Used book market in the UAE poised for explosion

November 3, 2024

Reduced prices see readers thronging to used book stores like Bookends.

Bookends collaboration with The Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers

October 7, 2024

The Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers proudly announced its Green Globe certification, highlighting its dedication to sustainable practices and environmental responsibility.

Bookends collaboration with Canon Middle East

July 27, 2024

Bookends collaborated with Canon Middle East to feature how the business started, showcasing its journey and unique story.

Bookends collaboration with UAE NATION English

July 15, 2024

Bookends teamed up with UAE Nation to highlight the origins and growth of their business, sharing their inspiring journey and achievements.

From flood to flourish: AUS alumna finds resilience in disaster by American University of Sharjah

May 20, 2024

An AUS alumna demonstrates resilience by rebuilding her business after devastating floods with the support of her community.

Dubai: Volunteers help flood-hit second-hand book shop after 4 days of waterlogging by Khaleej Times

May 18, 2024

Learn how volunteers rallied to support Bookends after it faced challenges from floods, showcasing the power of community resilience and solidarity in adversity.

Value Attracts Value: Startups (Honestly) Walking The Community Talk Will See It Returned In Spades by Entrepreneur Middle East

May 15, 2024

Explore the authentic commitment of startups in the UAE to community service and social impact in this insightful article.

Community Resilience Shines in the Wake of UAE Floods

April 30, 2024

wo weeks after the record floods, UAE's small businesses are bouncing back, fueled by incredible community support. Hear from Somia Anwar of Bookends and Lauren Butcher of Harri & Eve as they share how the local spirit is helping them recover.

Dubai start-up calls for volunteers after losing 20,000 books during floods by The National News

Apr 26, 2024

Read about a Bookends' call for volunteers after losing 20,000 books in floods, highlighting community solidarity and the importance of support in times of crisis.

Having a spring clean? Here’s where to donate your pre-loved items by Spinneys

Mar 27, 2024

Discover valuable insights on where to donate your pre-loved items in this informative article.

A Community Bookshelf That Relies On Trsut At Radisson Red Dubai Silicon Oasis

February 2024

Bookends' community bookshelf at Radisson RED in Dubai Silicon Oasis offers 1,000 pre-loved books on an honor system, promoting trust and sustainability.

There Is An Unmanned Community Bookshelf In Dubai That Works On Trust

February 22, 2024

Have you ever wanted to see a real-life display of the trust, generosity and kindness strangers can have? Well, then, let me tell you about an amazing initiative that’s taking place down at Radisson RED Dubai in Silicon Oasis.

Books, pages and friendship: How two Dubai-based mothers started a second-hand bookstore from scratch by Gulf News

Jan 18, 2024

Two different women, brought together by the love of reading and entrepreneurship

تحت شعار القراءة للجميع.. غريس كريم تؤسس مشروع Bookends - طموح by Al Mashhad

Jan 14, 2024

تستضيف #لين_خضير في برنامج #طموح غريس كريم وهي بالأساس معلمة ومؤلفة، حبها للقراءة دفعها لتبدأ بمشروع غير مألوف، ولكن هدفه كبير وهو توفير الكتب للقراء بأسعار مناسبة من خلال موقع بوك إيندس والذي تأسس عام 2020 ويضم حاليا أكثر من 20 ألف كتاب بـ 13 لغة مختلفة بالإضافة إلى انها استطاعت توسيع عملها بافتتاح أول متجر فعلي. المشهد قناة تلفزيونية ومنصة رقميّة تفاعليّة تقدّم أخباراً وبرامج متنوعة لزيارة موقعنا

Blind date with a book in Dubai? by Khaleej Times

Nov 23, 2023

Co-owner sees this as a way to get people to find books they might not pick up otherwise, fostering curiosity and adventure in reading

A Pre-Loved Bookstore in Dubai by HiDubai

Nov 1, 2023

Interview with Grace and Somia, Founders of Bookends

The zero-waste design bookstore in Dubai by The Brew News

Oct 3, 2023

A bookstore for pre-loved books is inspiring sustainable creativity and reading together

Get your hands on Dhs2 books in Dubai this weekend

Aug 9, 2023

In celebration of Book Lovers Day (August 9), Bookends, a shop for second-hand books in Dubai is bringing together book lovers, readers, and curious minds for a celebration of books and stories.

Lovin Dubai - 8 Ways to Make This Weekend A Whole Lotta Fun.

June 23, 2022

Children’s books, novels, crime & thrillers, and poetry are just some of the genres you will find at the Bookends summer clearance sale. This is a HUGE steal with books priced as low as AED 5! Best part? Browse and shop in the comfort of your own house. Note that these are all pre-loved books, but you can adjust the filter according to quality too!

How A Playdate Led To The Award Winning Platform Bookends To Spread The Love Of Reading Sustainably And Affordably.

April 26, 2022

For this new episode of Unlimited Women’s Brands, I’m pleased to introduce you to Grace Karim and Somia Anwar, founders of Bookends!Grace is a teacher, an author and mother of two enthusiastic readers, Omar and Adam. Somia is a lecturer at University and also a mother of two avid readers, Zoha and Abdullah.Their kids were growing up fast and were quickly outgrowing their books, to a point that it wasn’t easy to keep up with their appetite. How not to relate? That is when the concept of Bookends came into being.A winning pitch at the Sharjah Incubators competition in 2019 and a project born during playdates, quickly became the leading UAE platform for preloved books.There might be many marketplaces but Bookends is led by the belief that reading is a treat for the soul and the mind and should never be taken for granted. Grace and Somia, want to bring back the love of reading by making books more affordable and more sustainable. Let’s hear from them now!

جامعة أم القوين – Umm Al Quwain University

March 2022

بمناسبة شهر القراءة، نظمت جامعة أم القيوين فعاليات متنوعة للاحتفاء بشهر القراءة الوطني مارس 2022 ومنها كان معرض الكتب الإفتراضي طوال شهر مارس و الواقعي بالحرم  الجامعي بام القيوين في الاسبوع الاول بالتعاون و بإدارة وتنظيم شركة بوكأندس 

In the occasion of the nation reading month, UAQ University had organised several events to celebrate the special month. Particularly, a virtual bookfair was held during the whole month and an actual one on the university campus in the first week of March with the organisation and management of Bookends.
For more details, whatsapp on +971 503621164

Bookends.ae - LB Network Podcast with Suzzie

July 2021

Have you been looking for a digital platform for buying and selling used books online at an affordable price, that ships all over the UAE? Head down to www.bookends.ae and place your order. They are having a promotion 🤩 . When you purchase through their website using the PROMO CODE 🌟LB PODCAST🌟 along with your name and you'll get an additional book for FREE!
For more details, whatsapp on +971 503621164

Fujairah TV - تلفزيون الفجيرة – برنامج 7 على سبعة

April 2021

Fujairah TV invited us for a live interview, where we talked about Bookends and our goals. Our interview starts at the 34th minute of the video.

دعتنا قناة الفجيرة لمقابلة مباشرة على الهواء حيث تكلمنا عن مشروعنا والهدف من خلاله. كـان اللقاء مشوق ونشكر تلفزيون الفجيرة على هذه الفرصة

جريدة الرؤية - University of Fujairah

March 2021

جامعة الفجيرة تنظم معرضاً افتراضياً للكتب المستعملة بالتعاون مع بوك أندس وقد دام المعرض حتى نهاية شهر مارس

University of Fujairah had organised a virtual pre-loved bookfair which lasted for the whole month of March 2021 with the collaboration of Bookends.

UAE-Based Bookends Wants To Make It Easy For You To Buy And Sell Secondhand Books Online

March 2021

A new startup, Bookends, homegrown in the UAE, offers a digital platform to buy and sell secondhand books, with shipping and delivery available all over the UAE.

Booked for success: Alumna’s entrepreneurial spirit shines in online bookstore

February 2021

It was a discussion over a cup of coffee between mothers that prompted American University of Sharjah (AUS) graduate Somia Anwar to start a small business buying and selling used books in order to encourage children to read.

Gulf Today Newspaper, Panorama Magazine

February 2021

Cover to Cover: To help readers cope with the expense of new books, Grace Karim and Somia Anwar launched Bookends which allows users to buy and sell used books.

EMARAT TV

November 2020

Ruwad el Istidama is a program shown on El Emarat TV.
A round of competitive innovation accompanied by promising talents in the field of alternative energy, sustainability and artificial intelligence and a jury that evaluates ambitious youth projects to determine the best among them and implement them in cooperation with Masdar City.
Bookends participated in episode 6, on Dec 6th and won the prize.

Pulse 95 Radio

October 2020

Buying and Selling Pre-loved Books Online with Somia Anwar and Grace Karim. In this episode, we had the chance to introduce Bookends as well as also talk about the argument of E-books versus physical books and whether or not the pandemic has shifted people’s trends.

The National News

September 2020

Generation Start-up: Sharjah's Bookends helps bargain hunters get their hands on discounted books.

Friday Magazine

April 2020

Tessy Koshy from Friday Magazine wrote a lovely article about our online portal that allows users to buy and sell used books; mentioning sustainability, convenience, variety and price.

Baby and Child Magazine

April 2020

We were featured on Baby & Child Magazine, talking about how to keep kids passionate about the written word.

Radio Interview - 103.8 FM

2nd March 2020

We had the pleasure to speak about Bookends live on Dubai Eye 103.8 station and conduct a friendly conversation with Nathalie and Danny. We discussed how Bookends buyers can buy and sellers can drop their books to us. We spoke our mission to encourage reading and to contribute toward saving our planet.

Women In Technology Forum hosted by SRTIP

18 Feb 2020

Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park organised the “Women in Tech Forum” in partnership with the Women in Tech Global Movement on the 18th of Feb 2020 which was held at Al Jawaher Reception & Convention Center, Sharjah. The forum featured keynote speakers and five main panels featuring 25 women leading the technology sector in the region. The panels discussed Gender Equality: Empowering Women in the Regional Tech Workforce, Women Led Technologies Initiative in the Middle East, Women In Innovation: Industry Perspectives in the UAE & MENA Region, Be Bold: Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs to Innovate & Invest In Cutting Edge Start-Ups, Lifelong Support & Education for Female Innovators. We had the pleasure to present our business model in front of various leader in the industry and talk about the community problem and our solutions.

Talk to Ali Podcast

8th Feb 2020

TalktoAli is a podcast where people can listen to different interview conduction by Mr. Ali Khawaja. We had the pleasure to be interviewed by him and had a 20 minutes discussion about Bookends. Who we are and what we do. And how we support sustainability by adopting 2 of the 3 waste hierarchy R’s. Therefore how our platform alolows multiple “reuse” and finally “recycle”.

Bloggers meet up - #letsliveitsimple

25th January 2020

We were invited to attend a bloggers’ meetup and we were sponsoring the event by giving away our bookmarks. Buyers would receive free shipping on order above 50AED. It was amazing to meet light minded people who are sharing their experiences as mommy bloggers, food bloggers and fashion bloggers

First festival participation - Sharjah Entrepreneur Festival (SEF)

25th – 26th Nov 2019

In its third year, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF), organized by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa), took place on November 25th & 26th 2019, at the Expo Center, Sharjah. We had a booth there to showcase our business model and were ready to have people signing up.

Idea Validation - Startup Sharjah by Sheraa

31st Oct – 2nd Nov 2019

Sheraa’s new initiative aimed at building new digital content and publishing industry ventures, Startup Sharjah, took place from October 31st to November 2nd, 2019 at the Sheraa Hub. The event brought together aspiring entrepreneurs with backgrounds in business, design, coding and marketing to rally around great ideas within the digital and publishing sector, racing to bring them to life in 72 hours. We went through a crash course of business model creation, programming, designing and market validation. The three days then culminated in a 3 minutes pitch session in front of ecosystem leaders and we won a prize of AED 25K as third place winners.