Community Bookstore

Community Bookstore was an independent bookstore associated with Brooklyn neighborhoods including Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, and Cobble Hill. John Scioli and his then-wife, Susan Scioli, began the business in 1971 in Park Slope, at a time when the neighborhood was attracting younger residents but had not yet developed a substantial commercial center. In 1974, they opened a second location on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. After the couple separated in 1980, each took responsibility for one of the stores. John retained the Brooklyn Heights location, while Susan continued operating the Park Slope shop until selling it in 2001. The Brooklyn Heights store became particularly visible during a mid-1980s dispute with its landlord. Rising commercial rents and the prospect of replacing the bookstore with a higher-paying tenant placed the business at the center of a wider discussion about the displacement of independent neighborhood retailers in New York City. Scioli participated in public opposition to the eviction and became associated with community organizing, media attention, and arguments for stronger commercial rent protections. The controversy also brought him into conflict with then-Mayor Ed Koch, whose opposition to commercial rent regulation he criticized through a pointed pricing gesture involving Koch's autobiography. A subsequent legal action by the landlord and a prospective replacement tenant sought substantial damages over alleged protest-related conduct; the American Civil Liberties Union's New York affiliate supported Scioli on free-speech grounds. Scioli ultimately moved the business to a building he acquired at Court Street and Warren Street in nearby Cobble Hill in 1985. The Cobble Hill store remained there until it closed in 2016, when Scioli retired. It became known for an unusually crowded interior in which books were stacked from floor to ceiling and, in places, piled around waist height. Although the store's stock was broadly organized and some sections were alphabetized, navigating the premises was part of the experience. The shop appealed less to customers seeking current bestsellers or conventional retail service than to readers looking for out-of-print discoveries, inexpensive used books, and the pleasure of searching through an unpredictable accumulation. The store's inventory increasingly came from community donations. Over time, Scioli said that he no longer needed to purchase books because donated volumes supplied the business. The resulting collection reflected both the store's local identity and Scioli's reluctance to discard or refuse books. He acknowledged that the premises had acquired the character of a hoard, especially after the death of his wife in 2002, who had previously helped regulate the flow of incoming books. Scioli's own management style was similarly unconventional: he was known for his dry or abrasive humor, irregular and often late opening hours, limited interest in conventional recommendations, and a habit of sitting outside the shop smoking and quoting prices that could appear arbitrary. Community Bookstore closed as a physical retail business when Scioli retired in 2016. Its unusual setting and connection to New York's independent-bookstore culture continued to attract journalistic and documentary attention. The store and Scioli were the subjects of Paul Szynol's short New Yorker documentary Booklyn, also released in 2016. The brand is therefore best understood as a defunct, neighborhood-scale independent bookseller whose significance rested as much on its social character, local history, and distinctive retail environment as on the sale of books itself.

John Scioli and Susan Scioli founded Community Bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 1971. The neighborhood was becoming attractive to younger residents but still lacked a fully developed commercial center, giving the couple an opportunity to establish a small local bookstore. They expanded in 1974 with a second location on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. Scioli had previously worked in retail and as a taxi driver, while Susan, who had been a teacher, brought stronger literary and bookselling experience to the partnership. When the couple separated in 1980, they divided the business. John took the Brooklyn Heights store, and Susan continued with the Park Slope location. Susan eventually sold the Park Slope shop in 2001; that store later changed hands again. John's location, meanwhile, became the subject of a prominent commercial tenancy dispute in the mid-1980s. His landlord sought to remove the bookstore at the end of its lease and replace it with an ice-cream business prepared to pay substantially more rent. The dispute reflected broader pressure on small, longstanding retailers in affluent Brooklyn neighborhoods. Scioli resisted the eviction through public advocacy and community pressure. He objected to the absence of meaningful commercial rent protections and criticized Mayor Ed Koch's opposition to such measures. As a symbolic protest, he marked up Koch's 1984 autobiography, Mayor, to three times its list price. After the proposed ice-cream tenant withdrew, the landlord brought a major damages claim against the tenant and Scioli, alleging that demonstrations, publicity, political pressure, and other forms of opposition had interfered with the transaction. The New York Civil Liberties Union became involved in defending Scioli's expressive rights. The dispute helped make the store a local example of the tension between independent commerce and escalating urban property values. Scioli ultimately left Brooklyn Heights and purchased a building at Court Street and Warren Street in neighboring Cobble Hill. Community Bookstore operated there from 1985 until 2016. The new premises became famous for their crowded, labyrinthine arrangement. Books filled shelves and rose in stacks across the floor, sometimes making movement difficult. The store was not completely disorganized: sections existed and some books were alphabetized, but the visual and physical experience was far removed from a modern chain bookstore. Customers generally visited to browse, search for unexpected titles, and discover used or out-of-print books rather than to buy the newest releases. A large portion of the inventory came through donations. Scioli described a point at which he no longer needed to buy books because people supplied the store with more volumes than it could easily absorb. After Susan's death in 2002, his ability to limit incoming stock declined further. He openly described himself as a hoarder and joked about the possibility of being buried beneath the books. His management style reinforced the store's cult reputation: hours were irregular and often began after 5 p.m.; the shop could remain open late into the night; and Scioli was known for sitting outside, smoking, delivering sardonic observations, and showing little interest in conventional sales advice. Contemporary accounts presented Community Bookstore as an increasingly rare example of a messy, idiosyncratic independent bookseller in New York. It was valued less for merchandising efficiency than for atmosphere, local memory, and the possibility of finding something unavailable elsewhere. Scioli retired in 2016 and closed the business. The bookstore's final period was documented in Paul Szynol's short New Yorker film Booklyn, preserving the character of both the proprietor and the store's unusual interior.

• 2016

  Cobble Hill store closes

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  John Scioli retires and closes Community Bookstore after more than three decades in Cobble Hill.

• 2002

  Death of Susan Scioli

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  Susan's death is later associated with a further increase in the volume of books accumulating at John's store.

• 2001

  Park Slope location changes ownership

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  Susan Scioli sells the Park Slope store to Catherine Bohne.

• 1985

  Store moves to Cobble Hill

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  Following the Brooklyn Heights rent dispute, Scioli relocates the business to a building at Court Street and Warren Street in Cobble Hill.

• 1980

  Scioli business partnership ends

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  After the couple separates, John retains the Brooklyn Heights store and Susan continues with the Park Slope location.

• 1974

  Second location opens in Brooklyn Heights

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  The business expands to Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights.

• 1971

  First Community Bookstore opens in Park Slope

  [1]Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org

  John and Susan Scioli establish the original bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A highly individualistic neighborhood bookseller centered on used and donated books, serendipitous discovery, and an informal, nontraditional shopping experience rather than polished retail presentation or a focus on current bestsellers.

• Books · 1971

  Used books

  Used books formed the core of the store's merchandise. The selection was broad and accumulated over many years, with customers browsing through shelves and floor stacks rather than relying on a tightly curated or systematically merchandised assortment.

• Books · 1971

  Out-of-print and collectible titles

  Community Bookstore attracted treasure hunters searching for older, uncommon, or out-of-print volumes. Its large and unpredictable inventory created the possibility of finding titles that were not readily available through mainstream bookstores.

• Books

  Donated books

  Donations became an increasingly important source of inventory. According to accounts of the store, community members supplied so many books that Scioli eventually said he no longer needed to purchase stock.

• 1985Brooklyn Heights rent and eviction campaign

  Brooklyn, New York City

  Scioli opposed the landlord's effort to remove the bookstore and replace it with a tenant willing to pay substantially higher rent. The dispute prompted community support, public demonstrations, letters, press attention, and criticism of the lack of commercial rent protections.

  Outcome. The Brooklyn Heights store ultimately relocated to Cobble Hill, where it operated until 2016. The proposed replacement tenant withdrew, and the landlord pursued litigation over the protest activity.

  Source

• 2016

  Closure following owner retirementOther

  Background

  John Scioli had operated the Cobble Hill store since 1985 and decided to retire.

  Action taken

  Community Bookstore ceased operations.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the physical bookstore's run and marked the disappearance of one of New York's notably idiosyncratic independent booksellers.

  Source

• 1985

  Relocation from Brooklyn Heights to Cobble HillStrategy

  Background

  The Brooklyn Heights landlord sought to end Scioli's tenancy amid sharply rising neighborhood rents and a proposed replacement tenant offering substantially more.

  Action taken

  Scioli acquired a building at Court Street and Warren Street in Cobble Hill and moved Community Bookstore there.

  Aftermath

  The Cobble Hill location became the store's long-term home and operated for approximately three decades.

  Source

1. 1Community Bookstore (Cobble Hill)en.wikipedia.org