By Katarina Hybenova
In Bushwick you are likely to see awesome art; you can easily buy some good groceries or the most stylish outfit. Don’t let us even get started on bars and restaurants. We have plenty! But on this lovely island of creativity called Bushwick, one important thing was missing…books! Until about last week, you had to take a train to Bedford to go to a bookstore. How crazy!
Luckily, the neighborhood full of passionate writers and readers alike just got its first bookstore. Furthermore, Molasses Books is in the very best Bushwick tradition, not just another boring bookstore.
Molasses Books opened last week. I biked over on Friday, super curious and excited to chat with the owner Matthew Winn. “I used to sell books on the street,” said Matthew smiling and proudly leaning over the bar at his fresh new space. “At some point I realized I have so many books, I might as well open a bookstore.” Matthew found a perfects spot, a storefront on quiet Hart Street, right on the corner with busy Knickerbocker, and got to work. The result of his endeavor is a beautiful and cozy bookshop, with pristine white walls, wooden shelves full of books and a couple of tables and spots welcoming you to read. “This side is fiction, that side is non-fiction,” Matthew pointed first to the right and then to the left. “And we also have a poetry arch.” The selection of books has been curated by Matthew himself who is also looking forward to buy books from Bushwick locals, and create a really unique pool of great literature.
However, the first thing you notice when you step into the space is a long bar. Matthew was brewing coffee and preparing ice tea for the weekend behind the bar. “I want this to be a place where you can come, read and have drink,” he said. For the time being, Matthew is only serving soft drinks but once the necessary license arrives he is looking to serve beer and wine, and maybe even whiskey. As Matthew explained he doesn’t want Molasses to just be a coffee shop; he understands that good reading might require a good drink.
Matthew is looking forward to host readings, book clubs and other events.
Molasses Books (770 Hart St) is open daily from 8am to 8pm (except Mondays when they close at noon). Matthew is working at the store himself for the moment, so swing by, have a coffee and a read, and enjoy this lovely place. You can like them on Facebook here.
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