When it comes to holiday shopping, are you someone who: A) does all your gift-buying on Amazon two days before Christmas, B) organizes in advance to hit up the Black Friday sales, or C) uses the holidays as an excuse to go on a shopping spree at your favorite bookstore?
I am obviously a hardcore C.
Browsing for books at a cozy bookstore is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s what I do to relax, to get over a bad day, or celebrate a good one. My version of “girl math” is that spending money on books…doesn’t count? (My credit card statement would disagree.) But hear me out: supporting independent bookstores, authors, the publishing industry, and, well, my brain (!) seems like a net positive, no?
The only thing I love more than buying myself books is buying them for people I love. It makes me feel like Santa, a psychic, and a therapist all in one: “I know you so well and I know you will love this.” There’s no gift more personal, in my opinion, than sharing a book that you loved with someone that you love. Last year for my bridal shower, I chose one of my all-time favorite books for each of my best friends and family members that I thought suited them best and wrote them a note telling them why. It was my way of saying “I love you.” So why not gift someone you love this year with a book that you love, write a message inside, and bada-boom, happy holidays!
In NYC we have no shortage of charming and well-curated independent bookstores. So this is far from a complete list but these are my favorites:
West Village
One of the greatest things about living in New York City is that we get the best of many things. The best pizza, the best lox bagel, the best music venue (Kings Theatre)…and the best bookstore in the world. Yes, Three Lives & Company is the best bookstore in the whole entire world. It’s cozy and intimate, the curation is perfection, and the people who work there are kind and generous geniuses. You might run into your favorite author here, which has happened to me twice. It’s my absolute favorite place in NYC.
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
It’s my good luck to live 4 blocks away from another fantastic bookstore, which was actually started by a Three Lives alum. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t just run down the street when I’m ready for my next book. They also have a charming children’s section and a cute stationary sister store next door that’s nice for gifts. A bonus: Greenlight is extremely dog-friendly—a must for any business in this neighborhood.
Many locations around the city
MJ is the cool girl of NYC indie bookstores. She’s chic, she’s impeccably curated, she’s a little quirky (she organizes her fiction books by COUNTRY instead of just alphabetically). We love her. But while all McNally Jacksons have the same DNA, the vibes are different at each location. This is my ranking:
1. South Street Seaport > 2. old Soho location (closed) > 3. new Soho location (structurally better but worse vibes) > 4. Williamsburg > 5. Rockefeller Center > 6. Downtown Brooklyn aka DeKalb Market > 7. LaGuardia Airport (is this one still open? does anyone know??)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
When Julian lived in East Williamsburg (and before McNally Jackson opened their Williamsburg location) we came here a lot. It’s a really fun place to browse—in addition to new books they have a nice curation of used books and other quirky good gifts for readers/writers.
Brooklyn Heights + Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
This charming bookstore, with two locations in south Brooklyn, has the distinction of being founded and owned by bestselling author Emma Straub and her husband. A deep love for reading is the theme here, starting with the name! I love these shops and just wish I lived closer so they’d become a more regular part of my book-buying routine.
Midtown East
I don’t often buy books at Argosy because they specialize in first editions and rare or out-of-print books. But, since this is a shopping guide, Argosy is an iconic store in a seriously gorgeous space. If you’re looking to put down some serious $$$ on a book for a special gift, this is where you should go.
Multiple locations, but the iconic one is at 12th and Broadway
The grand ole dame of indie bookstores in NYC. The Strand is an icon, an actual historical landmark, and they have in-stock almost every book you could possibly want to read. It’s a wonderful—albeit overwhelming and sometimes exhausting—place to browse. You also can’t get a better deal price-wise on books at an indie bookstore. I especially adore the little Strand outdoor kiosk next to Central Park on 5th Ave and 60th Street that sells very lightly used books for half price—it’s a serious bargain and I always walk away with something.
Upper West Side + Upper East Side
Have you been to Paris and visited Shakespeare and Company, perhaps the most famous independent bookstore in the world? You might be disappointed, as I was, to learn that the two Shakespeare & Co. bookshops in Manhattan are unrelated to the Parisian librairie by (nearly) the same name. But one unique feature of these shops that sets them apart is that they allow you to print your own books on a special machine in store—pretty cool and would make an amazing gift.
Dumbo, Brooklyn
I’ve been to Powerhouse twice for author events and was super impressed both times. It’s a great space with a cool warehouse-y vibe and is very fun to browse around. A stone’s throw from the iconic Dumbo waterfront carousel, this is the perfect place to warm up after walking your out-of-town parents around Brooklyn Bridge Park because they “want to see Brooklyn.”
Happy holidays and happy shopping!
Love,
Ali
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