Carroll Gardens is in the good books!
Local lit lovers are thrilled by news that a hotly anticipated bookstore is opening at Smith and Butler streets this spring — not only because it will fill the void left by the closure of BookCourt last year, but also because it means one less bourgie boutique on the stretch.
“It’s a double win — first we got rid of a store that sells overpriced clothes to hipsters, and now we’re getting a bookstore,” said nearby resident Josh Gordan. “It’s great.”
Borough novelist Emma Straub — a former BookCourt employee and author of the New York Times bestseller “Modern Lovers” — revealed tentative plans for a new shop called Books Are Magic after the storied 35-year-old Court Street emporium announced its final chapter in December.
On Thursday, she unveiled the exact location via Instagram after signing a lease.
“We’ve planted our flag,” wrote Straub and husband Michael Fusco-Straub. “We can’t wait to sell you books.”
Books Are Magic won’t just be a spiritual sequel to BookCourt — it will feature the store’s old shelves, according to Straub. The space and will also be outfitted with plenty of room for kids, hanging out, and events, she said.
Many of Smith Street’s mom and pop shops have given way to chain stores in recent years due to rising rents, so residents say they’re particularly excited to welcome a new business that will really be part of the community.
“Smith Street has undergone a lot of renovations — some good some bad — and I like the idea of it having something that feels like New York City and not like another mass-market thing,” said Carroll Gardens resident Djuna Dasilva.
While you wait for Books are Magic to open, check out our list of six other nearby indie bookstores to spend your hard-earned cash at.
— with Ruth Brown
