More Than Pages: The Book Lounge, Roeland Street's Unexpected Sanctuary

by Liyabona Sigwanda

Situated in a corner in Roeland Street, here lies Cape Town's gem. Picture here: the Book Lounge from the outside by Liyabona Sigwanda.

This isn’t a bookstore, this is a bibliophile’s dream experience. For years, the book lounge has been more than just a bookstore on Roeland Street, it’s been a whirlwind of incredible stories, a living, breathing chapter in the street’s rich narrative. It’s your escape, a cozy space to unwind, read, and gather in discussions and events with other readers. It has a curated selection of books that can transport you to new worlds and spark conversations.

A glimpse inside The Book Lounge, where we are introduced to a whole new world full of books and coffee. Picture here: a sign inside the store leading to the lounge downstairs by Liyabona Sigwanda.

Where to find it?

The Book Lounge is located at CNR Buitenkant &, 71 Roeland St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa. It’s a relaxed, independent shop offering a wide variety of books and hosts author events. You can find more information on their website: https://booklounge.co.za/

I had a conversation with the store owner, Mervyn Sloman, and learned a lot about the bookstore from him.

What drew you to Roeland Street as a location for the book lounge?

• I wasn’t specifically looking for Roeland Street, I wanted to open a space somewhere in the outskirts of the city. The reason for that was accessibility,

Picture here: The Kimberley Hotel that is opposite The Book Lounge by Liyabona Sigwanda.

How do you think the book lounge fits into that broader history of Roeland Street?

• There are interesting parallels between the present and the past; we often see protests in parliament because we are close to them. That sense of being close to activism reminds us of the past. During the apartheid days, there was a prison in Roeland Street, and many activists were sent there. When you try and create a space like this one, which represents certain values in politics, and you see yourself as being part of the conversations in the city & also just being part of the social and cultural fabric of the city then that context I think provides interesting points and parallels if that makes sense.

How has The Book Lounge evolved over the years?

• We do a lot of events in the store, so a lot of book launches and author readings. Because we started doing that quite early in our existence, there was a time when there wasn’t enough space for those conversations in civil society. And certainly not a lot of space where people felt safe to be completely present and honestly share their thoughts and experiences. We worked quite hard to develop good relationships with writers and obviously with readers as well. We have also evolved into a space where people feel we’re an important kind of hub of the book world in South Africa. In addition to that, in 2010, I started opening book festivals, which happen down the road once a year in September. And what that does is, it enables us to take some of the kinds of conversations that we have here as part of book launches and make it a lot bigger and broader in the festival.

Crowds gather almost every evening at The Book Lounge for regular book launches. Picture here: the launch of Henry Trotter's book Cape Town: A Place Between by Catalyst Press.

You mentioned events, which are book launches and author readings. How did the public engage with them in the beginning when you first launched them?

• I was very surprised at the extent of interest in what we were trying to do. When we started doing them after being open for a few months, I thought we would be doing 2 or 3 a month, and very quickly we ended up doing 3, sometimes 4 a week. It was refreshing to see the desire people had to support the events.

What role do you see The Book Lounge playing in the community?

• I’d like to think we try as a collective to be representative of certain values and part of that is around creating a space for writers and readers to engage but it’s also informed by the understanding of where we are as a country and as a world right now in the impact of the years of colonization and apartheid in this city which continues to obviously live with us. That informs some of the decisions we make, and it felt important to promote writers who, because of the politics and the history of the country, do not necessarily get opportunities in the publishing industry. The book world is a very elite world because it is very expensive, so we try as much as possible to open a conversation because it doesn’t cost anything to be part of it.

A cozy and warm place for readers to enjoy reading their book while sipping on a cup of tea. Picture here: the downstairs lounge of the bookshop where you can relax by Liyabona Sigwanda.

Can you tell me about the design and décor of the place, and was there a specific aesthetic you were aiming for?

• The most important thing was trying to create a space that felt comfortable for people. I wanted it to be a space that was inviting where people felt like they could come in and spend time here, whether they are browsing the shelves or sitting downstairs in one of the chairs, having a cup of coffee or not. The intent was for the space to be inviting and comfortable.

Are there any upcoming events that you would like to share with me, and you also mentioned the book festival. Are you guys hosting it this year?

• We have a weekly newsletter so I would encourage people to sign up for that so they can see events and new book arrivals each week or they can just follow us on social media. In terms of the festival, yes, we are in the early phases of looking at which authors we are going to invite and looking at all the new books that are coming out between now and then. That will be the weekend of the 5th to the 7th of September, and we’ll be talking more about it closer to the time. We also offer free tickets to students as well as old people who are interested but cannot afford the ticket price.