Aphrodite in Action: A Bookshop Proposal
Earlier this year, Griffin Books played host to their first bookshop proposal. Local resident Matt contacted the shop to buy a Reading Spa experience as an anniversary gift for his book-obsessed girlfriend, Leah, and, during their time alone browsing in the shop, he got down on one knee and popped the question – Leah, of course, said yes! Matt said that he wanted the proposal to be book related, as one of the first days we spent together was in an independent bookshop and, thankfully, ‘we had Wales's number one independent bookshop at our doorstep!’
Matt and Leah met in April 2019 on a dating app (she had noted her love of reading in her profile, and she thinks that drew him in). Leah lived outside of Washington, DC and Matt was only in town for a week and half presenting at a conference. After their first date, they spent every day of his time in the US together. A year and half later, Leah moved to the UK to be with him. Matt and Leah are both huge book nerds. He loves history and is currently reading his way through the biographies of American presidents – in order – while Leah loves reading fiction and the classics.
On the proposal, Leah said, ‘Matt knows that my favourite place in the world is a bookshop, surrounded by books and people who love books just as much as I do. For that reason, his proposal could not have been more perfect for me and for us as a couple. Mel, the owner of Griffin Books, was very excited about Matt's plan, but she did make sure to ask whether he was confident I would say yes. He was almost positive that I would! I can't tell you how perfect it was. I didn't expect a thing, and you can imagine how frustrated I was when he blocked my view of the shelves and prevented me from picking out the books I would be taking home with me. But then, he got down on one knee and told me that he wanted to spend the rest of our lives visiting bookshops together, just as we did when we first met, and just as we'd been doing for the four years we'd been together. I left Griffin Books with a beautiful ring and three novels!’
Matt and Leah are getting married next September at the Omni Parker House in Boston which has a long and interesting literary history – Charles Dickens stayed there during his tour of the USA, and it was the place where he read A Christmas Carol to a literary group for the first time.
“Bookshops bring people together throughout the year, every year. [A bookshop is] a safe space for people who may feel lonely or marginalised; it’s a place to gather with friends, to meet authors, for children to listen to stories, and occasionally even a place to spark romance.
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