Exploring Hidden Gems: Fun Indie Specialty Bookstores in NYC
When there’s seemingly no time to be had, you can be assured that we’ll manifest just a little–if not a lot–to peruse the shelves at a local bookstore. As we enumerated in our Book Lover's Guide to New York City, the city offers a bounty of options, from lesser-known, shoebox-sized, neighborhood booksellers to well-known institutions, and pretty much anything and everything in between. What those proprietors offer is usually a wide assortment of authors and subjects with the intention of satisfying the largest variety of tastes and interests. A Specialty Bookstore, on the other hand, reflects an obsessive devotion to a singular topic, which makes it impossibly compelling. Whether you’re looking for your people or dipping your toe into something new, discover these amazing specialty bookstores in New York City.
For Broadway and/or Lin-Manuel Miranda fans
Drama Book Shop
Support Drama Book Shop on bookshop.org
Drama Book Shop is a quintessential New York City institution. Founded in 1917, it transformed into an independent bookstore in 1923. Its unassailable reputation, which has only grown stronger in the past 100 years, is that of the city’s single best source for theatrical works. So profoundly important is this legendary institution to the art of theater that, in 2011, it was awarded a Tony Award® Honor for Excellence in the Theater.
In 2016, when a burst pipe flooded the store, Lin-Manuel Miranda appealed to his fans to help with the Twitter hashtag #BuyABook, writing at length about his memories of the shop. Then in 2018, when Drama Book Shop announced it would close due to rising rents, Lin-Manuel Miranda and a team of Hamilton alumni acquired it, ensuring its legacy continues into the foreseeable future. Drama Book Shop carries more than 8,000 plays, as well as biographies, books about theatre, sheet music, and other theatre merchandise. So make sure you put aside plenty of time to peruse their well-stocked shelves.
Location: 266 W 39th St
For mystery, crime and suspense books
The Mysterious Bookshop
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The Mysterious Bookshop is the oldest mystery specialty book store in America. It opened its doors in 1979 in Midtown, and later relocated to its current home in Tribeca. Owner Otto Penzler is also the founder of Mysterious Press, with both endeavors dedicated to publishing and selling the best books in the mystery, crime and suspense genres. From classics to contemporary favorites, bargain pulp fiction to rare collectibles, and an impressive collection of Sherlock Holmes books, there’s something for all mystery fans to discover. It also offers signings and events, a crime book subscription club, and even a series of stories written exclusively for the store. Visit for personalized recommendations from the knowledgeable staff.
Location: 58 Warren St
For LGBTQIA+ literature
Bureau of General Services - Queer Division
Whether you’re part of the LGBTQ community looking for voices and stories like your own, or you’re interested in learning how to become a better ally, its unlikely you’ll find a better source of literature than the Bureau of General Services - Queer Division. It’s an independent, all-volunteer queer cultural center, bookstore, and event space located in the LGBT Community Center in New York City. BGSQD offers books, publications, and art. You’ll also find programming that supports readings, performances, film screenings, book discussion groups, and workshops. And as an added bonus, the community center is home to an impressive permanent art collection, including a preserved bathroom with a black-and-white mural by none other than the great Keith Haring.
Location: 208 W 13th St, Room 210
For socially conscious readers and budding activists
Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore
Support Bluestockings on bookshop.org
Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore is a worker-owned and operated activist center, community space and feminist bookstore in the Lower East Side. You’ll find an expansive catalog of books, zines, comics and graphic novels dedicated to such subjects as oppression, intersectionality, community organizing, and activism. There’s even a monthly Radical Book Club that offers members the opportunity to read and discuss key chapters of timely and politically relevant books.
Whether or not you consider yourself a radical, New York City’s history is suffused with people and events that have led to political or social change across the country, and Bluestockings honors that legacy. It is much more than a mere bookstore. It’s also a community space, which offers year-round programming that seeks to foster dialogue, education, and reflection while building connections, knowledge, and skills within the community.
Location: 116 Suffolk St
For hopeless romantics
The Ripped Bodice
Romance novels have long been the literary world’s black sheep, often being referred to as a “vice” or “guilty pleasure”. But now, more readers want to escape into a world of love, passion, and emotional connection with relatable characters and compelling narratives. Whether it's the promise of a happily-ever-after or the exploration of complex relationships, romance novels have grown in appeal.
In the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, The Ripped Bodice is a woman and queer-owned bookstore focused on romance novels. But with its diverse selection of sub-genres, you can find a wide selection of gifts and literature that would appeal to anyone. One of our favorite finds in the bookstore is their “Blind Date with a Book” shelf, where you pick up a book simply off a simple description, without knowing the title, without seeing the cover, and without flipping through its pages. It’s a fun concept for adventurous book lovers.
Location: 218 5th Ave
For animal lovers
Pillow-Cat Books
Pillow the Cat
New York City is home to cat cafes, dog cafes, an annual Halloween Dog Parade, a 4-star hotel with a famous resident cat, and an Instagram account dedicated to bodega cats (with 400K+ followers!). It might be a bit of an understatement to say we’re in a city of animal lovers. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we also have a bookstore just for us. In fact, it’s somewhat surprising that Pillow-Cat Books is the first animal-themed bookstore in NYC.
Pillow-Cat Books isn’t simply a bookstore with cute animal-themed decor, every item in the store actually features an animal or animal character. Sure, you’ll find children’s favorites here, but don’t mistake it for a child’s domain. You’ll also find books about art, photography, design, and fashion. You’ll even find comics! Whether you’re purchasing a gift, a vintage item for your collection, or just something to enjoy, everything you purchase comes wrapped in festive, pink Pillow-Cat wrapping paper and stickers. We recommend picking up a cup of coffee around the corner at La Cabra, one of our favorite coffee shops in New York City, then popping by to peruse the wares and spend time with Pillow, the lovable shop cat the store is named after.
Location: 328 E 9th St
For immigrant and minority voices
Sisters Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center
Sisters Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center is the story of a business fulfilling a need in its community. First a bookstore that opened in Washington Heights back in 2000, followed by a cultural center in 2007, the family owned and operated Sisters Uptown has continued to endure in a city and neighborhood that have changed dramatically over twenty-plus years. Its focus is on talented African American authors and intellectuals, as well as those spanning the African diaspora, including masters of spoken word.
Location: 1942 Amsterdam Ave
Lit. Bar
Support Lit. Bar on bookshop.org
“Read or Else” is emblazoned on t-shirts and hoodies for sale at Lit. Bar, which perfectly captures the voice of its fiery owner. Noëlle Santos is an African American and Puerto Rican book lover who, after a difficult breakup, channeled her grief into realizing a lifelong dream. She raised $200,000 to start Lit. Bar, then the pandemic hit. Thanks to a reading list that went viral, and traffic from Black Book Clubs, Lit. Bar survived and is back serving the Bronx community. The bookstore and wine bar offers curated reading lists and programming keenly focused on promoting local interests and diversity for all ages.
Location: 131 Alexander Ave
Yu & Me Books
Support Yu & Me Books on bookshop.org
With a familiar origin story, but one borne of the pandemic, Yu & Me Books is an Asian American woman-owned bookstore in Chinatown. Lucy Yu was a chemical engineer who felt a deeper calling, so she started a GoFundMe campaign in 2021. The bookstore, café and bar specifically shines a spotlight on immigrant stories and offers a platform for diverse voices within the community. Events include conversations with authors, live music, and poetry readings. Yu & Me also offers a book club in which participants vote for the book selection each month.
Location: 44 Mulberry St
For shutterbugs and photography fans
Dashwood Books
Dashwood Books is exclusively devoted to contemporary photography. Since 2005, this NoHo fixture has attracted artists, collectors, and art directors. It has been a resource for members of the fashion, advertising, and film industries. On offer are rare and imported books, both self-published and with limited press runs. Since 2008, Dashwood Books has also collaborated with renowned artists and graphic designers to produce monographs on photography and drawing, anthologies on youth culture, and a plethora of artist’s zines and posters.
Location: 33 Bond St
For the perfect coffee table book
Bookmarc
Bookmarc is just the kind of boutiquey, hyper-curated, eclectic bookstore you’d expect to find on Bleecker Street in New York City’s West Village. With the heavenly aroma of cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery wafting over as you enter, it’s impossible not to be slightly disoriented by the dizzying array of of coffee table books covering such topics as fine art, film, fashion, photography and rock & roll. You’ll also find memoirs, biographies and rare and out-of-print books, all in attractive dust jackets meant for display. In case the name didn’t give it away, Bookmarc is part of the Marc Jacobs retail empire, so it’s frequently the preferred location for events, parties, book launches and signings for friends of the esteemed fashion designer. And when you purchase that David Bowie autobiography, you can also acquire a stylish Marc Jacobs tote to carry it in.
Location: 400 Bleecker St
For aspiring chefs and foodies
Archestratus Books + Food
If you have a passion for the culinary arts or are looking for a little kitchen inspiration, Archestratus Books + Food in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is just what you need. The neighborhood gem is frequented by locals for groceries and specialty prepared foods that sell out quickly. But after the pandemic they were able to expand. In the larger, brighter bookstore, you’ll find new and vintage cookbooks as well as food-related fiction and nonfiction. Keep an eye on their events too, which include an impressive roster of guest chefs and fun classes.
Location: 160-164 Huron St
Conclusion
Whether you're into activism or animals, theater or photography, spoken word poetry or cooking, New York City has the answer to indulge your interests. Independent bookstores contribute so much to the city’s character, and there’s no way to truly know the city without exploring its bookstores. So carve out a little time to discover these unique independent specialty bookshops and tumble down the rabbit hole of your choice.
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