Brooklyn's 'Independent Bookstore Revival'

Brooklyn's indie booksellers "offer a sense of connectivity that online retailers cannot," the Daily Eagle noted in a feature headlined "The independent bookstore revival in Brooklyn." The piece cited some hard evidence: "Greenlight Bookstore has opened a second location, WORD bookstore is set to open up a children's bookstore, McNally Jackson has opened an offshoot in Williamsburg and Books Are Magic has set up shop in Cobble Hill."

"If you're doing it right, every single bookstore should be unique to its neighborhood," said Hannah Oliver Depp, manager of WORD bookstore in Greenpoint.

Michael Fusco-Straub, co-owner of Books Are Magic, said, "One of the biggest functions of the modern bookstores seems to be a gathering space for community. We knew we couldn't have a bookstore that wasn't in some way a community space."

"Many people now understand that shopping local is a political act," Stephanie Valdez, co-owner of Community Bookstore, observed. "By shopping local, you keep dollars in your neighborhood."

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