They couldn’t afford a house. So this Pasadena couple opened a books and boba shop

Desiree Sayarath and her husband Rigo Hernandez had been saving up to buy a house, but realized they weren’t going to be able to afford one.

So Sayarath pitched an alternate plan: “Let me open a bookstore.”

Her husband was up for the challenge. “And now we can’t imagine doing anything else,” she says.

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The couple’s new venture, DYM, is located in Pasadena’s Hen’s Teeth Square shopping center at 2057 N. Los Robles Ave., Suite 10. And last Sunday, as the internet was being set up and bursts of drilling periodically punctured the quiet of the shop, she discussed the bookstore and its name.

“Our store is a book and boba shop called DYM and it’s an unofficial acronym for ‘[Blank] Your Mind’: Decolonize, diversify, deepen, devote, delight – whatever reading means to you.”

As for the boba, Sayarath wanted to get one thing clear first: The bookstore is open and books are available, but the boba and other drinks are coming in 2025.

“This is my first business,” says Sayarath, pausing to thank a group of shoppers who’d already found the newly opened store and bought some books. “I saw this space, and I fell in love with the architecture, the lighting, the location. It’s not too modern, and I like that. It’s tucked away. It feels like a true neighborhood spot, which is what really drew me to it.”

Sayarath, whose background is in Human Resources, has lots of independent business owners in her extended family. She says she sees the store as a place for connection.

“I’m half-Chinese, half-Lao,” says Sayarat. “I was born here in the U.S. and my parents are pretty Americanized; they came when they were fairly young.

“I try my best to uplift some of my cultural heritage,” she continues. “Laos is very small, so I try to put more effort into finding stories and authors from Southeast Asia in the store, but it’s still a pretty small selection.

“I want people to feel represented,” she says. “I want to carry more underrepresented stories, authors of color, characters of color.”

Though she’s still filling in the shelves with books, she’s got authors such as R.L. Kuang, Ann Leckie, Kaliane Bradley, Hafsa Faizal, Rasheed Newson and Mariana Enriquez – and more – in stock.

Choosing the titles to carry wasn’t always easy, though.

“When I was purchasing my books, I had to remember, like, ‘Oh, it’s not just what I’m interested in. I have to think about everybody else,” she says.

She says she’s learning a lot as she goes through the process of opening a store, which sits next to EZ Halal Meat & Grocery Market, King’s Breakfast and Burgers and a Domino’s outlet.

“DYM is about community and wanting people to connect,” she says. “I think it’s important for all to find connection with our neighbors … and that’s what I really hope DYM could do for Pasadena, Altadena and anybody who wants to stop by.

“Luckily, my neighbors in Hen’s Teeth Plaza, they’re so helpful. They’re so kind. So even though there’s a big learning curve, it helps having people who are just truly looking out for you.”

Considering all Sayarath and her husband have had to do and learn so far, does she regret the decision?

“Only that I didn’t do this sooner.”

For more about the store, check out these links