Heights Books Moving to Smith Street

By on February 16, 2009 9:46 am in News

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BHB newshound Chuck Taylor sends in this photo of Heights Books. As previously reported, the store is leaving it’s location on Montague Street and moving to120 Smith Street.

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  • AEB

    A great shame–and a reminder to support those businesses whose BH presence we wish to ensure.

    In my own case, as much as I was glad that the bookstore was there, I always took it for granted, seldom venturing inside.

    A mistake.

  • nate

    I hope a nice new, grown-up restaurant opens there. A Bistro would be ideal, or a nice Osteria. Nothing too fussioney or trend-o-matic. Does anyone remember Slade’s? I really liked that place. We need a nice, quiet, Manhattan-style neighborhood eatery. For grown-ups. No stroller parking or wi-fi please.
    Put the crackberry down for an hour! Have a bifsteak and a nice Petite Sirah.

  • C.

    I’d prefer a good bar. That’s a pretty big space. It will probably end up being a bank.

  • AEB

    Disagree, C., it will probably end up being a chain food or clothing or drugstore or….

    I think we need to give up on Montague–or, rather, give up on the idea that it will ever offer specialty stores and/or “grown-up restaurants,” as you put it. It’s meant to appeal to the middle-most.

    The problem is, because BH is relatively small, there aren’t many other drags into which specialty places can move. Though, of course, the vacant store spaces just south of Cranberry could house singular businesses….

  • bornhere

    I think AEB’s point on taking places on Montague for granted is a good one; I bemoan the loss of Waldenbooks and Barnes and Noble (although I did shop often in them), and I miss the Russian-owned shoe store, Old Hungary, Armando’s, and some of the “little things” shops that used to be on the street. But now, I would love a bakery or a fish store, especially since I do so much books/clothing/things shopping online. And if Variety Mart ever closes, my essentially negative feelings about their creative pricing undoubtedly will be forgotten as I whine about having to trek to Bruno’s for a dish drainer.

  • my2cents

    I am so glad they are surviving rather than just closing. But this is the only silver lining of this crap sandwich. Heights books was one of the only reasons I ever go to Montague street in the evening (5 guys being the other) and now it’s going away…sigh.

  • Marianne

    That space would be a great place to have a yarn store. We sorely need one in the Heights as knitting/crocheting is coming back. Sigh, but there are no choices for us crafters: we must turn to the internet to order yarn and supplies.
    But yes, a nice, quiet ‘grown-up’ restaurant would be lovely. However, only franchises can afford the rents on Montague Street, so sadly, we’ll probably get another fast food place i.e. “Subway” or the over-priced “Spicy Pickle”. Such a shame.

  • ABC

    there’s something wrong about seeing a used bookstore with a dumpster outside and then just trashing half their stock! I mean, yes, I’m sure it’s not half their stock, but throwing away books?

  • AEB

    A kind of metaphor, ABC–not so much for the anti-intellectualism typical of the last presidential administration, or for totalitarianism in general, as for the demise of the book itself.

    One’s relationship to a book is absolutely singular.

  • MadeInBrooklyn

    I agree, ABC… Why don’t they just donate them to Housing Works up the block?

    BTW, the new expanded Book Court is fantastic!!!

  • Bart

    I used to love books.

    When moved from college to New York I brought my entire collection. But when I moved to Brooklyn Heights, I downsized from six book cases to one. Now if I buy a book, I have to fit it into the one bookshelf by getting rid of another book. At the office we have an informal book exchange: so books are always available to read. But personally, I’m through amassing a library. And especially with the internet, there is so much to read online. If asked weather I would prefer ten of my favorite books or a computer with internet connection, I would have to say the computer. It is quickly becoming the electronic library to rival Alexandria.

    But I can’t help but wonder my behavior mirrors that other people. I know educated people over fifty usually have large libraries, amassed over a lifetime. But I don’t see the same inclination among younger people. And I think this is a trend that will continue.

    As for the Court Street location, a great restaurant would be a nice addition to the neighborhood.

    Bartmann

  • Heights Blog Master

    Oh great! Just perfect! I have the perfect idea for a replacement!
    How about a real estate agency….no wait, a shoe store…. oh no…how about an AT&T,
    because I live on Hick and it would be great not having to walk past Henry to the AT&T way down there. WTF!

  • R. B. Bernstein

    I’m one of the people who helps to run Heights Books. We got rid of unsale-able books, books that had sat on our shelves for years or nearly a decade with no takers, and books that people were dumping on us. (You wouldn’t believe how many times we found sacks of books in front of the store when we opened up each morning.) We tried to donate books, but the problem is that those who would love to get donations of books don’t have the resources to come get the books, and we didn’t have the resources to get the books to them. One honorable exception: Long Island College Hospital took ten cartons of books, as much as they could pick up, for the patients’ library.

    As for donating to Housing Works, actually for a good long while Housing Works was giving us their overflow of donations till we found ourselves overwhelmed.

    We hope that all our old friends and as many new friends as possible come to see us at our new location, 120 Smith Street (between Pacific and Dean), when we reopen in mid March.