There has been only one significant event in my collaboration with the bookstore Prole so far: two new partners added in running the bookstore, who have kindly provided me with new skills and competences. We are all working together to create a more and more proficient cultural community around the LGBTQ+ bookstore.
In order to expand the calendar of activities and events, I am noticing that the presence of Prole is boosted with new proposals accepted also by the new partners. The visibility and the business growth of the bookstore is also happening through social media and the web, which are very useful tools to assess the presence of the bookstore both online and in the cultural context of the city. In addition, before my month off (August), we have already got to plan activities (e.g. and cultural meetings, readings, workshops, events with some new LGBTQ+ authors invited etc.) by September 2024 to enlarge the community with new customers and with other cultural entities of the city of Barcelona, through any other cultural proposal regarding LGBTQ+ culture.
During these last months I have felt deeply involved in every side of running the bookstore, especially during the Sant Jordi in April (when we created events for the International Day of books) and in the creation of events for the period of the Pride Month (mainly in June but also some in July) which were very useful to catch new customers and enlarge the boundaries of the bookstore.
Oplus_0
Furthermore, as I am planning to be back here again after the end of the exchange program, along with the rest of the crew of the bookstore I am already planning to stay in contact with them to empower our relationship. So far, I have to confirm that in my path I feel that I have achieved my starting goals, learned how to use new tools and new useful skills and gained more and more new insights to develop my future business idea in a multicultural environment, as well as create a cultural community.
As we told each other at the beginning, the key words of our collaboration between me and the host had to be “learning” and “blending”, in a mutual and continuous knowledge from each other.
And so it is.