Just in time for beach reading season, we’ve discovered a gem of a used bookstore tucked away in Ridgewood: Topos Bookstore Café. Like Bushwick favorite Molasses Books, Topos is not only a place to discover interesting books, but a cozy café as well. This inviting little shop on the corner of Woodward and Putnam Avenues, however, certainly has a charm and character all its own.
Topos opened in January 2015 under the leadership of Benjamin Friedman and two other primary co-owner/managers, Cosmo Bjorkenheim and Anny Oberlink. Friedman had worked for over a decade as a manager at stalwart independent booksellers St. Mark’s Bookshop in the East Village when he started thinking about opening his own shop. Some friends of his at Book Thug Nation, a used bookstore in Williamsburg where Bjorkenheim also works, introduced Friedman to Bjorkenheim and Oberlink and together they hatched a plan to open their own shop.
“When Cosmo and Anny came along, and they were vouched for by my friends at Book Thug–with their great track record of success at their business–I thought, ‘yeah, this is the chance I’ve been waiting for,’ “ Friedman recounted to Bushwick Daily.
