In the northern Danish city of Aalborg, a librarian with a vision created something unprecedented in Scandinavian retail culture: a bookshop designed explicitly as a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people. Kristine Sofie Højen, a trained librarian, and her co-founder Emma Mai Petersen opened Buen Bogcafé in 2021, establishing what became Denmark's first LGBTQ+-dedicated literary space.

The venture was neither accidental nor naive. Højen brought formal library science credentials to the project, understanding that books and physical gathering spaces carry profound social weight in Nordic countries, where libraries function as democratic institutions embedded in public life. Buen Bogcafé—whose name translates as "The Bow Bookshop"—would operate simultaneously as a commercial bookstore, a café, and what sociologists call a "third place": neither home nor workplace, but a community refuge.

The bookshop stocked literature representing diverse voices and identities, with particular emphasis on LGBTQ+ authors and perspectives. Beyond retail, Højen and Petersen programmed author events, reading circles, and discussion forums. For LGBTQ+ residents of North Jutland, a region less densely populated than Copenhagen and Aarhus, the venue filled a genuine gap. Denmark's progressive reputation internationally often masks the reality that queer life outside major cities can feel isolated.

Buen Bogcafé gained swift recognition. Local and national Danish media covered the opening extensively, celebrating the initiative as culturally significant. Højen became active in Forbundet Kultur og Information (formerly the Danish Librarians' Union), positioning herself within professional library and cultural policy circles. Her work exemplified a generational shift among Scandinavian librarians: viewing librarianship not merely as book circulation but as activism and democratic participation.