: What are some of the most memorable events you have hosted at your store?
AC: There are so many! Last year, I moderated a panel with Judy Blume and the amazing directors of Judy Blume Forever, which was incredibly inspiring. Another memorable event was our Baby-Sitters Club celebration last summer, where some of the graphic novelists and Netflix cast members joined us for a fun book signing and panel. This past November, I also loved celebrating our first anniversary with many local authors and book lovers.
AB: I’m sure you have many, but what are some of your favorite books?
AC: Right now, one of my favorite books is The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington, which is our August book club pick! A few of my all-time favorite books include Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry, and Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian.
AB: Do you find that a lot of people who come into your store pick up your favorites? What are some of the most popular books or genres you sell?
AC: Yes! In the store, I have a wall dedicated to my favorite books that I am constantly updating, and I always love providing recommendations to customers. Other than general YA and adult fiction, some of our most popular genres include mystery/thriller and fantasy/science fiction.
AB: How do you choose the books you want to sell?
AC: Although we are a YA-focused store, my goal is to have something for everyone. After choosing the YA books that were most important to me, I started to curate other sections I knew I wanted to have, such as our children’s books and memoirs. I also always love hearing recommendations from customers and friends of all ages, and I’m constantly looking for new, upcoming titles I think would be a good fit for the store.
AB: Is there a particular book that sparked your love of reading?
AC: I come from a family of book lovers, and I really credit my mom with my early love of reading. When I was little, my favorite part of the day was when she would read to my sisters and me. Some of my favorite early picture books included Pinkalicious, The Donut Chef, Pretzel, and Bark, George. When I started to read on my own around age six, I loved the Rainbow Magic series by Daisy Meadows and The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Throughout elementary school, I was also obsessed with The Land of Stories, Percy Jackson, and Eragon.
AB: What are some of the challenges you have faced running a business as such a young entrepreneur, and how did you overcome those challenges?
AC: Day-to-day, it can be challenging to balance short-term needs like restocking inventory with less immediate but also important tasks like scheduling future store and pop-up events. However, it has all been a fun challenge that has already taught me so much about running a small business.
AB: What do you enjoy most about being a bookstore owner?
AC: I’ve really loved being able to highlight historically underrepresented voices in YA and celebrate all types of stories through my curation. I have also loved connecting with authors, fellow readers, and book agents and learning what they are most excited about. I also enjoy being constantly introduced to new authors and books and having the opportunity to expand my own reading tastes.
AB: How do you promote literacy and a love for reading within your community?
AC: Over the past year and a half, I have loved partnering with local schools and literacy nonprofits to donate books and help encourage a love for reading. One organization I am particularly inspired by is The Book Truck, which distributes books to teens in under-resourced areas of LA. Last year, we partnered with The Book Truck for a fall book drive, and I was thrilled when we were able to donate over 200 books.
AB: What are your hopes and goals for the future of Annabelle’s Book Club LA?
AC: I hope that Annabelle’s Book Club LA will become a place where everyone—adults, teenagers, and kids—can go to find new, interesting books and connect with other book lovers. In a dream world, I’d love to see Annabelle’s Book Club LA expand to other cities and perhaps even launch my own YA imprint.
AB: Many of our readers are from outside of Los Angeles. If they were to take a trip to LA and visit your store, where else might you suggest they visit?
AC: Studio City, where our store is located, has so many fun shops and restaurants that I highly recommend. LA also has so many incredible independent bookstores that I think everyone should visit, including The Last Bookstore, Vroman’s, Chevalier’s, and Arcana Books.
AB: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you and Annabelle’s Book Club LA?
AC: You can find us online at annabellesbookclubla.com and @annabellesbookclubla on Instagram and TikTok.
Abby Ballas, Pine Reads Review Writer & Editor
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What a cute bookstore, great vibe – can’t wait to visit. What a dream to open a shop like that. Love reading inspirational entrepreneurial stories like this.