Heights Books, says it hopes to reopen in a new Heights location after it is forced to move from its Montague Street home
Local book-lovers feared for the worst when the building was listed for $4.5 million by the Massey Knakal real-estate giant this week, but co-owner Tracy Walsch said the store aims to stay close to home.“We don’t own the building, so this wasn’t our decision,” she told The Brooklyn Paper. “But we have no plans to close. We’ll move before we close.”
The buildings owners could not be reached for comment.
Heights Books has flirted with closing before. After the store’s satellite shop on Seventh Avenue, between First and Second streets, in Park Slope closed in February, the stores were consolidated at the Montague location.
Walsch said Heights Books has been shopping around for a new location, but does not have anything firm yet.
She said the store would prefer to remain in the Heights, but things might not work out that way.
“We’re victims to the market,” she said. “But we’ll do what we have to to stay in business.”
Several independent bookstores, including Park Slope Books and Seventh Avenue Books in Park Slope, have shuttered in recent months as more and more readers do their browsing (and buying) online.
Despite Walsch’s belief that the store will stay open, some frequent shoppers are skeptical.
“I’m sure it’s going to close,” said Robert Ward, 40-year resident of the bookstore’s building. “Those are things you’ve got to expect with rents nowadays.”
