Finally Open, and In the News!

On Saturday October 17, still a week away from our official launch party, Greenlight Bookstore had its soft opening. We chalked up our sidewalk sign, unlocked the doors, and notified our Twitter followers and Facebook fans. And it's been non-stop joy and energy ever since. Our face are tired from smiling, and we're losing our voices from saying "thank you" to all the congratulations and expressions of good will, and our throats keep catching with how beautiful it all looks. And even better, people are buying books!

Here's a quick rundown of just SOME of the places you can read about Greenlight in the last week -- they say it better than we could!

The Brooklyn Paper (October 14)

The Daily News (October 16)

The Fort Greene Local blog on the New York Times (October 17)

Time Out New York Kids (October 20)

The New York Press (October 21)

auk wrecks and ark larks (October 23) - this one has a bunch of great pictures of the store taken by our friend Megan Barron!

Brownstoner renovation blog (ongoing)

Yelp (ongoing) - add your own review!

Let us know if we've missed any -- I know there are some more great blog posts out there about the opening.

Okay -- back to bookselling! See you all in the store...

Greenlight announcement in the news!

It's fun to watch the buzz starting about our new location! Here's a bit of who's been talking about Greenlight Bookstore:

Brownstoner got the jump on coverage with a great post about "the little bookstore that could" (and a very interesting and energetic discussion in the comments)

Fort Greene's own New York Times Local blog had a bit (written by yours truly).

Shelf Awareness gave us a number of column inches and quoted from our blog.

The book blog at Gather.com (written by longtime indie publishing stalwart Chris Steib) starts with the great line "Print is dead...long live print!", and predicts that Greenlight "is sure to become a local favorite and a worthwhile trip to Fort Greene."

Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn reported the story -- timely and local-focused as always.

New York Press gave us some ink on its staff blog.

Bookselling This Week (the American Booksellers Association newsletter) also gave us some column space.

Galleycat posted the news, noting that the store will be a block away from one of the popular literary blog's editors (hope to see you at events!)

HTML Giant has the link (and a very interesting comment discussion)

The Village Voice blog has a fierce post that links the announcement to the post-BEA "hint of indie optimism," and ends with the irresistible rallying cry "Let's not fuck this up, Brooklyn."

Moby Lives, the blog of Melville House (a fantastic Brooklyn indie publisher with a storefront in DUMBO), correctly identifies the bookstore as our "baby" -- and points out that our location is the corner of Time Out New York's "best block in New York."

Publishers Marketplace breaks the news (though you'll need a login to read the article).

Shelved @ NYC, a librarian blog, juxtaposes our news with the sadder tidings of Morningside Bookshop closing on the Upper West Side. We're thinking of Peter and co. these days, and hope we can be half the community institution that Morningside has been.

The Brooklyn Paper has a brief article with a picture of our smiling mugs in front of the store space (on an unfortunately rainy June day)

Racked has a great little post focused on the community angle.


I think there will probably be more coming (I did an interview with the Brooklyn Eagle this morning) -- I'll add them here as I come across them. We're trying to keep a record of our press coverage (helps with lenders, publishers, and others we need to impress, we've found), so if you see any pieces we've missed, we've love it if you could link them in the comments!


Update: The Brooklyn Eagle ran the story on Monday, with a wonderful "dreams come true" angle, pointing out that the projected opening date is one year after our launch party at BAM.

Brooklyn-Based Bookstore!

This morning I'm featured in a story called "Business Plan" in the fabulous thrice weekly newsletter/website Brooklyn Based, which highlights the best and most interesting stuff in our beloved borough. Aside from a typically squinty-looking picture of me (and a nice one of our home bookshelf, here), it's a cool little piece by Nina Pearlman that lets me talk about the process of getting to this point in the bookstore development process, offer some tips for fellow budding entrepreneurs, and give a shout to some of my favorite Brooklyn bookstores!

If you're finding this site through Brooklyn Based, welcome! If you're interested in knowing more, sign up for our email list at the top right. Rebecca and I are going to announce that long-awaited secret bookstore name to our mailing list in a matter of days. And if you're interested in finding out more about being one of our community lenders (honestly, it's one of the best investments you can make these days), you can email us directly here.

The New York Times, and party pics!

The lovely Susan Dominus of the New York Times city section has posted a great article about the FGIBI bookstore party, and my quest, here:

"A Woman Dreams of Opening a Bookstore, and Defying the Trends"

I'll admit it's made me a bit useless at work: look everyone, I'm in the Times! I promise I'll chill out about it in a day or two, but it's not every day this happens to a book nerd...

The picture from the Times is great, since it includes so many of the people who have supported this project: Sharon from the FGIBI is the one I'm hugging, and behind us are Rebecca (of course), Toby from Three Lives, Sean from Parson Weems, Christine and Vinnie from Word, Hillary from the FGIBI, and Stewart from good ol' McNally Jackson.

And there are more pictures of the party now online! Rebecca's friend, the author Jami Attenberg, has posted a whole slew of them here on Flickr. Lots of my favorite people are in those pictures, as well as lots of wonderful local book people I don't know yet -- check it out!

More to come, I'm sure. This week and next week we're doing our best to contact everyone who expressed their support in writing through the survey -- so expect to hear from us soon if you haven't already.

And THANK YOU all so much again!

More press, and a little about being indie

More press today for the bookstore, the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative, and the party. Joyce Shelby of the New York Daily News wrote this great piece:

"Ft. Greene booklovers court indie bookstore with soiree, readings"

I like the quote she picked from me:

"The level of support expressed by this community, before the store has even opened, is completely unique in my experience in the book industry," Stockton Bagnulo said.

And the one from my co-conspirator Mike Gross is great too:

"We're very excited about an independent bookstore, locally owned, that can be flexible and responsive to the needs of the community," said Mike Gross. He's co-chairman of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative.

And I love the word soiree...


Additionally, the New York real estate blog The Real Deal has this post:

"Fort Greene wants new independent bookstore"

I'm grateful for their notice. But I do find it odd that they have the words "independent bookstore" link to a two-year-old article by Tyler Cowen in Slate about the "death of independent bookstores." Not only is the piece out of date, it kind of misses the point. I commented on the piece at the time on my Written Nerd blog; you can see my post here:

"Books, Blogs, and Anti-Indie Backlash"

The point of my post is that Cowen and others who have said snarky things about indie bookstores are right in one sense: being an independent doesn't make you a great bookstore, and there's no reason to look down on book lovers who don't have the option of shopping local. But I think independent bookstores have the potential to offer more than any chain bookstore or online option could ever give: community, culture, real live interactions with authors, the serendipitous discovery of a book you love at the suggestion of a knowledgeable bookseller, a distinctive and appealing space for browsing. And I think there is an ethical component to how we spend our dollars: when you support local business, local business thrives, making your neighborhood a unique place and putting more money back into local economies.

So I'm not too worried about Slate's doubtfulness. The readers of Fort Greene seem to know what they want, and what they want is an indie bookstore!

Talk Talk Talk

I've realized that a big part of getting this bookstore going is just talking about it to everyone I know.

Talking to other bookstore owners about their experiences, their mistakes, their systems, their advice.

Talking to friends and colleagues about my dream bookstore, about all the possibilities as I figured out my plan.

Talking to industry people to find out what resources are available, what they know that might help, and how they might want to get involved.

Talking as per usual about the bookstore at a dinner party is what got me connected with my potential business partner (in our minds, it's official, but still potential in terms of signing papers, since there's some other stuff that has to be cleared up first -- don't worry, we'll tell you as soon as we can).

Talking was what got me connected with the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Alliance -- emailing, meeting, figuring out that we were the right fit.

And now I'm talking to everyone I know about the awesome party the FGIBI and I will be throwing on September 16.

It can be a bit hard to talk about: it's not exactly a grand opening, not exactly a fundraiser (though we're hoping it will inspire some folks to invest)... more like a rally, to get community folks linked in to this project, and tap into their knowledge about contractors, space, funding, and most of all, their own desires and shopping habits to make the bookstore fit the neighborhood.

I have gotten the chance to talk to some awesome folks who are excited to support:

Kate Christensen, Greenpoint-based, Pen Faulkner award winning author, and one of my favorites (In the Drink! The Epicure's Lament! The Great Man!), who has become a friend and supporter of the store, and promised to come to the party even though she's not a huge party person;

good friends like Toby Cox, who owns the first bookstore I ever worked in (the jewel-like Three Lives & Co. in the West Village) and is the first person I ever knew who lived in Fort Greene;

Eve Havliceck, the gracious owner of the condo-under-construction building and gorgeous, twenty-years-in-the-making landscaped back garden, where the party will be held (pics here on Brownstoner); she's offering her space for free, just because she'd like to see a bookstore in the neighborhood;

Jennifer Egan, another luminary Fort Greene based author (Look At Me, The Keep) who will grace us with her presence also despite a packed schedule;

Rebecca Fitting, our incomparable Random House sales rep, who's managed to finagle some pre-publication copies of Colson Whitehead's new book Sag Harbor for raffle prizes and is helping in myriad other ways;

Edwin Frank, editor of the New York Review of Books, who lives right next door to the party location; he's unfortunately out of town on party night, but is passing the invite along to friends and family and excited to support the bookstore;

Brigid Hughes, editor-in-chief of the fantastic literary magazine A Public Space, also an FG resident, who's hosted some great events and McNally, and will be attending;

Richard Nash, Brooklyn publisher of Soft Skull Press, who's excited to come and donating some signed books by local author and politico Kevin Powell;

Matt Weiland, Clinton Hill resident and Paris Review deputy editor, who's out of town touring with his new book State by State but will pass the invite on to his many literati friends, and is also full of suggestions for bookstore names after writing an introduction to the reissued Names on the Land;

Colson Whitehead, a brilliant author (The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, etc.), Fort Greene resident, and genius deconstructor of the Brooklyn literary mythos), who will class up the party by giving a brief reading;

... and so many more, and that's not to mention the FGIBI committee folks -- Mike, Jon, Steve, Carolyn, Sharon, Hillary, Susanna, and Tom, whom I talk to at least once a week (often much more) as we plan to make this happen. Fort Greene residents all, their dedication to this project (which is strictly volunteer) is inspiring, and I'm learning a lot from them.

Blogging is just another way of talking, for me -- it's why I started the first one, because I needed to talk about books and bookstores to more people. One recent article about me mentioned that I've "been very public about my plans," and I have to admit sometimes that makes me nervous -- what if someone misconstrues something I've said, or takes my ideas to use against me?

But at the risk of sounding a little mystical, I think we create the world we live in: you talk about something enough, it becomes so. That's not really magic -- talking just means that the idea gets planted in more heads, more connections get made, more possibilities open up. I plan to keep doing it, until the bookstore's open and much beyong -- talking to the community, after all, is what will keep us connected and vibrant.

Talk, after all, is just made of words. And words are what bookstores are built on.

Catching Up: Read all about it!

It is officially the end of my "fallow time" of rest and reflection, and I'm excited to jump back into the Brooklyn bookstore quest. Despite the break, lots has happened this month -- most importantly, the announcement of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative's fabulous party on September 16!

The awesome Fort Greene volunteers and I have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, and the work goes on: inviting authors, finding donations of food, drink, supplies, etc., and getting the word out. And I've gotten to do a number of cool interviews in the last couple of days with local papers who are understandably interested in this unique project. So I'll let those reporters (and bloggers) tell the story. Here's some of the press we've been getting, with my favorite quote from each piece. (I updated this list on Monday 9/8...)

Bookselling This Week: "Neighborhood Organizes to Help Make Bookstore a Reality"
"The Fort Greene Association is working with Stockton Bagnulo to help make her bookstore a reality. The group has created a flier announcing the Fort Greene Bookstore Initiative as well as a Bookstore Kickoff Party scheduled for September 16."

The Brooklyn Eagle: "Fort Greene Drafts ‘Book Nerd’ To Open Indie Store"
"Jessica Stockton Bagnulo is a woman who knows what she wants.... Now, residents of Fort Greene have essentially drafted her to open a bookstore for them and are throwing their full weight behind her dream."

The Brooklyn Paper: "Granted, she vows to open a bookstore"
"The winner of $15,000 grant to open a bookstore in Fort Greene says she is confident she can break the spine on her shop next year — and is hoping a “Bookstore Kickoff Party” can help her find more investors and get some juicy real estate tips."

ClintonHillBlog: "Fort Greene: Moving Towards a Bookstore"
"I heard about the potential plans to open a bookstore in the ‘hood months ago. Now, a local advocacy group is working with BK Library Power Up winner Jennifer Stockton Bagnulo to make this happen here!"

Gowanus Lounge: "Fort Greene Working to Get an Indie Bookstore"
"It seems like a statement of incredible optimism these days that a neighborhood would be working to get an indie bookstore... yet that’s exactly what Fort Greene is doing."

The New York Observer: "Hello, Brooklyn Literary 100! Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative Announces Launch Party"
"Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo, the events coordinator at the Nolita bookstore McNally Jackson, has been public about her intention to open a new independent bookstore in Brooklyn since at least January, when she won a $15,000 grant for the project from the Brooklyn Public Library. Since then, she seems to have zeroed in on Fort Greene as her neighborhood of choice, and the Fort Greene Association, which administered a survey to 380 locals and found that 74% of them wanted a bookstore in the neighborhood, is trying to help her make it happen."

Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn: "Ft. Greene Wants An Indie Bookstore And They're Doing Something About It"
"It's a movement. Not only do Brooklynites organize to protect and support a beloved literary institution but they also organize to make a new one happen!"

Racked New York: "Fort Greene Needs a Bookstore"
"Fort Greene is so DIY and literary!"

The Real Fort Greene: "Is a bookstore finally on the way?"
"It looks like eager neighborhood residents have recruited a self-described “book nerd” to open up a store. Now all Jessica Stockton Bagnulo needs is a location and capital."

Shelf Awareness: "Notes: Surviving and Thriving in a Difficult Economy"
"The result: with the support of the Initiative, Bagnulo, who is events and publicity coordinator at McNally Jackson Books in New York City and a graphic novel columnist for Shelf Awareness, plans to open a store in Fort Greene."


And there's more to come, from the Daily News, the Observer, and others. If you haven't yet, RSVP by email to get the scoop on the party night, or email me here if you want to know more.

I'll be updating you on what I've been doing to prepare on Monday. Have a great weekend!