So this weekend I had the pleasure of stopping by WORD bookstore in my neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The store is a delight - well lit, cozy, with a superb (and wide) selection of books, even though the store itself is small. They have everything from bestsellers to the little known literary books; from an eclectic array of gift books to a unique collection of local interest books.
You'll find index cards with hand written recommendations on the shelves, which adds a personal touch and makes me inclined to pick up those highlighted titles (I bought THE BEST OF EVERYTHING because of just such a note).
Check out their calendar and you'll see that they're not just a bookstore, but also seem to function as a community center with Saturday morning running group, movies, crafting hour, storytime at the park, Greenpoint writers group meetings, basketball league, bananagrams in the basement, and much more. A bookstore as a secular place for people to gather and connect is something I've always thought is genius - and what makes this bookstore such a gem.
And of course they do the usual bookstore things - host launch parties, signings, readings and the usual plethora of author visits - ranging from bestselling authors, literary masters, YA writers, and for earth day eco friendly books. Their basement provides event space. They also have a store book club, which meets twice monthly.
As I said earlier, I bought their recommendation THE BEST OF EVERYTHING by Rona Jaffa; the notecard indicated that every woman in publishing should read this book - and I'm so glad I picked it up. It's the story of 5 women at a publishing house in the 1950s (pubbed in 1958). It's like Mad Men for women...or Mad Women, if you will. Its the story of ambition, desire, and the inner longing of 20 something women trying to make a go in the publishing world - often amidst sexual harassment, bitchy women coworkers, awful office parties, blind dates, even for one character raising a child as a single mother. The author says in a new introduction:
"Back then, people didn't talk about not being a virgin. They didn't talk about going out with married men. They didn't talk about abortion. They didn't talk about sexual harassment, which had no name in those days."
She interviewed 50 women to see if they had the same experiences and she realized that all these issues were apart of their lives, too. I'm thoroughly enjoying, and I wouldn't have picked up without the recommendation posted on that notecard.
While they have recommendations, carry the bestsellers, and even some esoteric titles, if they don't have a book you like in store they say:
"That's okay. We order books all the time and can usually have what you want in 1-2 days. In fact, you don't even have to leave your house to see if we have a book in stock. Just search for it using the search tool in the upper right hand corner. You'll be able to see if it's currently in stock and if so, how many are here. Then, whether it's in stock or not, you can buy it but select "pick up in store," so there's no shipping charge, and you still get to see our smiling faces. So easy!"
Located at:
126 Franklin Street
click address for google maps view of location. If you're in nyc, go visit!!! While you're in the area make a day of it - you're near great restaurants, parks, bars...they recommend:
Peter Pan Donuts (the best donuts in NYC). The Diamond (best beer selection). Lomzynianka (when in Little Poland). Coco 66 (drinks and food). The Pencil Factory (just a block away). Lulu's (free personal pizza with every beer). The Habitat (mac n' cheese happy hour). Amarin Cafe (good Thai food). Papacitos (good Mexican). Pretty much everywhere has a few good vegetarian options.
