Housing Works on Montague

Book-loving staffers at BHS were  sad to see Heights Books move off Montague Street a few months ago. Though still nearby at 120 Smith Street, it’s a little far to walk during lunch. Luckily for those of us in the know, there’s a tiny little-known “bookstore” hidden inside of the Housing Works Thrift Shop at 122 Montague.  Okay so our savvier readers probably already knew about this “secret” spot, but, as Biggie says, “if you don’t know, now you know.”

I was mostly inspired to write this post because of the phenomenal deals I’ve gotten at Housing Works recently. A week ago I got a brand-new, shrink-wrapped Public Art Fund catalog Plop for $8 (It retails for $49.95, but is sold out on a couple popular online sites). Today I got a 2009 New York Times Almanac for $2!

I try to pop in as frequently as possible to check out the Newly Arrived section, but the art section and the two shelves dedicated to U.S. History are also favorites. There’s plenty of fiction and all kinds of other great book gift ideas in there too.  Most paperback fiction (I spotted Middlesex and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime) is $2.

Bookstore Within a Store

Although the entire books section at Housing Works is about the size of a large closet or a Manhattan bedroom, there’s a ton of excellent stuff in there. It comes mostly from “donations from folks right in the neighborhood,” said Josh, one of the friendly staffers. It also feels great to support Housing Works whose thrift shops are just one small part of an organization which provides “lifesaving services, such as housing, medical and mental health care, meals, job training, drug treatment, HIV prevention education, and social support to more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS.”

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In other Brooklyn bookstore news, I’ve just heard (one minute ago over twitter) that the Greenlight Bookstore which is soon to open in Fort Greene has just gotten their building permit approved by the City. Congrats to them! Those of us at BHS who are Fort Greeners are particularly excited about this imminent addition to our neighborhood.

Here’s a shot of one of my favorite grafitti pieces in Brooklyn (I see it every time I bike over the Manhattan Bridge): R E A D!