Berl's Poetry Shop Offers Poetry, Art, Design

What may be the only bookstore devoted entirely to poetry in Brooklyn — or possibly in all of New York City — officially opened in Dumbo Saturday. Berl’s Poetry Shop at 126a Front Street specializes in “handmade contemporary pamphlets and chapbooks, often in hand-sewn, letterpressed small editions representing a vanguard at the intersection of literature, art and design,” co-owners and poets Jared White and Farrah Field told us in an email.

Most bookstores have limited space to devote to poetry, but Berl’s hopes to reverse that dynamic, they said. There will be a shelf of poetry for children and events such as poetry readings, interviews, film screenings and poetry trivia nights. The shop will also display and sell visual art relating to text and books or created by poets. The space was previously a gallery, and has a steel floor that was installed for a Bauhaus-themed party in the early ’90s.

Berl’s got its start as a pop-up shop at the Brooklyn Flea. GMAP

Photo by Berl’s Poetry Shop