Feltrinelli's "Book Bubble" is coming, where bookstore shelves use Gen Z words.

The initiative in Corso Buenos Aires where a new store has opened aimed at attracting young people

"Planets Corner", "Bricks", "How Much Time Do You Have?", "This Year I'd Like". These are just some of the display categories at Feltrinelli's BookBubble, the new bookstore designed to introduce young people to reading. Opened last December in Corso Buenos Aires, Milan, BookBubble is a community bookstore model tailored for those under 30. Feltrinelli describes the project as a "bubble" in which books accompany moods, with the aim of overturning the cliché that sees the new generations as passive and culturally disinterested. Here, the bookstore becomes a space where young people can identify with themselves, feel involved, and feel at ease. BookBubble has revolutionized the traditional method of displaying books. "By adapting the categories to young people's way of expressing themselves, which often comes from social media, they become more engaged and active: they already know where to go based on their tastes or they let themselves be guided by what sounds familiar," explains Deputy Director Giulia Personeni, placing one of the 14,000 titles inside.

Entering the first room, "Piazza dei Mondi," you immediately understand that the atmosphere is different from a traditional bookstore. Your attention is immediately drawn to the "Mattoni" section, which plays ironically on the caliber of titles: from "A Life Like Many Others" by Hanya Yanagihara to "Das Kapital" by Karl Marx. Not far away, the "Crying Corner" classifies books based on the number of tears shed while reading them. "This corner is just made for me," a girl laughs as she looks at "Romeo and Juliet," labeled "teardrop." Even the current affairs are youth-friendly. Next to the "Milano Cortina" section is the "Stay Tuned" section: from the history of Palestine to the profile of Zoharan Mamdani, described on the label as "the new voice challenging Trumpism." Next, you enter the "Story Room." Here, the mirrors decorating the walls invite young readers to lose themselves in novels and fiction, organized into one of the most popular sections: "How much time do you have?" Here, books are selected based on the time needed to read them: "an evening," "a weekend," "a week," or "to be locked away."

The categorization brings a smile to everyone's face. "Young people seek stories that move them," says Personeni, "and bringing them to them this way is much more effective." The journey continues through 3,000 comic and manga titles, in a room completely decorated with 160 Feltrinelli Comics covers, until reaching the one that, according to the bookstore staff, is the most appealing: "The Place of Emotions." Here, 5,000 romance novels, "in order of "hotness," are decorated with post-its from readers: "Highly recommended," "I loved this book." The journey ends with the "Thought Corner," dedicated to nonfiction, and the "Mystery Workshop," featuring true crime, horror, and fantasy.

"The bookstore attracts many under-30s, especially those aged 14 and up," Personeni concludes, "this way they are more encouraged to read, they are drawn to a different way of experiencing books than usual, but more suited to them." And young people seem to appreciate it: "Going to the bookstore this way is definitely more fun," say some young people, "honestly, I'm not a big fan of reading," she continues, "but here we feel more comfortable being among books and even if we don't have to buy anything, at least those titles make us smile."

Link to the site: http://milano.repubblica.it/cr...