The backstory

Hi all!

As the first conversation posted here, I wanted to give you the backstory and reasoning behind the creation of this website and bookstore. I hope this will give you more insight and why this project is so special to me.

My name is Lilia, I am the creator and founder of Ocha Books. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Living in Tokyo, Japan for 2 years during my High School years. During that time, I was rebellious, trying to outshine everyone around me and gave my grandparents a headache all the time.

Moving back home to Hawaii, I continued being the bad kid. I was not proud of my actions at all, but it was more so a way for me to release the anger and frustration I had throughout my teenage years. But one day, things changed. It was during my Junior year of High School, where I fell in love with literature. My English teacher at that time, always told me I had a gift in my writing, and I should use it for good. I was never complimented with any academic study before, so it was comforting to hear. He insisted I try out for A.P. English, and I got in! I was so thrilled and looked forward to my Senior Year.

But, unfortunately, my rebellious stage was not quite done. I continued being a mess during Senior Year, and didn’t take that class seriously, whatsoever. Looking back on it now, I am beyond regretful and disappointed in myself.

I moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to pursue my love for fashion and find a way into the industry. I continued working retail, and worked hard to move up the ladder. But, I realized more and more that this wasn’t my only passion.

A good friend of mine suggested that I start a fashion blog so that I have a mixture of writing and fashion combined. So in 2018, I made a blog with the name She Blooms In June. It was exciting, I bought a digital camera to take around while I adventure out in LA, document my cute outfits, and strive to become a fashion blogger. But as time went on, it started to feel like a chore. I started to compare myself to others, and my self esteem deteriorated. I no longer had the motivation to write, nor even continue blogging.

I took a break and told myself I will only post when I am in the mood. Which helped a lot — to not give myself deadlines and to take good measures in improving my mental health. Till this day I have my blog, but I have swayed more into posting my poems and using it as a journal to myself; in hopes that others can find a home in my words.

And now here we are; 2022! Ocha Books! It was a long, long journey of finding my true passions and how I can merge them. With the love I have for writing, photography, my Japanese culture, and music - Ocha Books is what truly defines who I am.

I always wanted to create a space where others can feel supported — that includes mental health awareness and having a community full of people that feel understood. Words and writings is where I find my safe space in, which I want more people to come together and be apart of.

I believe Ocha Books is where everyone can come together. Even if you don’t like poems, you may find love in photography. If you like fashion, we have fashion books you can dive into. Overall, I want Ocha Books to feel like it is a place for anyone to find their love in literature and to be at peace with themselves.

I hope this gave you more insight with how I view Ocha Books; and that you will feel more comfortable branching out and immersing yourself in the art of books and words.

Love always,

Lilia x