(Well to be honest, there isn’t really an ‘Us’- one day, there will be but for now this whole thing is run by just one person (ambitious, I know). So I guess the first thing to do is this…)

Okay, that’s better.

My name is Mica, I’m a working-class 24 year old who moved to Edinburgh in my late teens and really dug my heels into Edinburgh during peak-pandemic, a time most other people seemed to shy away. I began a career in disability care-work and started attending groups that led me to meet all sorts of people- the disabled community, political groups, art crowds, nerds and D&D fans, shop owners, book readers, book collectors, the elderly cafe goers, clubbers, you name it.

I’ve known that I want to give my help to others since I was tiny- my first career ambitions were to follow in my Mothers footsteps (I’m super proud to say that she’s now an extremely cool published psychotherapist) but undeniably, I love to chat too much. I love meeting new people and hearing the story each person has to tell, it’s endless. I find myself seeking out opportunities to get to know strangers beyond surface level and build connections from nothing.

I, obviously, also LOVE to read. I'm full of random crafts and skills but reading has been one of my most consistent passions, giving me a feeling of safety where I couldn’t find it elsewhere. Through all of the heavier moments in a pretty tumultuous life, books have given me peace. Books have given me life lessons, worlds to fill my mind, both dreams and nightmares, friends. Books have given me myself- then began my idea of opening a bookshop, one where I could connect with regulars and make sure my shop serves all types of people, where I could listen and try my best to create something meaningful, something that offers more than just shopping but actual help. The idea sort of sat stagnant for a while, not fully formed or fully believed. The thing that really began pushing me to do the work to make this a reality was my own feeling of helplessness.

We live in a time where there always seems to be a battle for things we all deserve, like equal rights, benefits, respect, disability adaptations, medical attention, the right to move freely, lgbtq+ safe spaces, funding and safe spaces for our youth, apolitical education- you get my point. I feel a lot of these struggles personally as a queer, disabled, mixed person constantly trying to find where I belong. It’s not easy and honestly, I’m burnt out. But yeah, it seemed the more I experienced, the more I wished I could do something and see the results of that effort in-person. This is when I landed on the idea of creating a bookshop that could also be a place of direct action and from there, the idea blossomed. I ran newsletters, anonymous questionnaires and online blogs to gather local voices and tell me what gaps I could fill, and how to make sure I run a shop that feels like it belongs to the people who live and work here. Knowing the obstacles I'd face as a disabled, scatterbrained person trying to open a business by myself (and honestly, a person with very limited funds) I began working with The Kings Trust to both fund my business but also learn the ins and outs of all that come with business ownership (all while balancing two jobs).

That brings me to here, where your help becomes key in opening the doors to Beetle & Books.

While I'm working earnestly to get the funding from the Kings Trust, this still won’t cover all the expenses that come with opening a physical shop. The biggest costs associated are stocking my shop for the first time and renting/ furnishing the place. I work two jobs at the moment and save what I can/ spend time collecting books to space out the cost of the first shop stock but like i’ve expressed, community action IS important.

I’m not well off and my savings are small so this isn’t something that i can just DO myself, but that doesn’t make it any less possible or important. I can’t rely on a big wad of cash from one person but with community donations/ fundraising, 100 people giving me a tenner becomes 1k. 50 more people giving me £20 is another thousand, 200 people sparing a fiver or less adds on to that. The bigger the number, the smaller the amount!

Just imagine funding the opening of a new community space for £10! In this way, no single person feels the financial burden of trying to make a positive change. Claiming spaces in our own city doesn’t have to feel overly-ambitous or impossible when we unite.

Anyway, that’s us in a nutshell!

ABOUT ME...