Sweet Pickle Books — Attraction in New York

Yesterday, I was walking and it started pouring out so I decided to stop in. I was sitting on the sofa in there, talking to my mom on the phone. I had a cup of coffee with me and the owner (presumably) came up to me and said “Please can you not place your hot coffee cup on my sofa” and I said “Yeah, its not hot though.” To assure her that it would not leave a mark on the wooden armrest of her sofa. And she got super reactive and said that it was her sofa and her store. I worked high end retail for years and this chastising behavior towards customers is simply unacceptable. I’ve never encountered someone with such a standoff attitude about such a small matter. If the issue was that I was on the phone, she could have said something about that. Then she went to the front of the store, and dramatically repeated to her partner or employee what had happened. I got up and walked out because it was so weird and decided not to purchase the book I had planned to but. She said something snarky as I walked by so I said “Thanks, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you with the coffee” and she said “I’m not offended. Would you want someone to put their cup on your furniture at your house?” I honestly don’t care what guests do with my furniture. And maybe you should reconsider having antiques in a place where the public, kids, etc. are coming through if you are so concerned with keeping them in pristine condition and not creating a comfortable and relaxing space for your customers. I’m an avid reader and writer. I like to frequent small businesses / local bookstores, but I’ll be giving my business to other shops that are actually welcoming. I would have purchased books here but I felt so uncomfortable by her energy and attitude that I left and will...

i’m writing this review because i can’t stop thinking about the disappointing way i was scammed at this store. here’s how it went: i found a very interesting book i hadn’t seen before and took it to the front to see how much it cost.

in the conversation i had with the staff member, he told me that this book was actually extremely rare with only several copies floating around! and that the specific decorative piece attached to this copy was one of a kind! i’m an old and rare books nerd and this sucked me right in. the book cost ~$130, way more than i had expected, but after listening to the staff, i felt like i was getting a truly unique and special book for a very reasonable price.

imagine my surprise as i left the store and looked up the book- just to find out that it's not only on its 5th edition printing, you can get a new copy for half the price. the decorative piece was just... part of the book's design. the copy i was sold is extremely sun-faded and the jacket is tearing. in hindsight i should have marched right back inside and asked for a return and refund, final sale be damned.

maybe the store staff didn’t intend to lie to me. but they should be damn sure they know what they’re talking about before trying to sell a book to someone with false information, especially one that costs that much. i'm a low-income student, i wanted to treat myself with a impulse purchase. lessons were learned that day.

before this transaction, sweet pickle was one of my favorite bookstores in the city (not necessarily for the book selection but the decor and vibe of the shop). i'm so shocked and disappointed by how i was scammed by the staff that i don't plan to return, and i'll be telling my friends who come here to...

Sweet Pickle Books is a small neighborhood used bookstore, squeezed into the Lower East Side. the narrow shop is filled from floor to ceiling with books…sections of the store, divided up by genre and areas of interest. the store feels less like a store and more like that living room of your crazy friend who loves books. the decor is welcoming and casual—and feels comfortably less like retail and more like those local stores that are rapidly disappearing from our neighborhoods.

stopped here a few weeks ago looking for some atypical books. struck out on the first 5 tries to find one of them but on the sixth try—i got one at a good price and a hardcover at that! search the shelves—there’s probably a gem or two or a few tucked in there. the more you stop by, the more you’re likely to find a book that will sate your mind’s desires. honestly, taking long breaks from phone/tv/etc or any other modern screen is a good thing and you might as well do that reading or looking for a book.

staff is friendly and helpful. pretty knowledgeable on books. apparently you can trade in books for a jar of homemade pickles (I have not done this) but...