Bookstore stock; Ask for what you want

I'm planning on opening a bookstore in Clinton Hill, most likely on Myrtle, sometime in the next year (depending on how funding goes ) and I want to have an idea of what the neighborhood is looking for, so share your deepest desires - children's books, adult fiction, non-fiction, scifi, comics?

My goal is a bookstore most of the neighborhood can walk into and find their favorites, a place they can count on the find books they like.

Also, anything else you're looking for in a bookstore; later hours, deliveries, wine, reading groups, writing groups, etc. Ask, and ye might actually receive.

YES!!!!!!!

My dream bookstore on Myrtle is a place where I could pick up the stuff I read about in the Sunday Times book review section (then again, at the rate I read, that would get you about 4 sales a year). Some cool comics -ahem, graphic novels- would be fun, as would a used section if that's feasible. As far as extras go, a space to drink a fancy coffee whilst skimming the McSweeney's I impulsed would be cool. Finally, specializing in a couple of areas (e.g., biographies, mysteries and literary magazines) might be better than trying to compete w/ Amazon, esp. if you can get good turnaround on special orders.

Eagerly looking forward to it!

Thanks for the ideas! For sure I want adult fiction, some great graphic novels, and a lot of fiction you wouldn't necessarily find at Barnes & Noble.

Kids, I'm not so sure. They're loud and messy and I live in fear of Park Slope parents.

I fantasize about a space with garden space - a hammock at the bookstore, can you imagine?

just model it on the cobble hill bookstore on court st.
very simple. you don't even need their downstairs section.

History, current events and other non-fiction!

All of the 'extras' you mentioned sound like a great idea. A cafe, nice places to read in-store, groups & community-type meetings. A patio would be awesome.

...Okay, I don't even HAVE kids, and I have to confess that the fact that you're already shying away from welcoming kids into your store is a little off-putting. It makes me wonder who else you'd discourage from coming in, and why.

Two things:
1.) I'm on a pretty voracious SF binge lately, so gimme space operas.

2.) Re: the kids. Every time I walk into the SF section at B&N, my first reaction is to get bent out of shape about having to carefully step over all the kids sitting in the aisle. My second reaction is to think, "Hey, the place is full of kids....and THEY'RE READING".

I can live with kid friendly. (If they're the same kids described in the Park Slope rants, I may have to pop a few upside the haid, tho)

Even if you don't stock a children's section (which would be a bad business decision, imo, considering the demographics of the neighborhood), you should refrain from seeming child intolerant as families in the area will be one of the biggest portions of your clientele.

Also, have you considered Fulton Street too? You might find a good deal on rent, you have the subway there, and definitely have the client base of Clinton Hill and even northern Prospect Heights (think of all the new condo buildings opening in Northern Prospect Heights). Just my two self-interested cents re location (unless you're focusing on the Pratt students - who already have a bookstore on Myrtle).

First, I wish you well! I think a bookstore can work (and thrive) in the neighborhood, even though we live in the Amazon era. My wife and I would certainly support a local book store and we would look forward to supporting your store.

Unlike some of the other folks who have posted here, I wouldn't want a place to hang out. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I am just not a hang out and lounge around person.

My insight would be to have a personal point of view and specialize in a few key areas. No one should expect you to have every type of book selection under the sun. You can't be all things to all people--especially in the world of books where you would need a football field sized warehouse to do that.

I like the bookstore on Court Street a lot and go there whenever I am in the neighborhood. I like the Court Street store because it focuses on those books that are either classic or new and considered important. In other words, the bookstore serves a bit of a concierge role by recommending recent must reads (it is also tied to the New York Times Book Review and I find that helpful).

A few areas that would be of interest to me? A strong section on Brooklyn writers. I read somewhere that Brooklyn has more writers than any other area in the country. A section on their works and who they are, etc. would be very interesting. Would appreciate the best in new fiction and non-fiction as I don't have time to keep up with what's good to read. A strong food section--about food, cookbooks, etc. Finally, there is lots of creative stuff going on here--from clothing design to architecture to home renovation. I robust section on that would be well-received.

I wish you well and look forward to your store opening...

Thank you all for some really great ideas, and confirmation on some things I already wanted. And keep them coming - it can't be all things to all people, but popular vote is important to me.

As for the kids - I really don't know anything about children, and I don't think there's anything wrong with saying I don't want to turn over an entire section of a small store to them. It's not that I don't want them there, I just don't want to plan sing-alongs or reading circles for them.

I'm as desperate for a walking distance bookstore as everyone else - I just need a couple of months to save a little cash and teach myself some MBA skills. Hold tight, and let me know if you find a great commercial space with low rent.

Fair enough, Guest; the impression you gave, though, was that you didn't even want them to come in, or that if a parent came in with their kids you'd look funny at them.

Please, please open a bookstore on Myrtle. I would love to get my books locally. I have a preference for non-fiction and I love the idea of having a Brooklyn writers section.

I love the idea of a "brooklyn writers" section.

also i would absolutely LOVE a good NYC/Brooklyn history section. Most book stores don't have much in the way of city history, and their city sections are generally filled with guidebooks, not actual history.

I would love to give my business to a local bookstore!

I like the idea of a section for brooklyn writers and I would be looking for lots of current events, history and non-fiction. A cafe/lounge kind of place is appealing to me as well as well.

Also, I second the suggestion for a location on Fulton!

Hooray for books in the neighborhood!

Would you consider having new AND used books? I buy a lot of books, but most of them used.

Boygabriel wrote: I love the idea of a "brooklyn writers" section.

also i would absolutely LOVE a good NYC/Brooklyn history section.

Right on! This would be a great "theme" for a local store.

I'd love to read more about the neighborhood so I'm all for a Brooklyn history/writers section. And a place to sit and read what I bought would be wonderful.

Here's a third vote for Fulton, Fulton, Fulton!

Subject: Bookstore

A fourth vote for Fulton, here. Have you ever been to Three Lives Bookstore in the West Village? It's small but has a really devoted clientele, great stock and a lovely atmosphere.

Good luck!

MYRTLE, MYRTLE, MYRTLE!

Nuf Sed.

Fulton is good for me, too, actually. That dance studio would be great, and right next to the train. I'm not only looking at Myrtle or Fulton (or Cellar's space, I love that place) but it will for sure be Clinton Hill.

And a Brooklyn writers section and a Brooklyn history section are already on the list - but I'm glad to see you guys are looking for what I'm looking for. When the store is actually open I'll do this more, a community bookstore should reflect the desires of the commumity, and so I'm including as much as I can now, and later ya'll can come in and ask for more.

Nikki

I live near Myrtle so that's my vote. But really I'd visit your store if it was on Fulton instead.

I'd put the bookstore on DeKalb. Wouldn't it be great to have a bookstore in the midst of the restaurants, and that would stay open late enough into the evenings so that diners could stop by and pick something up after dinner?

I encourage you to include greeting cards, wrapping paper/ribbons/gift bags, and some stationery in your store. That stuff is hard to find around Fort Greene, and it would be great to have it available. Plus, I would think that it would up your profit margins.

With all the new babies in the neighborhood, I think you should definitely cultivate a section on parenting and pregnancy. Some well-chosen children's books would also be good, don't you think? I volunteer to help you choose titles As for other sections, I think that what you really need is a good book curator. I read broadly--nonfiction, fiction, sci fi, genre, history, whatever--and I'm looking for the best of those sections, not for the most extensive.

And I LOVE Three Lives, in the West Village. It's the perfect model of a well-curated bookstore. Every time I walk in, I find millions of things I want to read. If we could just clone Three Lives on DeKalb, I would be a happy, happy girl.

Your bookshop just got $10k free fit-out money if you put it on myrtle

http://www.myrtleavenue.org/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/23/Bakery-and-others-wanted

I'm absolutely addicted to the smell of acid-laden old books. If you aroma-fy your store with that, I'd become a permanent fixture.

Love the sci-fi, the graphic novels, the historical fiction and the 'new' lit. You have to have a Daily Show/Colbert Report shelf. NYT too, I suppose. throw in an Oprah shelf, and you're all good to go. There's a neighborhood book club - you should set them up too. I bought all my wife's books at once from Amazon, but would have preferred to do so locally.

I personally dislike the 'new' bookstore on Court Street. It's so sterile. No seating. The cashier at the main station is weird. Hate the downstairs - it screams 'I don't care about these books, and you shouldn't either unless they're for a book report'. That said, i'm sure it's doing ok. It's a 'gift' bookstore. Myrtle Avenue's a good spot if you're getting a larger space that permits long-term seating, but Dekalb is better as a business decision.

All those kids at B&N are there because the babysitters don't know where else to take them when it rains or otherwise inclement. Kind of messy, but I LOVE the sight of so many children reading or being read to. Warms the cockles. But I get that creating a large space for them, while wonderful, wouldn't necessarily make the best business sense. You don't want to go down the road of being frustrated by non-paying customers becoming permanent fixtures in your leased space. Unless you make them buy $5-6 coffee first.

I like Dekalb too, and the location, besides knowing I want to be in Clinton Hill, is still in the air.

The Daily Show/Colbert Report shelf was already on the list, as well as NYT shelf and whole list of others.

As for coffee: I have no idea how to make good coffee, and I really don't want to pay someone who does. Plus, there are places to get coffee in the neighborhood, and you're more than welcome to bring it into the store. I will be.

As for seating, as I get a handle on the rents and sales and everything else, I'll know how much space I can dedicate to it. I would love a garden for book groups and writing groups and author readings, though.

I'm hoping for a Sept. 1st opening, so keep your fingers crossed.

i'm gonna open a bookstore on Fulton. we'll have two. and mine place is gonna be Kid Friendly, Clinton HIll Friendly, and Bed Stuy Friendly. I"m sick of listening to everyone bitch on this site and others. This is Brooklyn not Bitchlyn... go back to the Midwest or Connecticut

Bitching is different from constructive criticism.

Hi there Guest -

I recently opened a bookstore on Bergen & Flatbush -- having first planned to open in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene.

Do stop by the store and chat with me, if you like, before you open -- I may be able to be helpful in some way.

Best,
Adam
of Unnameable Books
(formerly "Adam's)
456 Bergen St.

Best of luck to you with this.

As an additional suggestion, I'd constantly monitor the Amazon list of popular books and maintain a small display for them (#1-20?). Update it every week as necessary, if they're not already covered on another theme shelf.

What about a 'Cleverest' children's lit shelf? Subversive stuff mixed in with the merely traditional. Many of the nabe's new parents are eager to get their kids the same books they had, as well as do one better.

You have to find a balance between the books people love to stumble across and the ones that move with such quantities so you can pay your bills. It's really hard to maintain a balance of not selling out in the eyes of your 'constituents', and making a living doing something you love. In the end, it's bad for the neighborhood to find a gem of a store, watch it suffer through a year only to go out of business. Only thing worse is to find a gem of a store, and watch it do a 180 and become a soulless zombie Borders knockoff in order to pay burgeoning debt.



As for coffee, you're right. If you can't do it great, you shouldn't try for it. What you could do is provide 'convenience' coffee. Get a middle-end, small-footprint self-service coffee pod machine. People will pay a premium for immediate gratification if they need it. Customers will like you even more if you let those who like good coffee enough to go get it and bring it back. You'd still be able to charge a couple of bucks. Many stores make their best profit margin on drinks. If it pays for itself, that's ok then. If it starts making a decent revenue stream, you can revisit whether it's worth it to expand and hire the talent/equipment to make good coffee. That lets you retain the option while still giving customers a choice and goodwill.

If you were on Dekalb, you could stay open later. There's more foot traffic on Dekalb at night because of the density of high-traffic restaurants. A bookstore would help keep the nightlife rolling, and may draw out more of the Pratties.

Think of ways to help the community realize they have a stake in your store.

Subject: Re: Bookstore stock; Ask for what you want

Anonymous wrote: I'm planning on opening a bookstore in Clinton Hill, most likely on Myrtle, sometime in the next year (depending on how funding goes ) and I want to have an idea of what the neighborhood is looking for, so share your deepest desires - children's books, adult fiction, non-fiction, scifi, comics?

My goal is a bookstore most of the neighborhood can walk into and find their favorites, a place they can count on the find books they like.

Also, anything else you're looking for in a bookstore; later hours, deliveries, wine, reading groups, writing groups, etc. Ask, and ye might actually receive.

My request is probably something that you won't be able to accommodate but I'll give it a shot anyway - books on sports.

I know sports books generally aren't considered very deep or meaningful reading by most people. I would definitely agree when one simply focuses on biographies and/or stories about the Super Bowl, etc..

What I would like to find is a book store that carries books that are critical of the role that sport plays in society, sport ethics, the business of sport as well as the role of sport in Higher Education.

Some noted authors to look at carrying would be Andrew Zimbalist, Richard Lapchick, Murray Sperber as well as Roger Noll

Myrtle would be awesome. I love the Brooklyn writers idea as well. And, a staff that really loves books is always a treat. At Book People, in Austin, TX, the staff recommendations would be on a card beneath books, just peppered throughout the store -- not just on a "Staff Rec" shelf. I swear, they guided my choice of new contemporary fiction for like three years, and I loved everything they suggested.