They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and, although my photography skills are not the finest, I’m happy to share several photos of “the McNally Jackson experience” Beth Fish and I had back in May.
We had mapped out a number of indie bookstores that we wanted to visit during our unscheduled time at BEA. High on the list was McNally Jackson Books in Nolita. I thought the shop was in the East Village, apparently it’s closer to the Noho and Little Italy neighborhoods. I think. Anyone who knows the area is welcome to fine tune my directions. I know for certain that it’s at 52 Prince Street between Lafayette and Mulberry. 
You’ll know you’re in the right place when you spot this awning and huge plate glass display windows. The shop continues to the left of the entry door; I believe it is the width of two storefronts.
A sign you’re in a community-oriented bookshop: the notice board in the vestibule. With tear tags and posters for everything from art lessons and babysitting to yoga and zumba, this is an active board!
Step inside McNally Jackson and it’s like you’ve found Aladdin’s cave with bright lighting, books, international magazines, books, creative greeting cards, books, a cafe, books, lighting and displays that show form and function, books, lots of chairs and nooks to sit and browse the books, books, books!
The café looks amazing! We didn’t have time to sample any of the treats, but did take in the atmosphere. Check out the light fixtures; yes, those are books (or made to resemble books, in any case). The wallpaper in the café area is subtle, but striking … not too busy to distract you from the business at hand (ahem, book browsing or coffee sipping), but on closer inspection, it reveals itself as pages of text from books.
Step down the open stairway in the middle of the store (for a more detailed photo of this brilliant light fixture, take a look at Beth Fish’s Wordless Wednesday post from a few weeks ago). The walls of the stairwell are lined with art prints, and you can see the hot air balloons from the children’s department in the background.
Midway is a large landing with more books (!), more seating, and this good looking guy reading. OK, maybe he’s not there all the time, but isn’t it worth a trip to McNally Jackson just for the eye-candy?!? The books, I mean!
McNally Jackson booksellers are not shy about sharing their favorite books! Staff picks are on both levels, with attention-getting displays, their personal shelf talkers, and plenty of copies for book lovers to bring home. I purchased Roberts Brainerd’s I Remember based on Jason’s recommendation, which is written in the style of the book – short, first-person recollections. I had never heard of the book before (or since), but am so glad I added it to my collection, thanks, Jason!
Thanks to all the booksellers at McNally Jackson for creating such a bright, open, and welcoming bookshop! They’re also fun to converse with on Twitter. I encourage you to visit theMcNally Jackson website for more photos, and to check on upcoming events.
Great write up. There are so many inviting places to sit and nicely displayed books on tables and on top of shelves that you can’t help but discover something great to read. Great staff.
Next year TFOB and I need to take the time to sip a coffee and page through our purchases!
That looks like a fun, quirky store!
This looks like a great bookstore…sounds like you had a good time taking it all in — including the eye candy!
What a unique and interesting bookstore! I love the wallpaper and the light fixtures as well. I bet this shop would make a lovely place to visit and browse, and I am glad you had a nice time there!
I love the overall look of this place. I hope I get a chance to visit some day!
Beth – if we had more time, we would have had more purchases, there’s no doubt about that!
Kathy – I was really impressed by how much space there was in the store; it felt arty/casual/fun … and full of books.
Serena – you and Anna will have to make it a stop on the next NY trip.
zibilee – I could think of a few special places around my house where those lights and wallpaper would look really nice.
Ladytink – I hope you do, too! It was a great place to visit, and a shop I hope to return to (in the meantime, I try to get my fill with twitter and their blog)
Dawn, thank you for writing about this bookstore! I am embarassed to admit that I have never even heard of it – hopefully the fact that I live in Brooklyn not Manhattan saves me a bit! lol I cannot wait to go to McNally’s and check it out, it looks like a really awesome store. Thank you!
Character–the reason so many indie book stores have managed to survive!
Amy – oh, do make it a point to visit …it really is a wonderful store!
Lisa – absolutely! There’s nothing generic about the displays, decor, selection of books, etc. I think my favorite part of many book shops is the bookseller recommendations section.
OK, Florinda just mentioned to me that she wants to visit this while we’re at BlogHer this week, and upon Googling the store, I remembered seeing this post and thinking … sigh, maybe someday.
Very excited. Thanks for this post!
I missed this post since it went up while I was at Comic-Con two weeks ago (and not reading any blogs), but Melissa just brought it to my attention. Now I REALLY want to visit it – thanks for the scoop, Dawn!