Mentors, Muses & Monsters Event Tonight!

Monday, November 23, 7:30 PM
Mentors, Muses & Monsters: 30 Writers on the People Who Changed Their Lives (The Free Press)
Featuring editor Elizabeth Benedict
With contributors Alexander Chee, Mary Gordon, Martha Southgate, and Lily Tuck
Hosted by Beatrice.com's Ron Hogan

A cavalcade of local authors kicks off our new series of Blogger/Author Pairings, in which a literary blogger hosts a real-world reading.

Pioneering blogger Ron Hogan, creator of Beatrice and book industry journalist for GalleyCat, hosts this event for a new anthology exploring the varied relationships of writers with those who have influenced them, for better or worse.

The book's editor Elizabeth Benedict (author of The Practice of Deceit and others) will discuss the project of Mentors, Muses & Monsters, and her own relationship with Elizabeth Hardwick.

Alexander Chee (author of Edinburgh) will read from his essay on taking a class with Annie Dillard.

Mary Gordon (author most recently of Reading Jesus) will talk about her two Barnard mentors, Elizabeth Hardwick and Janice Thaddeus.

Martha Southgate (author of Third Girl from the Left) reads from her piece on an influential book, Harriet the Spy.

And Lily Tuck (National Book Award winning author of The News from Paraguay) talks about the influence of Gordon Lish on her own work.

Join us for a lively conversation about influence, identity, and the writing life.

You can RSVP on Facebook for this event; RSVPs are appreciated (to help us get an idea of attendance), but NOT required, and seating is first come, first served.

Introducing, Our Staff

If you've been in the store you may have met them already, but we wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our team of smart, savvy, well read booksellers. We caught them with the bookstore's resident stuffed bear, or in the midst of the festivities at our launch party -- though they're all consummate professionals, you can tell there's a lot of laughter with this lot!


More often than not, you'll find DEBORAH making our children's section shine -- as a neighborhood mom and a former employee of the lovely (late) Chinook Bookshop in Colorado, she's gained lots of experience! She's a master at recommending just the right book for just the right child (and she's a cookbook expert too!)


ELEANOR grew up spending lots of time in a wonderful independent bookstore that her mother co-owns, named Inkwood Books. She brings natural exuberance with her to the store every day, in between classes at NYU (where Jessica was studying when she got her first bookstore job!).

BRETTE is also a bookseller's daughter (her father owned a small independent bookstore), and a former teacher, and also worked at Goering's Bookstore in Gainsville, Florida. As the Mistress of Receiving, she makes sure books get unpacked, checked in and sorted correctly, and she's also a great hand with recommendations.


JASMINE is an art student at Pratt Institute, Fort Greene's own prestigious art and design school. Her bookselling experience comes by way of Manhattan's fantastic radical bookstore and cafe Bluestockings, and she brings a native New Yorker's sensibility to Greenlight.

Before moving to NY for an internship at The Feminist Press, NATALIE was working at a great bookstore that opened last year in Texas called Legacy Books. Natalie has a wonderfully gracious style with anything she takes on, whether it's buying stationary, talking books with customers, or working on compiling a list of our many local authors.


ALEXIS is a former buyer and manager of Olsson's, a bookstore in Washington DC that sadly closed their doors in 2008. Lucky for us though, she's just relocated to NY and brings her prodigious knowledge and skills to Greenlight. Alexis helps make sure the trains run on time, coordinating everything from staff schedules to inventory records with dry wit and aplomb.


JESSE is an artist who hails from Minneapolis, where his mother owns a well known children's bookstore named Wild Rumpus. He's the one who has been doing the drawings on our sandwich board! You can talk to him about any author from Nabokov to R. Crumb in the bookstore, and find his work on his website and in the comics anthology Kramer's Ergot.


DARYL is our newest hire; the only person we have hired since we opened our doors, and she's fitting right in! A former Waldenbooks employee and a recent Sarah Lawrence grad, she's got endless energy and might be the only person on staff who talks even faster than Rebecca!


That's the staff! Along with Jessica and Rebecca, they're the folks who are hard at work making Greenlight into the best bookstore it can be. Stop in and say hello, check out their staff picks, chat with them about your own favorites, and share the bookstore experience with our crew!

Jhumpa Lahiri, Matt Weiland, and L.J. Davis tomorrow night!

This one is going to be amazing -- don't miss it!


Friday, November 13, 7:30 PM NYRB Classics 10th Anniversary Celebration Featuring publisher Edwin Frank With authors Matt Weiland, Jhumpa Lahiri, and L.J. Davis

NYRB Classics began publishing in 1999, with beautiful trade paperback reissues of classic but previously out-of-print texts, each introduced by a noted writer or scholar. Greenlight joins in celebrating the publisher's 10th anniversary with a distinctly local reading and reception.

NYRB Classics publisher Edwin Frank will introduce three readers. Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth) will discuss and read from Mavis Galant's story collection The Cost of Living, to which she wrote the introduction. Matt Weiland (State By State) will expound on the joys of George Stewart's quirky history Names On the Land, which he introduces. L. J. Davis, one of the few living writers republished by NYRB, will read from his 1971 novel A Meaningful Life, a comic and cathartic urban masterpiece set in a crumbling Brooklyn brownstone.

The reading will be followed by a wine and cheese reception catered by Greene Grape Provisions -- your chance to meet some of the authors and publishers that define Fort Greene and Brooklyn. Join us for a celebratory anniversary event!

This event is free and open to the public. You can RSVP on Facebook - RSVPs are appreciated (to give us an attendance estimate) but not required. Seating is first come, first served. Please note: there is NO PHOTOGRAPHY at this event.

Jonathan Lethem at Greenlight tomorrow night!

It's our first-ever author event, and boy are we excited!

At 7:30 PM on Thursday, November 5, Brooklyn's unofficial laureate Jonathan Lethem (author of Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude) reads from his new novel Chronic City, a surreal and witty epic set in a Manhattan almost like our own. The oddball cultural savant Perkus Tooth is an unforgettable character, and the journey our hapless narrator takes through Perkus' world of stranded astronauts, dog hotels, giant tigers, and alternate realities that bleed into city politics is a trip well worth taking

Jonathan is reading the ENTIRE 467 page novel aloud over the course of eight reading events in New York City -- Greenlight Bookstore is proud to host Reading Number 5! Join us for a reading, followed by a signing and reception with the author. Then the true fans can stick around for a second round of reading, as long as it takes to get through 1/8 of the book!

Rebecca and Jessica both LOVE this novel to the point of obsession -- we're thrilled to have Jonathan for our first sit-down author event. Don't miss the chance to meet one of Brooklyn's greatest literary authors at Brooklyn's newest independent bookstore!


This event is free and open to the public. You can RSVP on Facebook -- RSVPs are appreciated (to give us an attendance estimate) but not required. Seating is first come, first served.

Can't make it to the event, but craving a signed copy of Chronic City? You can email us or call (718) 246-0200 to request a signed copy be held or shipped to you. Even request personalization! Contact us as early as possible -- we may run out!

The Launch Party Recap Part II

We finally got the other set of photos off the camera! Battery chargers go missing so easily in new stores, where gadgets and wires and cords don't have permanent homes yet. So indulge us in one last quick party recap -- then we'll move on to new topics.

People began arriving around 7 and the place filled up fast



Champagne from Greene Grape and beer from the beer garden up the street started flowing and good eats from Provisions, Marquet and The (legendary) Cake Man made their way around



Meanwhile, the Candlewick bear was a little antisocial and kept working, so someone put a tag on his back, which wasn't very nice. He cheered up later and joined the party though.



Then around 7:45 the speeches began. We kicked it off with our Councilwoman (and a great friend to the bookstore) Letitia James



Then Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said a few words, charming everyone as usual (notice Jessica's husband 'covertly' downing a drink while taking a break from serving champagne at out makeshift bar)



Poor Elissa Olin, who recently opened her own store on Myrtle Avenue was stuck out in the rain because by this point we were too crowded



Then local author Touré came on to say a few words about Brooklyn literary culture



It was so great to be surrounded by dear friends



Then Jessica and I said our words, our Thank Yous, and we toasted, hugged, cried, and commenced to enjoying a fine fine party

The Saturday festivities photo recap

My camera was passed around the store all weekend so when I finally got home and looked through all the photos from our Bookstore launch events, I had so many smiles on my face. Here for your enjoyment as well are a few photos from Saturday.

We started the day with a storytime where Michelle Knudsen came and read her adorable book Library Lion. Storyhour was super cute (all the kids roared on cue) and Michelle really knows how to work a crowd of kids, but the photos of parents reading with their children after storyhour are what make me happiest. To see parents fostering a love for books by sitting on a bookstore floor to read a book together is a beautiful thing.










And at the evening party, there was so much joy in the air! Or maybe that was champagne. Both! Either way, it was fun and we send a big thank you to everyone who trekked out in that weather! We have photos on another camera (with a dead battery and a MIA charger) of Letitia James, Marty Markowitz and us toasting the crowd, and some great crowd shots of all of you too, so maybe we'll post more later on. But for now...


There were the 'boys'



And the 'girls'



And our literary friends with adorable haircuts Jami Attenberg and Kate Christensen



And Touré , who gave a very nice speech for us. Thanks for representing Brooklyn literary culture to our crowd!



Esther and Dikko from Purgatory Pie Press



Alexis (drinking on the job...we all were that night) and Eleanor



And all the rest of you...



Thanks so much for making it a special special day.

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 Bookstore Launch Party Invitation!

Come celebrate the opening of Greenlight Bookstore and share in our excitement with a day of festivities at the bookstore on Saturday, October 24! We're still very new but we just couldn't wait any longer to open our doors to the book lovers of Fort Greene, Brooklyn and New York City.

At 10:00 AM, we welcome kids of all ages for a special inaugural Story Time. Brooklynite Michelle Knudsen, author of the beloved bestseller Library Lion (Candlewick Press), will read from her charming picture book, and will then sign copies of her books, which we will have for sale. Book-related treats and prizes will be handed out to kids, and parents can browse the store before the evening's festivities.

Then, at 7:00 PM, all book lovers are invited to join us for the Greenlight Bookstore Launch Party, complete with complimentary champagne for toasting (21 and over of course)! In attendance will be some of our favorite Brooklyn authors, as well as editors, publishers, writers, readers, neighbors, and friends.

Local literary magazine A Public Space will give away free copies of their most recent issue to the first 100 customers in the door after 7 PM, and other giveaways will be announced as well. Fort Greene author Touré will read from new work, and Fort Greene's own City Council Member Letitia James will officially commemorate Greenlight's opening. Greenlight Bookstore's owners Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo will take a moment to say thanks to the people who helped them bring this new bookstore to Brooklyn.

This is the kickoff we've been waiting for - we're planning on some serious celebrating!

This invitation is open to all - feel free to pass it along. You can RSVP on our Facebook page and share with your friends there too.

We'll hope to see you at Greenlight Bookstore's Launch Party on October 24, 2009!

This weekend we started shelving books

Each step in the process of building our bookstore has been a revelation. When the space was raw it was a blank canvas and we felt like anything could happen. When it was a construction zone, we'd monitor the changes and watch as things began to take shape. It was literally different every day. When the ceiling went in, the space suddenly sounded different, and that was a joyous shock - the first auditory change we'd experienced. When the shelves went up, but weren't yet stained, we had our first three dimensional sense of what the store would look like. Up until that point, we only had paper plans and our imaginations and our vision. After the shelves got stained and finished, we stepped back and looked, and loved what we saw even more than we thought we would. We truly created a home for our books.

And then this weekend, the moment we'd all been craving: we started putting books on the shelves. The pile of boxes had grown so large; almost bloated and unwieldy, it was a relief to knock some of it out. It was also pure joy to shelve, and pure beauty to see the bookcases begin to fill up. The sound of books sliding against wood, the zen-effect alphabetizing has, the excitement you get when shelving a favorite book or author, and the connections you make with others when you find shared favorites. I especially loved breaking down the boxes as we emptied them onto the shelves, physical proof of our progress.

We started with fiction on Saturday. Fiction is the largest section you see (on the left side of the store) when you look in the front window. It spans one large zig-zag wall.

Before:


After:


Thanks to all the people who gave us 'thumbs up' as the passed by our windows that day - it was wonderful to see that you were as excited about seeing the books going up as we were. There's still a ton of sorting and shelving to do, but each day we get closer, and folks: we are so close to being able to open our doors. Thanks for being patient with us! We promise, we'll be open very soon.

Doing A Good Thing Right

As you may have noticed, we're not open for business yet. (Though we do have a really cool sidewalk sign -- check out our Facebook page for pics, or walk by!) The fantastic bookseller staff we hired is still spending their days on tasks related to building fixtures, cleaning, and receiving -- they haven't gotten to exercise their real skills on customers yet. The store is full of mountains of boxes of books, still waiting to go on shelves. The artisans are still working on completing our cash desk and the bench shelving in the front window.

It would be possible to get a little discouraged.

Luckily, we know better.

One thing that has helped is all of the fellow booksellers and other business people who have explained that this kind of delay is pretty normal. One veteran bookseller related the tale of how her bookstore was three months late in opening, because they lost their contractor halfway through the process. A local Fort Greene shop put it this way: "We worked and worked on buildout, and at some point we ran out of money, and then we had to open." The owner of my local wine shop admitted that his pre-opening process went on so long that he missed being open for Thanksgiving, a huge sales period for wine sellers.

It's helpful to note that all of these small business went on to actually open and become successful, profitable, beloved independent businesses.

It also helps to remember that this delay isn't happening because anyone has been negligent or lazy or dishonest. It's happening partly because 1) we're in a very unusual space that demands a lot of custom work, 2) custom work takes a long time, 3) because the building is very old, the floors and walls have settled and aren't necessarily parallel or plumb, so the custom work becomes even more customized to work around the unexpected angles. And it's happening partly because, it seems, everything just takes longer than you think it will.

But as Rebecca points out, "It takes a long time to do a good thing right." And every time a visitor comes into the space and exclaims over the beauty of the shelves, the lighting, the shapes and textures we've been working so hard to build, we're reminded of that. All the Fort Greene locals who walk by and wave or give us thumbs up remind us too. (I just said hi to a group of very small children and their guardians who are VERY excited to be able to come into the bookstore when it's open!)

We are still planning our Launch Party for October 24, wherever we are in the process at that point. (We've decided "Launch Party" sounds more accurate than "Grand Opening," but it will still be a very celebratory, very literary, very champagne-y event.) In the meantime, we're doing our best to do this good thing right. Thanks for continuing to share your enthusiasm and anticipation with us.

A Logo Is Born

We're taking a couple of days away from the store to let the painters and woodworkers get things done. So in the interim: some backstory.

One of the most difficult -- and rewarding -- aspects of creating Greenlight Bookstore for Rebecca and I has been defining our aesthetic. We know we want Greenlight to embody both the traditional and the progressive, our urban setting and our literary focus. But how does that actually play out in wood stain colors, images, shapes, and typefaces? We've discovered that we have overlapping (but definitely not identical) tastes, and it's in that overlap that the look of Greenlight is evolving.

One aspect of that we've been working on for a very long time is our logo. Early on, we talked to a couple of talented friends about logo ideas. Michael Kindness, a fab sales rep from Random House (and noted blogger at Books on the Nightstand) with a sideline in graphic design, graciously took a stab at a logo design:
It was a step in the right direction, but somehow felt... not quite right -- too smooth and modern, perhaps? Michael's hectic schedule didn't give him time to develop more ideas, but he'd started us thinking.

Another friend, Megan Barron -- bookstore afficionado and talented artist (check out her gorgeous art blogs wrack line and auk wrecks and ark larks) agreed to work on another idea: a logo with a central concrete image. Megan was incredibly patient with creating sketches as we hemmed and hawed about what the image of the store should be: a traffic light? the Fort Greene Park martyr's memorial? a tree or a plant? a dock light, like Gatsby? a Brooklyn subway light?


Heartbreakingly though, none of the versions Megan came up with seemed quite right either. Ultimately, we had to admit that "Greenlight" conjures up numerous kinds and varieties of images and associations for us, and we wanted customers to have that same imaginative privilege -- no single image in particular could capture what Greenlight means. So, while I still have some of Megan's drawings (and we're hoping to get some of her art into the store somehow), we had to start over again, looking for a logo that was text-only, but somehow more textured, to fit our idea of the store.

Luckily, Rebecca and had met Esther Smith when her book How to Make Books was published, and I'd met Esther and her husband Dikko Faust at McNally Jackson for book events. Esther and Dikko run Purgatory Pie Press, a wonderful printing studio in Tribeca.

Esther and Dikko are totally excited about Greenlight (they're actually part of our Community Lender program), and Esther offered their services should we find ourselves in need of a type-set logo. PPP's aesthetic fit ours perfectly. They use old-school wood and metal handset type (some of the sets are a century old or more) on manual printing presses -- but they use them to make funky, very contemporary designs (definitely check out their website for some samples). They offered to let Rebecca and I come to the studio and play around with some type in hopes of finding something that suited us. So, one stormy day this summer we showed up, and the fun began.


Esther and Dikko laid out an array of versions of our name, in different type faces, sizes and capitalizations. We chose some that looked promising, in various combinations, and Dikko set the type into one of their incredible old printing presses. He also mixed a thick ink for us, in a very dark green we liked -- you can see it smeared on the edge of the press, ready to be rolled onto the type.

Unlike designing on a computer, there was no click-highlight size change, or layout change, or color change -- every variation meant a new layout! Esther and Dikko's patience throughout this project was amazing -- it's a testament to their craftsmanship that they were willing to indulge (and contribute to) our ideas about which fonts and layouts really said Greenlight Bookstore. Ultimately it took a couple of visits and a lot of emails, but at last we got what we wanted:


The two typefaces we chose are from the turn of the century -- we don't know their exact names. We liked the way that these very old, traditional typefaces could be combined in a non-traditional, funky way. We liked the way the letters fit together. We like that the two words are instantly readable, but the more you look the more you notice the unique shapes of the letters and combinations (the e's, the k, the g over the t). We especially like the large lower-case g at the beginning of Greenlight -- it's a striking visual element in itself, and one we'll likely be using a lot.

Once we were happy with the logo, Esther and Dikko's frequent collaborator Lissi Erwin of the independent graphic design company Splendid Corp developed an electronic version, so we could use it on the web. Today is the first day we've added it to our blog masthead! Eventually Lissi will be helping to design our actual, e-commerce enabled website. Like Esther and Dikko, she shares our aesthetic sensibility of taking the best of tradition and thinking of it in new, funky ways.

You can see lots more pictures of the logo design process, including lots of views of Purgatory Pie Press's studio, here and here, and see lots more Greenlight photos in our Flickr set. Hope you enjoyed our aesthetic journey -- we're so happy with the way things worked out!

Once more, with wood stain!

Hey volunteers!

It's going to be sunny and cool on Friday and Saturday. What better way to spend a few hours than hanging out in Fort Greene, surrounded by book people and the beautiful beginnings of a bookstore?

Once more, we're looking for folks to help with bookshelf staining and other tasks at Greenlight -- so if you haven't been able to make it yet, here's your chance! The job is a big one, and it is taking a lot of people-hours to complete. Our bookselling staff will be working alongside you to get things done this weekend. We'll provide tools, training, and lunch.

The volunteer shifts for the weekend are:

Friday 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Saturday 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Email info@greenlightbookstore.com with the hours you'd like to help -- we'll send you a confirmation. Partial shifts are okay.


Whether or not you can volunteer, thanks for your support of Greenlight Bookstore!

Volunteers, We Need You! (Wood Staining Edition)

Okay, would-be Greenlight volunteers -- your moment has come! We're working on getting Greenlight ready to open and we could use your help. First order of business: creating bookshelves.

We have a great local Brooklyn artisan creating custom shelves for our unique space. He has cut all the wood pieces to size and is in the process of installing them in the store -- after that they need to be stained and finished. That's where you come in.

Working in shifts, we think a team of volunteers can get a store's worth of bookshelves stained and finished before the week is over. Volunteers will be trained by our staff on the best sanding / staining / finishing methods, and we'll supply rags, brushes, and protective gloves; all you need to bring is your elbow grease. Don't forget to wear work clothes that are okay to get messy.

The volunteer shifts are listed below. We're asking you to sign up for particular shift (or shifts) via email; we'll reply to confirm or let you know when a shift is full.

We're having so much fun working on Greenlight -- we can't wait to have you join us!


Volunteer Shifts for Staining/Finishing Bookshelves

Morning shift = 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Afternoon shift = 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Tuesday 9/15 Morning shift (4 volunteers)
Tuesday 9/15 Afternoon shift (4 volunteers)

Wednesday 9/16 Morning shift (4 volunteers)
Wednesday 9/16 Afternoon shift (4 volunteers)

Thursday 9/17 Morning shift (4 volunteers)
Thursday 9/17 Afternoon shift (4 volunteers)

Friday 9/18 Morning shift (4 volunteers)
Friday 9/18 Afternoon shift (4 volunteers)

Saturday 9/19 Morning shift (20+ volunteers)
Saturday 9/19 Afternoon shift (20+ volunteers)

Please email info@greenlightbookstore.com and indicate which shift or shifts you are available to work. Include your first and last name. Partial shifts are OK. You will receive a confirmation email, or we will let you know if a shift has already been filled.

Whether or not you can volunteer, thanks for your support of Greenlight Bookstore!

It's Festival Day!

If there is any possible way you can make it, we officially encourage you to make your way to Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza today between 10:00 and 6:00 for the fabulous Brooklyn Book Festival!

The Festival celebrates so many things we hold dear: literacy, creativity, community, and our own beloved borough of Brooklyn with its rich culture of writers and readers.

The lineup of talent speaking on various panels and readings today is mind-boggling, including the cream of the crop of Brooklyn authors, plus bloggers, booksellers, editors, and other movers and shakers. The topics covered are incredibly diverse and intelligent -- I'm hoping somebody is doing video.

And the booths of books for sale will also be irresistible. Indie presses selling their own wares, and the best bookstores (and comic shops) of Brooklyn offering you their selections -- luckily there are ATMs on site.

The Greenlight Bookstore crew may be amongst the only book lovers in Brooklyn NOT at the Festival. That's because we'll be working like mad on painting walls, staining shelves, and receiving mountains of book boxes into our inventory, in hopes of opening our doors as soon as possible.

But we feel represented at the Festival anyway: the organizers were kind enough to put our ad in the Festival program, so you'll see our logo and address right there alongside the Festival sponsors.

We are not -- repeat NOT -- open for business. But we wouldn't say no to you stopping by and poking your head into the store after the Festival -- especially if you're visiting from out of town.

Enjoy the Festival for us, and hurrah for books and Brooklyn!

"So, when is the opening, already?"

A fair question! If you've been following our progress online, or walking by our storefront at 686 Fulton (like this commenter), you just want to know when you can come in and buy books.

If we told you a date, we'd be lying. Honestly, we just don't know.

But here's what we do know about the schedule.

Construction work -- that's the ceiling, floor, and walls -- should be finished by the end of the day on Wednesday, September 9. We had originally hoped to be done before Labor Day, but with the delay in building permits we feel lucky to be finished this soon -- our contractor Hugo and his crew have been working like madmen.

The bookshelves that will line the outer walls are already made, and waiting in the basement to be assembled. They can't go in until the floor is done, though, and the floor is the last thing to happen with construction. As soon as the floor is finished, our trusty millwork genius Iris will begin the installation of bookshelves in the store. He thinks it will take 72 hours; we think he's on speed. (Not really -- but he does seem to work on very little sleep.) So that would put us at the end of the day on Sunday the 12th, using his optimistic estimate.

In the meantime, our tech expert Dan will get our computers set up and networked, and we'll install our inventory system, Booklog. That will happen sometime around the 10th or 11th. Then another friend, Cynthia (the owner of Archivia Books) will come in to train all of us on how to use it.

In the midst of all this books will be arriving, beginning on Tuesday the 8th. Some will come from UPS and FedEx; one giant shipment will come on its own truck. (Pallets and pallets of book boxes -- the mind whirls.)

Beginning on Thursday the 10th, our awesome team of booksellers* will be in the store: cleaning, painting, preparing. As soon as Booklog is set up, they'll begin cracking open the boxes of books that will have already begun to arrive, receiving them into our inventory system, and sorting them on to the appropriate shelves (assuming the shelves are there).

As soon as the shelves are installed (or perhaps concurrently), Iris and his fellow artisans will begin installation of the cash/wrap -- the counter where book sales will happen. That's mostly built already too, but it will take some time and care to assemble.

And at some point, we'll have the systems, inventory, and physical setup to be able to ring in a sale.


And then we'll open the doors.



Believe us, you will be the first to know when that moment arrives. We would love for it to be in time for those attending the fabulous Brooklyn Book Festival on the 13th to stop off at Greenlight on their way home -- but we don't want to jump the gun and screw things up, and we can't promise we'll be ready by then. We don't mind you seeing some chaos (we're having what's called a "soft opening"), but we don't want to risk a situation that might be precarious or unsafe, or that might cause us to make mistakes in receiving or sales that will haunt/nag us for years.

Even after we open the doors, there will be a long way to go. Additional shelving fixtures will be in the process of installation until possibly the end of September. Book shipments will be coming in on a rolling basis. Cards will arrive at some point, and magazines.

There's one date (or two rather) that we can tell you, though. Our Grand Opening Weekend will be October 24 and 25 -- by that point we should be entirely presentable, and in the mood to celebrate. We've got festivities planned all weekend long, for kids and grownups and everyone in between. You'll be hearing a lot more about that as we get closer, but you might want to save the date.

In the meantime, bear with us as we struggle toward that moment of the first sale. We're counting the hours!


* We hired our booksellers! We had our first staff meeting on Wednesday the 2nd, and man are they a great crew. We're totally looking forward to working with Alexis, Jesse, Natalie, Deborah, Brette, and Jasmine -- we'll take some pictures and introduce them as we go along.


Update: one thing we hadn't factored in time-wise: once the bookshelves are installed, there's still the staining and finishing to be done -- and then the shelves have to set untouched for a few days while the finish dries. So we'll be doing a lot of sorting books back into boxes by category, waiting until they can go on the shelves without getting smudged with wood stain. That pushes things back by another couple of days -- but we're still looking at what, maybe the weekend of the 19th/20th? Believe us, we'll open the doors as soon as humanly possible -- but you don't want smudged books, do you?