Bookstores are magic
A chronicle of the Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl 2024
When I was little, my family would often take a trip to the nearest Borders bookstore. After grabbing a hot chocolate from the cafe, I would find a quiet row of shelves, sit on the loudly patterned carpet with a book, and read until it was time to go. Sometimes I read Nancy Drew, other times it was a Chicken Soup for the Soul book (I loved reading about other people’s drama even then). I’d cradle the book, and any others I’d found interesting, on the walk to the register in the hopes my parents would buy them for me. More often than not, I’d walk out of the store with another book or two to add to my own bookshelves back home.
Most of that can’t be recreated today: Borders has since shuttered, modern bookstores don’t have stacks anymore, and I have to pay for the books I want with my own money now. Still, I’ve held onto the innate feelings of wonder, comfort, and belonging that bookstores elicit in me, whether it’s a two-story Barnes & Noble or a 300-square foot shop in Kensington, Brooklyn. I am always safe and happy in a bookstore.
So when the Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl comes around in April, I jump on it with full force.
The Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl has been around for 10 years, but I only learned about it last year. The Crawl happens over the course of a week, this year from April 20-27, and involves participation from several independent bookstores in Brooklyn. Crawlers can pick up a “passport” from any of these shops, and the goal is to collect stamps/stickers/signatures from as many shops as possible.
Last year, as a joint effort between Derek and me, we hit all 25 bookstores. This year, I was determined to hit all of them all on my own. Five books, 99,570 steps and 25 bookstores later, my passport card was a collage of stickers, stamps and hand drawn characters.
It was such a fun adventure, exploring so many bookstores across various neighborhoods. Each store had something new to offer, whether a unique shtick (pigeon themed!), a mini donations-based bar, or an immigrant aid-focused community space. Even though a number of them are off the Brooklyn paths I usually frequent, I found a few new favorites that made me want to visit again and again.
Day 1
I picked up my passport and collected my first stamp at Books Are Magic (from which today’s title is borrowed) on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights and quickly mapped out a plan of attack for the rest of the week.
I grouped bookstores together by location. Monday’s shops were near where I would be cat sitting later that day; Tuesday’s were more in western Brooklyn; Wednesday’s route followed the west side of Prospect Park (roughly a 4+ mile walk); Thursday would tackle Williamsburg and Greenpoint; Friday’s jaunt shot from Crown Heights up into Bushwick.
You might’ve noticed that I accidentally put Mil Mundos on there twice. I initially thought I could take the L train there from Williamsburg, but figured that it would be easier to hit on Friday’s route instead.
Daily steps: 9,192
Books bought: 0
Day 2
POWERHOUSE at Industry City
Industry City is a warehouse complex turned hip retail and food destination. This POWERHOUSE location laid out and stacked their books on tables instead of bookshelves, labeling fiction tables “MAKE BELIEVE,” nonfiction tables “FOR REAL,” and photography “PRE-INSTAGRAM.” I appreciated that about half of the store was dedicated to kids books.
As my fifth bookstore, I collected my 25% off coupon, valid at any participating crawl store.
Books Are Magic on Smith Street
This is Books Are Magic’s original location. During and after the crawl, a few people have asked me which bookstore is my favorite, and Books Are Magic is an easy winner. I’ve been going to Books Are Magic for years, even before they opened a second location closer to my apartment, and they have always fostered such a welcoming, joyful experience. They have a constant roster of author events for both kids and adults and are always engaging readers with reading contests and challenges.
Here, I read the first few pages of Knife by Salman Rushdie, but instead of buying it, I requested it from the library.
POWERHOUSE Arena
My second POWERHOUSE of the day, Arena is in a prime spot under the Manhattan Bridge. With one more bookstore on my list for the day, I didn’t have much time to browse before heading to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens for their Hanami Nights event that night.
Head Hi
While waiting for the bus to get to Head Hi, a different bus pulled up, but I waved him off. Directly behind him, a school bus also stopped and beeped at me, seemingly waiting for me to get on???? Sir, I am almost 30 years old, please.
Anyways, the bus I needed never came, so I called it quits for the day and aimed to hit Head Hi another day.
Daily steps: 11,818
Books bought: 0
Day 3
Unnameable Books
On Wednesday I was accompanied by my pal Derek, aka D1, who loves a long walk and, after being jealous of my bookstore crawl last year, wanted to participate this year, too. Lucky him, he lives right by used bookstore Unnameable Books.
The Ripped Bodice
A newbie to Brooklyn and the Bookstore Crawl, this is the second location of the Los Angeles-based Ripped Bodice bookstore. As you may have surmised, this bookstore carries (mostly) only romance books! They are organized by subgenre, such as Fantasy/Paranormal and Historical.
This was the only bookstore to require a purchase in exchange for a stamp on your passport, so I bought a $4 postcard.
Community Bookstore
D1 claimed that the booksellers here were always standoffish and acted holier-than-thou, never greeting or helping him out (all of which he likes, by the way). The moment I walked into the bookstore, I was met with a cheerful “Hello, welcome!” by all three booksellers behind the counter, so I don’t know what D1 is talking about. He even got his own passport and stamp here without incident. The store also has a small garden seating area in the back containing a tiny pond with its resident, John Turturtle (!!!).
POWERHOUSE on 8th
The third and final POWERHOUSE location on my crawl, POWERHOUSE on 8th is the smallest and coziest of the three. The bookseller was excited to see that I had collected a number of stamps already, including their two other locations.
Terrace Books
Another small, cozy shop, Terrace Books is associated with Community Bookstore. D1 was particularly intrigued by their small rare books case, which included a Winnie the Pooh cartoon collection.
Lofty Pigeon
This was my favorite new addition to the bookstore crawl. They had a great pigeon mural outside and plenty of pigeon-themed merch, including stickers and cross stitches. I bought one of those stickers, a locally made magnet, a magnet with a pizza rat on it and my first book of the crawl, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai.
Taylor & Co. Books
The walk from Lofty Pigeon to Taylor and Co. was only about 15 minutes, but they felt worlds apart and worlds away from where we had begun our day. Things were much more spread out here in Kensington: we passed a whole gas station, a huge laundry machine repair center and legitimate houses with yards.
The bookstore itself was tiny, but housed a great selection. I wasn’t going to buy a book, but as I waited in line to get my stamp, I saw a book by the register that I thought would be a great gift for one of my pregnant besties.
Daily steps: 17,378
Books bought: 2
Day 4
McNally Jackson Williamsburg
The second McNally Jackson of the crawl, I got here shortly after it opened, but was still part of a handful of browsers. The bookseller commented on how many bookstores I had already visited.
Quimby’s
A few long-ish blocks away, Quimby’s is a quiet, New Agey bookstore filled with used books, zines, records and trinkets. The seller (perhaps Quimby himself??) also remarked on how many stamps I’ve gotten so far; he seemed especially excited and tickled. From him, I bought Lilith’s Brood, a collection of Octavia Butler’s three-book Xenogenesis series.
WORD
I browsed WORD’s main and basement levels before collecting my stamp, but instead of stamps or stickers the bookseller drew a little frog face!
Archestratus Books & Foods
Archestratus is part dry goods store, part cafe, part bookstore. Alongside its massive cookbook collection and lesser fiction and non-fiction sections, I also scanned its pastas, cheeses and olive oils. I bought some tinned fish (salmon and octopus) from the really lovely and welcoming seller who encouraged me to enjoy the fish and beautiful weather with a tallboy.
Black Spring Books
Although having been around for four years (according to the bookseller), Black Spring was a new addition to this year’s bookstore crawl. It was a tight fit, but I was glad to see that it wasn’t lacking in customers.
Daily steps: 16,587
Books bought: 1
Day 5
Cafe Con Libros
Cafe Con Libros is more of a cafe with bookshelves for walls. Here, I got a baby book for the baby shower of my aforementioned pregnant bestie. In front of us in line was a fellow crawler seemingly also trying to catch ‘em all.
The Word Is Change
I hadn’t even stepped foot inside when I found the book I’d buy: New Moan, a Twilight Saga parody. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I was a Twihard in my tweens/teens and this parody has delighted me to no end and I haven’t even fully read it yet. The fellow crawler we had seen at Cafe Con Libros was also here, bypassing us browsing and going straight to the counter.
Adanne Bookshop
Relocated from its initial location in DUMBO, Adanne carries mostly books and trinkets by artists of color, especially Black artists. This space even has a small backyard where the owner keeps her dog who watches customers curiously through the glass door.
Mil Mundos
Mil Mundos is a very community-focused organization that, in addition to its bookstore, also offers Spanish classes, funds to families in need and clothing swaps. D1 made his only book purchase here (I forget what the book was, and at press time, D1 had not yet responded to requests regarding the book).
Head Hi
After introducing D1 to NYC bus culture, we made it to Head Hi… only to find that day and that day only, they closed at 3pm instead of their usual 5pm. We trudged back the way we came. I couldn’t believe that I had tried to come here twice, only to be thwarted each time! I swore I would get this on my passport the next day.
Daily steps: 23,648
Books bought: 2
Day 6
Head Hi
Just after they opened at 9am, D1 and I finally got our Head Hi stamp, along with some snacks and beverages, as it’s more of a coffee shop with a sprinkling of art books for purchase.
Freebird Books & Goods
Finally, we made it to my final destination (D1 was about nine stamps behind).
“I hate giving mine after you,” D1 said, whining that his passport looked so sad after the impression mine made on the bookseller.
Indeed, when I handed my card over, the bookseller noted how close I was. When I told him his was the last stamp, he was so excited and congratulated me. There was no such fanfare for D1. Sad!
Daily steps: 20,947, although about 15,000 can be contributed to the crawl
Books bought: 0
Aaaahh I loved reading this Book Crawl Adventure!! I've also had my eyes on The Kamogawa Food Detectives so lmk what you think!