SHOP INDIE
Welcome to our new Shop Indie section, a space to highlight your favorite independent bookstores! We welcome articles about bookstores from all over the world. If you would like to profile a bookstore please complete our INDIE BOOKSTORE REVIEW FORM.
Galaxy Comics
431 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
By rst, 8th Grade
If you like reading comics (graphic novels, manga, etc.) head to Galaxy Comics on 5th Ave in Park Slope. All the books are 10% off, which is the best discount around. Galaxy Comics has a great selection plus it’s a chill place with ceilings made of tin and chill staff. Dave, one of the partners, describes Galaxy as "a true small business," saying "I came here as a kid and the owner gave me a job to help me pay for college. I worked my way up and now I’m a partner."
Brian, a bookseller at Galaxy, and a chill guy
Brian, a bookseller at Galaxy, told me "I started as a customer throughout my teens and as a senior, I interned here. In 2016, a job opened up and they gave me a call. Now it’s been nearly ten years and I couldn’t wish for a better job." Galaxy is very involved with the local community, working with schools on class trips and giveaways. And not to be missed, the first Saturday of May they give a free comic book to anyone who comes to the store. That’s coming up, so don’t miss it lol. For a local, indie bookstore, Galaxy in Park Slope is top tier. Go say hi to Dave and Brian, and check out what they have there, because the stuff there is good
Shakespeare and Company
37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 75005
Paris, France
By Asha R., 8th Grade
This summer my mom, my dida (grandma) and I went on a trip to Paris. It was a fabulous trip with amazing food and great places to visit. One of the highlights for me that would totally get me going back was this tiny cluttered English bookstore called “Shakespeare and Company." Usually, when I go into a bookstore and I prepare to judge it, I compare it to my favorite bookstore, Community Bookstore, which is in Park Slope. To be completely honest, most of them aren’t as good as Community Bookstore (in my opinion) and I end up fighting my mom when she tries to drag me back. However, Shakespeare and Company was like a dream for readers.
Located at 37 Rue de la Bûcherie in Paris on the banks of the Seine, Shakespeare and Co is right by Notre-Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle. If anybody goes to Paris, I would tell them to go and see Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle and then go check out Shakespeare and Company. Though to be completely honest, I could spend my entire day in that bookstore. When you step inside you are met with a maze of bookshelves, vintage chairs, typewriters, and the cozy smell of old books. Cats wander around the cluttered books, adding to the charm. Avid readers sit on the many soft chairs, lost in a book sitting on their laps.
Constructed in the early 17th century, the building was originally a monastery which gives old but comfortable vibes. It became a bookstore in 1951, founded by George Whitman who said on the first day that artists, writers, and intellectuals could come and sleep in the bookstore among the stories. Since that invitation, 74 years have passed and more than 30,000 people have stayed in the bookshop. James Baldwin, William Burroughs, Anaïs Nin, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Wright, Julio Cortázar, and Henry Miller were some of the first visitors that came to the bookstore. Currently, George Whitman's daughter, Sylvia Whitman, now runs the bookshop with David Delannet, her partner.
Obviously, Paris is a little far but if you can get there, try to find some time to visit this charming bookstore.
