Look Ma, we're on the news again!

 

News12 Brooklyn came into the brewery to check out the books while Gordon was working yesterday!

Video and transcript here. 👀

Backroom Books headed into Spring!

The books have been steadily leaving the shelves and the feedback has been so positive that Strong Rope Brewery has graciously extended our stay into the spring! We are now aptly nestled in the back against the wall with room to grow. It’s only been two months and we’ve sold just over 125 books from our modest selection of used and new titles and we’re grateful to have caught the eye of Time Out New York and local NY1 news in so short a time!

It’s a joy to be able to offer affordable books to our Red Hook neighborhood, sourced from readers in our community and across Brooklyn. A huge thank you to everyone who has bought a book, and to anyone who has shown an interest in our little pop-up. Onwards, into spring! 🌸

Interview with Time Out NYC

Last week, Amber, the Food and Drink Editor at Time Out NYC, reached out to us for an interview and we just couldn't believe it! Shasha had to go it solo because Gordon was working at the brewery but we're absolutely blown away to have any attention directed towards our little labor of love. 

Look Ma, we're the latest in New York news!

Huge thank you to Amber, to Strong Rope Brewery for the space, and everyone who’s donated or bought a book from our shelves so far!! We’ve sold at least one a day since our opening just over a week ago which is a big deal for cold winter days in Red Hook, iykyk! The reception has been so positive, we feel incredibly lucky to have such support for this project of ours. Happy reading y'all!

Over 30 books have gone to new homes in a week!

Grand Opening Weekend

it's giving Scholastic Book Fair circa 1998

Backroom Books is live! What an amazing weekend to start us off right. Our soft opening with friends was on Friday and it was so touching to have so many of our loved ones come down to Red Hook on a damp and dreary winter evening to celebrate the pop-up. 

My high school friend from France, Ruiahi, browsing the bookshelf, and Sal, my co-host from our trivia hosting days and his cute dog Pacer with a very apt book about dogs...

My friend Danielle took home the inaugural first book from our shelves, Lemon, which I read up at the cabin in Canada last fall. Mrin donated a plant book I might have to pluck from the inventory and also bought a very cool comic book about the fictional world of the Brontë sisters called Glass Town.

Our friend Luc, a very talented musician, smooching Gordon

On Saturday I added some of the books friends donated to our shelves and got to see how people interacted with the pop-up for the first time. To my surprise the kid corner was a big hit! Several parents took the time to chill their children out with a reading session. Then they continued drinking beer 😎

Our only growing pain is figuring out how to manage the kid's section from bleeding over into the regular books. Maybe some sort of child-size table?

As of Sunday night, we've sent over 15 books home to new owners within 48 hours! Very exciting for our little pop-up in so little time. Can't wait to see how this evolves for everyone involved : )

the pop up is born 🌟

So excited to make this a reality! The wonderful owners of Strong Rope Brewery have graciously allowed us to move forward with our idea for a book pop up in the back room of their red hook location. We took measurements and this week we're looking for crates, used shelving, etc to delineate the space.