8 new, niche bookstores to check out in NYC

Watching You’ve Got Mail in a cozy knit crewneck may be a time-honored fall tradition for a certain (literary!) subset of New Yorkers. And while the film’s fictional Shop Around the Corner doesn’t actually exist on the Upper West Side (nor does, sadly, the very real Cafe Lalo, anymore), plenty of new, niche bookstores have popped up around Manhattan and the outer boroughs to satiate New Yorkers’ desires for bookish third spaces, hyperspecific genre shelves and a comfy space to read with an oat milk cappuccino or natural red blend in hand. 

The Twisted Spine opened in Williamsburg in September 2025. Along with partner Lauren Komer, co-owner Jason Mellow, a full-time musician, found a “void in New York” when looking for horror books and spaces to celebrate them, though he’d noticed a rise in horror bookstores across the country. 

Following a wildly successful pop-up in 2024, The Twisted Spine signed a lease in Williamsburg, invigorated by the community response to the concept of congregating with other horror readers.

“You can find everything online these days, and people know that, but they’re tired of picking books from anonymous star reviews,” says Mellow. “We offer what you can’t get anywhere else: community and having a physical space. People can come and find other people.” 

Readers recommend books to other shoppers, regulars venture from across the city or other cities entirely, and horror movie nights, tarot, readings and book clubs pack the space. A Death Cafe is on the upcoming event roster, as are flash tattoos and more spooky happenings.

The Twisted Spine also prides itself on highlighting titles beyond the typical bestseller lists: Shelves emphasize books by and about people of color, queer writers, translated work, non-English reads, small presses, children’s books and more. This inclusive curation extends beyond an algorithm, adding a human element to a shopping process too often replaced by scrolling. 

Miles away in Prospect Heights, another genre bookstore is preparing to open this November: Love and Legends.

Wedding photographer Savanna Sturkie worked as a bookseller in college and dreamed up a shop that would focus on fantasy, the section she beelines to at any bookstore.

Thanks to successful pop-ups and a Kickstarter in which she and her husband, Jack Peeples, exceeded their goal of raising $55,000 thanks to over 500 donors, a lease ensured that the whimsical, fantasy bookstore could open in Brooklyn. “It’s shocking to have people share your dream,” says Sturkie. “Even though New York is an enormous city, we have a small community.” 

“It’s going to be thematic and beautiful, a cozy and calm place to browse,” she adds of the shop. “Think of a magical library in an enchanted forest.” In addition to sections for high fantasy, classic fantasy, romantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction and romance, Love and Legends will host game nights, family-friendly events, author nights, book launches, Dungeons and Dragons lessons and more. 

“The pandemic helped many people fall back in love with reading,” Sturkie says. “Now readers want someone to talk about books with.”

Looking for more niche bookstores? Check out these new openings.

Gladys Books & Wine 

Bed-Stuy local Tiffany Dockery opened this Black lesbian bookstore and wine lounge in September 2025. Gladys stocks titles focused on Black queer futures, lesbian stories, romance and resistance. Events include literary supper clubs, poetry nights, podcast recordings, cocktail parties and more. The shop is also open late each night, when it doubles as a community reading space to sip wine.  

306 Malcolm X Blvd, Brooklyn

BEM

Billed as “a new destination for food literature of the African diaspora,” BEM opened its brick-and-mortar bookshop in Bed-Stuy in October 2025, following years of sought after pop-ups by booksellers and sisters Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport. Titles include cookbooks, plus food-focused nonfiction, fiction, poetry and children’s books. Events include dinners and book discussions, plus collaborative programming with ​BEM Cultural Foundation (BCF), a nonprofit sibling to BEM.

373 Lewis Ave, Brooklyn 

Hive Mind

Open as of late 2024, Hive Mind is Bushwick’s community space to find new and used books by LGBTQIA+ authors, sip a seasonal latte and sit at a cafe table to read, write, study or chat. A packed calendar of queer literary events includes open mics, queer coworking, book club, readings, history talks and much more. 

219 Irving Ave, Brooklyn

The Fountain Bookshop

For a sweet treat and a good read, look no further than The Fountain Bookshop in Washington Heights, a hybrid indie bookstore and soda fountain (cute!). Here you’ll find the typical bestsellers, plus curated bookseller picks and children’s books galore. Events include a cheeky “Not in Brooklyn” reading series, plus author events, family storytime and teen book clubs. 

803 W 187th St, Manhattan

The Little Bookshop

At 750 square feet, this East Williamsburg bookstore isn’t much bigger than a one-bedroom apartment, but it stocks plenty of books, plus a cafe, which serves coffee and mocktails (a liquor license is pending). Still in its soft opening stages, the space will be able to fit 40 people for events. 

239 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn

Liz’s Book Bar

Opened in late 2024, Liz’s Book Bar added a new community space to Carroll Gardens for book browsing, laptop working and sipping espresso drinks, plus wine and beer. It’s become a neighborhood favorite for literary fiction and book-versus-film book clubs, plus writing events, social nights and author signings. 

315 Smith St, Brooklyn