A unique new store has opened on Oxford Street, London's most famous shopping street.
An ounce of metaphor, a vial of Poemcetamol, and a couple of spoonfuls of symbolism: That might be the prescription you pick up at the Poetry Pharmacy, a London bookstore that focuses on the power of verse to heal all manner of emotional afflictions.
What’s the cure for a broken heart? What about for grief, anxiety or loneliness? For those visiting the Poetry Pharmacy - customers or patients, depending how you see them - it’s these questions that are on their minds.
The Pharmacy's shelves are lined with books categorized by emotion - calm, comfort, words for love - as well as vials of 'Poemcetamol' containing tiny scrolls for everything from exhaustion to existential angst. A cheeky glass cabinet emblazoned with a skull and crossbones and the word “poison” holds the dangerous stuff, while a cafe within the store provides coffee and cakes for those that want to sit down and take time to absorb the 'pharmaceutical' solutions around them.
The second Poetry Pharmacy branch to open (the original is in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire), the unconventional apothecary set up shop in late spring in collaboration with the bath and body brand Lush. It’s located on the ground floor of the cosmetic retailer’s location on Oxford Street, so customers can head upstairs for more self-care selections after browsing.