Open Thread Wednesday

By on July 27, 2022 8:16 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Banet

    I know it has its own post, but can we just talk about how great it is that Books Are Magic is opening on Montague Street?

    As I posted in last week’s Open Thread, this new location will be 20% larger than their current store. And they hope to open in October.

    How great is this?

    (Now let’s all put our money where our mouth is and buy our books there instead of Amazon. If we want great businesses on Montague we can’t sell out to the lowest bidder – its hypocritical. I know Books Are Magic won’t have every title in stock but really, they can order anything and have it there within a few days. Be patient.)

  • MaggieO

    I’m super psyched about this. I was happy when Books Are Magic opened after Book Court closed but this new location is dynamite. I can’t wait!

  • Jorale-man

    It starts to make up for the loss of Book Court on Court Street, and I question how long Barnes and Noble will be around (for what it is).

  • Jorale-man

    Pandemic update for 11201:
    Dates: July 18-July 24
    7-day percent positive: 12.3%
    People tested (reported to date): 1130
    New people positive (reported to date): 139
    https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page#maps
    (Actual numbers are much higher)

  • Andrew Porter

    When I went to their store in Park Slope, it turned out they don’t stock science fiction, fantasy or horror, which for obvious reasons I’m really interested in.

    These are genres which sell really well. Hope the new store does not continue this self-defeating strategy.

    I never buy books on Amazon. I do buy books at the B&N on Court Street.

  • Andrew Porter

    Original plan for the stores on Pineapple Walk. See additional images in reply:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/da91424d2ee54cd64f0a3e1f5fa48b146642e6f14ae2ddf8fa28d3cb1a26f6e2.png

  • Andrew Porter
  • Andrew Porter
  • KBells40

    Books Are Magic doesn’t have a location in Park Slope

  • MaggieO

    they don’t have a store in park slope… if you’re talking about the cobble hill location, it’s quite small so I’m sure they had to set some limits. hopefully the larger store gives them more options!

  • meschwar

    At the risk of making BROAD generalizations, I suspect that the thought (true or not) is that fans of those genres are much more inclined towards e-readers these days.

  • Mike Suko

    Better check your memory or facts (I think.) The Smith St. location is full-sized. Bet you a book or 2 that the Montague location will be smaller.

    Remember, too, that the owner is a prominent author. (Her genre is not sci-fi, either.) Indie bookstores – for better & worse – don’t use AI when deciding where to have depth.

    Last, remember, that Ms. Straub is happy to supply e-books and audiobooks, largely making use of the internet in an operation that parallels Amazon & Audible. As with books, one trades a dollar or 2 per title for “doing the right thing.”

  • Andrew Porter

    Yes, you’re making a broad—and inaccurate—generalization.

  • Andrew Porter

    Technically, Cobble Hill is part of Park Slope—the terminal moraine from the last glacier.

    We’ll have to wait and see until the new store opens whether or not they carry more book categories.

  • MaggieO

    for some reason i thought i had read that the new location was going to be larger, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Smith Street location is not exactly large, especially compared to what we lost on Court, but I have had great success ordering titles from them that they don’t stock on shelves and it will be nice to be able to pick up those items closer to home!

  • nomcebo manzini

    The Brooklyn Paper has a fuller article about all this. I found it interesting that they DID SAY that they hoped to have events “closer to [our] home” … and I think they mentioned already having done so, utilizing one of the many churches near us.

    I guess the new BPL branch would be tricky – mixing business & the opposite – but just as Emma was resourceful and bold re the new store, maybe, the 2 COULD “collaborate.” If an author appeared in the Comm. Room downstairs, it’s reasonable to think that “B.A.M.” could provide the books to be signed.

    Sounds like a win-win to me!

  • KDHicks

    Couldn’t agree more — I will absolutely order from there instead of Amazon (already do, from their Court St. location and this will be a much easier trip!).

  • KDHicks

    We had a BHB Open Thread awhile back wishing for stores / amenities on Montague (I even recall our suggestion for a Books Are Magic outpost).

    Now that it’s a reality, maybe we manifested it!

    But seriously, with that in mind, perhaps we might be able to bring a few other hopes and wishes for Montague to life…

    Would personally love to see
    (1) a great *healthy* independent all day cafe – plant based / veggie forward to balance out all of the pizza / Italian and hamburgers nearby
    (2) natural wine bar (something like Ruffian in the EV)
    (3) small jazz club /music venue / record store or listening bar
    (4) CHEESE STORE – how can we get a Murray Cheese branch?

    What else…?! So excited about all the Montague developments.

  • nomcebo manzini

    “No accounting for taste,” and some of yours make “million-to-1″ look generous, so I’ll be relatively unimaginative – i.e., “if B.A.M. #2 flew, then why not . . .
    FishTales #2?!

    And … was it I who suggested that either Mt. Sinai should move it’s minimally visible 300 CPW operation to either the CVS or Loft big empty space … or maybe, Cornell-Weill or NY Presb. could “hook up” at one or the other!

    And last I looked, Amazon was trying a couple of brick & mortar ventures out. Yes, I know they’re most liberals idea of satanic, but if you can possibly get past that ….

  • RW

    I’d love to see a “Newbury Comics”-type place move into the old Ann Taylor. It’s the perfect size for a store offering music, movies, comics, games, and collectibles.

  • meschwar

    I’m unfamiliar with Newberry Comics, but I’d love a comic book store as well. But I seem to remember a few attempts at comic shops in the greater area failing.

  • KDHicks

    There’s an awesome public radio station in Seattle that has a public gathering space with a coffee shop, stall that sells records, live radio broadcasts and live musical performances. Just dropping this here for inspiration for Montague St…. https://www.kexp.org/visit/gathering-space/

  • Andrew Porter

    The BH branch of St. Marks Comics in the East Village, at 148 Montague Street, closed in 2014.

    See the article here in the BHB:

    http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/52402