Streetlevel: Unnameable Books Re-Opens on Vanderbilt
Unnameable Books has completed its move we told you about last month and is up and running in its new storefront space at 600 Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights. We went by on Saturday and thought the set-up looked very nice. Folks in the hood must be pleased! StreetLevel: Bergen’s Loss is Vanderbilt’s Gain [Brownstoner]…
Unnameable Books has completed its move we told you about last month and is up and running in its new storefront space at 600 Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights. We went by on Saturday and thought the set-up looked very nice. Folks in the hood must be pleased!
StreetLevel: Bergen’s Loss is Vanderbilt’s Gain [Brownstoner] GMAP
This is a great and very welcome addition to the neighborhood. Now all we need is a good butcher and a we’ll be all set.
Adam’s Books!
i am very glad to see them on the block. i am hoping that this place, plus the new-ish nail salon and maybe some new occupants of the former garden cafe space will form a critical mass of merchants willing to do something to clean up that side of this block. it is always just littered with trash and glass and is generally inhospitable and unwelcoming. i saw that the nail place seems to have planted its tree pit, which is a definite step in the right direction! but a couple of planters and benches would work wonders, too!
It was called “Adam’s Books” but they got threatened with a lawsuit or something and changed it to Unnameable, kind of definatly it seemed to me. the Sun had a good piece (before that paper folded) about this place and a few other indie bookstores fighting the tide of non-bookishness.
I believe the sign is meant to be a little kitschy and what you can’t see in this photo is the smaller, perpendicular version with the name misspelt. “Unnameable,” geddit?
Loved this store on Bergen and am happy to see Adam move even closer to my home. But would also like to see a bit more effort on the visual merchandising front. Yeh, I understand the appeal of non-glitzy, olde-fashioned bookstores. But as a book industry professional of 25+ years (groan, yes, it’s been that long), it strikes me as a little willful to make the store look so unenticing. It’s still retail after all! Those books currently in the window — shoved behind the bookcases — will be sun-faded and dusty within a couple of weeks. Ugh.
Weren’t they called ‘no name books’?
There is something very lovecraftian about the name “unnameable books”.
You’d expect to find a moldy, stinky, musty, old copy of the Necronomicon in the back with a Miskatonic University label on the inside cover and some unidentifiable dark sticky liquid on the dented spine.
But I didn’t see any copies when they were on Bergen.
I don’t mind the sign, actually. It’s fine.
Yeah sign is weird – looks faux vintage.
that said – best of luck to them. love used book shops.
> Especially since the original place had like a piece of paper taped to the window.
Yes, but it looks like they actually spent money on this craptacular bit of graphic design.”
> what was the original name of the place?
Steve’s? Something nondescript like that.
> Moldy,Stinky,Musty,Old Books Even Yo’ Grams Don’t Wanna Read?
Heh heh heh.