Limestone Books is an art bookshop located on Grote Gracht in Maastricht. The shop opened in December 2022 and is home to a big selection of books with themes ranging from art and design to societal issues. Jhen Chen, who works at Limestone Books, tells us that it’s more than just a regular bookshop.  

Jhen grew up in Taiwan and moved to the Netherlands in 2014 to study design. When she was a child, her mum would often take her to a bookshop where she would spend hours browsing around and drinking tea. This is the atmosphere she aims to recreate at Limestone Books. ‘’People can visit the shop, meet each other, enjoy the books and a hot drink. They can stay here as long as they want to. It is a community hub.’’

Together with her friends, Jhen organises regular events at the shop, such as artist takeovers, film screenings, and book gatherings. Her friends also play an important role in the selection of the books that are sold at the shop. ''We all use our expertise when we select books. My friends have backgrounds in film curating, gender studies, art, and design. That is why you see a lot of books with these themes. We also select books based on current events. During Pride Month in June for example, we will have more books with Pride-related topics.'' 

More information about Limestone Books, including upcoming events, can be found on their Instagram page.