Books Are Magic — Local services in New York

Earlier this week, I went to pick up a book I ordered online. I had shoulder surgery the previous week and was wearing my shoulder sling over my coat. I asked the employee at the pick up desk for a bag and she informed me that there’s some up front, while I struggled to hold to the large book with my non injured arm. I politely asked if there wasn’t one behind the desk so I wouldn’t have to struggle with it through the store. She looked at me and said again, “they’re up front”, and went back to looking at her phone. I then went to the cashier desk at the front and still clearing struggling with the book, there were 2 employees standing talking, looking at me and not offering to help. I stood in line behind someone checking out and asked for a bag for the book I just picked up and the cashier asked me why. I then I pointed to my arm in a sling and she responded with “oh ok” and does the least amount of effort to hand me the bag, and I’m still struggling to reach the bag from her with my non-injured arm. I ask for help to put the book on the bag and the cashier and the 2 other employees just stand there while I’m trying to not drop the book and bag. Thankfully, the woman checking out in front of me has common decency to help me put the book in the bag while the employees do nothing.

I will not be returning to Books are Magic if this is how treat someone with a visible injury and temporary disability because if they treated me as an annoyance, I can only imagine how they treat people that permanently live with a disability. I won’t be supporting a store with such little decency, even people on the subway are nicer than...

CreativeMornings NYC recently broadcasted from this book shop and immediately I was drawn in by the clever brand name and brand design! As a brand designer they just really spoke to me and I had to show my wife, who owns her own literary business. Turns out founders are a husband (designer) and wife (author) team. How meaningful is that?!

We visited the shop today- which is super cute, well-stocked, designed, and organized. The branded merch areas (mugs, shirts, stickers, pins, custom Tattly) were just something you don’t normally see in independent bookstores at that level— so it was just awesome to see.

They host author events as well which you will see in most of the reviews here.

Staff was very nice and helpful and don’t forget to take a nice photo/TikTok/Gif in front of their mural to let the world know that books are very...

I love this bookstore. They have a well-curated collection of both new and previously published books. They get terrific authors for events. So I was completely confused when, during my recent visit, the front desk sales associate rudely told me that I had to go to the back desk to pick up a book I had ordered. Not a big deal to go to the back desk, but she could have been nice. After I bought 2 books and a tote bag, I asked to use the bathroom, explaining that I had an 90 minute commute back to Manhattan. I was rudely told NO, there are NO public bathrooms. I left feeling very let down about my experience in the store. I completely understand not having bathrooms for the general public, but it seems rather petty to not let a paying customer use the bathroom. Not sure...