Laura Riñón, the bookseller who goes beyond the 'bestsellers' and organizes the most appetizing literary 'brunch' in the capital

The Poppies bookstore in October was born 24 years ago at a birthday dinner.

When the writer Laura Riñón (Zaragoza, 1975) had to make a wish,

".

After that evening, she continued to fly -literally and figuratively-, writing and visiting bookstores around the world.

She worked as a flight attendant for 22 years, after dropping out of law school in 4th grade, and the books gave her "shelter and a lot of love": "I have a friend who always tells me: 'Laura, you live in your fiction and yearn for a reality '".

A couple of days after Sant Jordi, we met at his bookstore on Calle Pelayo, which opened on January 11, 2019, his birthday, at 11:30 in the morning, the time he came into the world.

"

".

It's Monday, a rest day in Poppies -the name comes from his homonymous novel-.

Sitting on the gray sofa next to the window, Laura reels off brushstrokes of her life with details and anecdotes.

We are watched from the wall by Paul Auster, García Márquez, Mario Benedetti and Manuel Vicent, among other illustrious pens.

"

", she sums it up graphically.

Before being filled with books, this place was a clothing store.

"The store belonged to a friend of mine. She called me, I was at the beach, and she told me: 'I'm leaving and I'm leaving the place free'".

She was clear that it was her time.

It was August 2018. She always knew what that (her) meeting place with culture would be like.

"

," she clarifies, smiling.

There are no

the tables , "I don't need them. I know all the books you see and I've read most of them."

He loves fictional stories, although lately there are essays, with titles like 'Infinity in a Reed', by Irene Vallejo, which are changing his perception of them.

Her first favorite book was 'Little Women', of which she has six editions in Poppies.

"The novelties seem very good to me, but I'm more into books in the background."

The next one she publishes - she has written one short story and three novels - will do so, she says, under a pseudonym.

"

".

Confinement also forced her to sharpen her wits.

"

".

In those weeks, she made them daily;

the networks became a showcase (her professional Instagram of hers has more than 51,000 followers).

"I needed revenue. Then I came up with gift cards and the response was amazing."

For her, the bad moment came later.

"I was alone with everything and sometimes I broke down. It is also true that she is cool about growing up in the face of adversity."

In his head he imagined a living space, with meetings with authors, presentations... "

,

.

His latest adventure is a literary 'brunch' -with French pastries and Benedictine eggs included- that she organizes together with the Only YOU Boutique Hotel on the first Sunday of each month -this time it will be the second to coincide with Mother's Day -.

The next guest she will chat with is the writer and poet Alejandro Simón Partal.

Poppies are many things.

, where Laura likes to act as a "hostess" and where the conversation with the clients is never lacking. "Now Lana works with me, who is essential for all this to work well".

Her help also allows him to make time for her great passion.

"I love getting up at 5 in the morning and writing."

If a book doesn't hook her in the first 40 pages, she leaves it.

"

".

Sometimes, when he is on his way to the bookstore, he thinks that everything is a dream.

The one he had 24 years ago at a dinner and is today at street level.

Literary brunch

at Only YOU Boutique Hotel (Barquillo, 21): 29 euros.

From 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.

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