Closing Bell: A Peek at BookCourt's Expansion
The folks at BookCourt let us check out the progress on their store expansion, which is expected to be finished sometime in February. The new space, which is in the back of the existing shop, is going to have a coffee bar underneath a large skylight (see pic on jump). Nice to see an indie…
The folks at BookCourt let us check out the progress on their store expansion, which is expected to be finished sometime in February. The new space, which is in the back of the existing shop, is going to have a coffee bar underneath a large skylight (see pic on jump). Nice to see an indie bookstore getting bigger and better while others drop like flies, no? GMAP
Yep, I also can’t figure out how anyone would begrudge them the adjective “independent”. Their selection is far from mainstream, with lots of local authors, great staff picks, interesting magazines, small presses given more emphasis than the latest bestsellers, etc. And they will special order more obscure titles, if you wish.
6:41 You obviously never spent time there –listening to staff and neighbors discussing authors, recommending books, etc. You can come in for a quick gift and learn about authors, art etc.
the staff is better than any other bookstore in the city, in my opinion. bookcourt features tons of independent & university press books, and they have their OWN bestseller list, which reflects what the neighborhood is reading. their selection is by no means comparable to a bestseller driven chain environment.
and i hear that they are expanding the children’s section to be 4 x the size.
bookcourt is truly independent, and they have been there for almost 30 years, so name and trappings only? get a handle …
Yes I am an idiot, thanks for being so polite. Glad to have you in the neighborhood.
Their staff knows little about books. Their shelves are stocked with mainstream books. That’s my opinion. Please be more polite.
Slanted towards BEST SELLERS?????? Are you an idiot? Bookcourt has never sold a Danielle Steele book. The “Best Seller” area occupies one wall, or are you confusing Best Sellers with NEW FICTION. They aren’t The Strand or Rizzoli or a rare book room and they don’t try to be. They have filled a void in this area for years and have managed to stay a float even with B&N a block away. B&N tucks the Paris Review and the like behind the magazines. I am sorry, but, you are completely wrong. They have just the right amount of everything and a nice Children’s section. I’m not happy about the expansion including a coffee bar. I would prefer a place to sit..
And ” a neighborhood with money to burn”??? What are you talking about??? What does that mean? You must have moved here 2 minutes ago. What does that mean???? Go back to West 77th Street and never come back.
The staff is not kowledgable here and the selection is slanted toward best sellers. An independent book store in name and trappings only.
Don’t know about that, but one of the storefronts now occupied by Bookcourt used to be a flower shop, which I think had greenhouse space behind it. The flower shop was used as a location in the movie Moonstruck. (Cher worked there.) Bookcourt took over the space sometime in the 90’s, in an earlier expansion.
Yes, great to see this excellent store getting bigger. As a publishing person I once got to peek into the old space. It was a huge rear extension that looked like an old greenhouse but in completely falling down condition. But I believe this area of Cobble Hill was famous for its wholesale fruit and vegetable markets back in the day (ie. the early years of the 20th century). Similar rear extensions can be seen on ward maps of the neighborhood. Presumably the old structure I saw was a remnant of that era. Perhaps someone can confirm this? Hey, Kevin Walsh, you out there, man?
But what effect will AY have?