About

We want to sell books that we like. We want to be somewhere for people to discover these books; to learn, discuss, understand (and hopefully buy) something more than a commodity item to be acquired with the click of a button.

Jimmy and Ilya started Ivallan’s together. First as an idea, almost a joke then something like a dare. We argued a lot and didn’t do actually do much about it until we happened upon our little space on Schönleinstr. Then, all of a sudden we had a rental contract and a key and somewhere to put all of Ilya’s books and then we had - ivallan’s second-hand and exceptional books.

It was a chaotic beginning. Stacks of books on scavenged tables and furniture. Ilya was constantly sorting and rearranging even as we added shelves, boxes, storage and categories. Hour-to-hour the shop was constantly changing as Ilya tinkered and improved upon the arcane and mundane of categories and displays. To an outsider (and many people caught up in the maelstrom), it frequently seemed like there was more madness than method yet slowly, somewhat inexplicably and absolutely inexorably. Ivallan’s became the shop you can visit today in Schönleinstr Kreuzberg.

In 2024, Ilya died suddenly and unexpectedly. There’s nothing else that can make sense of this loss. In the months that followed many, many people gave their love, time and energy to keeping ivallan’s afloat and that continues to this day. Besides Jimmy on any particular day you are likely to meet Olga, Charlie and Jaye behind the pulpit Ilya built to hide from/serve customers, as well as any number of other people helping with events, emails, cleaning books, dusting (so much dusting), sweeping, taking photos, posting on social media and putting up stickers or generally just helping a weird little shop continue to exist in the heart of Kreuzberg.

Beyond a range of second-hand books originally curated by Ilya, we aim to program collections and shelves from friends and connections. Whether it’s an academic collection of queer coded classical poetry or a new parent’s list of books that tell the story of their childhood, we aim to make space for the personal (and political); the elements of experience, opinion, translation, creation and giving that make a book more than just ink on paper (or screen). With space for readings and discussions we hope to make Ivallan’s a place for the weird, wonderful, odd and outcast to feel at home in their Kiez with a book in their hand.