Chekhov's Mistress
Letter from Brooklyn: Freebird Books
Garth at The Millions mentions that Freebird Books on Columbia Street in Brooklyn has reopened with a new owner. That’s good news. It’s a great shop – it feels like a used bookstore should – but it’s not in a location with much foot-traffic, so I had feared it wouldn’t reopen at all. You’ll probably want to stop in after brunch at (the kid friendly) Pit Stop French Bistro for a full Sunday experience, or go in during the week for some quiet time in the cushy chairs.
The selection of contemporary fiction is decent and there (was at least in the past) decent enough turnover to warrant regular returns for browsing. Funny Story: I once tried to buy a copy of Sam Shepard stories at Freebird, but the book had an inscription inside. The woman at the counter wouldn’t sell it to me, apparently thinking she had struck gold with an inscription by the master himself (which it clearly was not). When I went in the next time the book was, of course, back in the stacks as the woman had realized her mistake. I didn’t buy it, on principle. There’s more to selling used books than meets the eye. Good luck to the new owner. He’s blogging, by the way, so if you can’t make it over, maybe you can get some insights on running a bookstore and see what’s in store for Freebird.
Other local favorites:
BookCourt (not used, but despite the 1999 Website, it’s one of the better bookstores in the city) – Cobble Hill
P.S. Bookshop – DUMBO (amazingly spacious for NYC, well arranged)
Heights Books – Brooklyn Heights
Community Bookstore – Cobble Hill (an oddity, difficult to maneuver, but there’s tons of books)
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About this Post
- Posted by: Bud Parr
- Date: December 09, 2007
- Filed Under:
Dependent Children of Independent Bookstores
- Comments:0
- Links to this Post: Technorati
