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Mariela Gavino, owner of ILYSM Books

"I knew if I ever wanted to name something, I would want it to be a phrase,” Mariela Gavino says, explaining the name of her bookstore, ILYSM (I Love You So Much) Books. Much like the best book titles, it’s a phrase packed with meaning, and fitting for a collection of new and used volumes curated with care.

“I also think ‘I love you so much’ is something people should be saying more often to each other, even if they’re talking about a bookstore,” she adds.

Gavino, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, brought her love of books to Brookland Park Boulevard in North Side with the shop’s grand opening this past Valentine’s Day, another meaningful choice for the business. She founded the pop-up in 2022, sharing preowned books at markets in Richmond, and grew her collection in the years since in a way familiar to many book buyers.

“I was going to different thrift stores or sourcing books, and I would just get so excited about them — there’s only so many books that I can take home before I’m basically hoarding at that point,” Gavino says.  

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ILYSM Books sells a curated collection of new and used publications.

After months of on-the-fly events, she found a lasting home to share her collection — the former Scrap RVA space (the nonprofit moved to a larger storefront) — in late 2024. The retail strip on the boulevard has been host to a flurry of new stores and restaurants of late, and Gavino aims to blend in with the neighborhood’s existing culture while bringing local vendors and authors to the community.

“We’re hoping that, as we get more established and we see how people interact with things, we can just keep changing it up and make it feel new, but also serve what people want,” she says.

ILYSM Books is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.