Community Bookstore is a

bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...

in the

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

open since 1971. Susan Scioli and then-husband John Scioli opened the Community Bookstore in Park Slope in 1971. At the time, Park Slope was becoming a popular place for young people but the area did not yet have a strong commercial center. The Sciolis saw an opportunity, starting with a tiny store and building out. Then, in 1974 they opened a second location on Montague Street in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south ...

. When the couple separated in 1980, they each took one of the bookstores. Susan had the Park Slope shop and John took the Brooklyn Heights location, which he moved to Cobble Hill in the 1980s. John retired and closed the store in 2016, while the Park Slope location is still open . When Scioli learned of a

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

store opening in the neighborhood in 1997, she quickly tried to adapt and compete with the giant competitor. According to the ''New York Times'', "for her, staying competitive amounted to nothing short of war". She knocked down walls, expanded her inventory, built a cafe, developed a backyard reading space, and started a loyalty program/club. Scioli ran the shop until 2001, when she sold it to Catherine Bohne, who had been acting as store manager. Bohne in turn sold it to Stephanie Valdez and Ezra Goldstein in 2010. In 2013 the store expanded to a second location, Terrace Books, in Windsor Terrace. The store gives local authors special attention, and holds regular literary events such as readings and panel discussions. For example, in 2016 actor

John Turturro John Michael Turturro ( ; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his varied roles in independent films, and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers and Spike Lee. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award a ...

joined a panel about

Elena Ferrante Elena Ferrante () is a pseudonymous Italian novelist. Ferrante's books, originally published in Italian, have been translated into many languages. Her four-book series of '' Neapolitan Novels'' are her most widely known works. ''Time'' magazine ...

. ''Bklyner'' described the bookstore as having an unusual atmosphere, with a number of animals having lived in the space, including a cat named Tiny the Usurper, an unofficial store mascot, as well as a

bearded dragon ''Pogona'' is a genus of reptiles containing eight lizard species, which are often known by the common name bearded dragons or informally (especially in Australia) beardies. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat (or " ...

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

s, and a

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

References

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