The Barnes & Noble at 181 Avenue A covers 11,300 square feet. Afterword Bookshop on East Sixth Street covers about 700. The new store is roughly sixteen times bigger than one of the neighborhood's newest independents, and size isn't the only difference. Barnes & Noble's store won't have a café. The shops within a short walk of it each focus on one thing, and several of them pour coffee or cocktails.
That split shapes what a book errand in the East Village looks like this winter. The chain brings the square footage. The independents carry the narrow subjects, and they also hold the seats.
Eight years of an empty storefront, and a 9 a.m. ribbon
Barnes & Noble set Wednesday, Nov. 18, as opening day. The plan included a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting and a signing with Douglas Stuart, an East Village resident and author of "Shuggie Bain," "Young Mungo" and "John of John." The official event listing ties the signing to "John of John."
The storefront itself has a long backstory. The building is Steiner East Village, a condominium on the former site of Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church. In August 2013 EV Grieve reported that the church was being prepared for demolition. By 2015 the project was described as 82 condominiums with retail along Avenue A and East 11th and 12th streets. Retail rental signs went up in February 2018, after residents began moving in. The space was marketed as divisible or as a fit for one large tenant. In the end one large tenant took it. Commercial Observer reported the signed lease in May 2026: 9,200 square feet on the ground floor and 2,100 on the lower level. Barnes & Noble is the building's first retail tenant, and Crain's New York Business noted the space had been vacant for eight years.
On Avenue A, eight years is a long time for a corner to sit empty. The opening also comes soon after the Starbucks at Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, a few blocks south, served its last day in late September.
Across the street, a bookstore that pours
The Rabbit Books & Bar is at 170 Avenue A, at East 11th Street. That puts the chain and the independent on opposite sides of the same intersection. Marianna Vaidman Stone opened The Rabbit with her daughter this past summer. It pairs books from around the world with coffee and cocktails.
When Gothamist asked her about the new neighbor in October, she sounded hopeful:
"To have two similar businesses on a street corner makes it a little bit of a destination for people who are interested in that sort of thing. I'm hoping it will be a multiplier effect."
On that corner, the big store at 181 has the floor space, while anyone hoping to sit down over a coffee or a drink with a book will find the bar across Avenue A at 170.
The specialists, block by block
The other shops nearby follow the same pattern. Each picked a narrow focus. Gothamist pointed to the neighborhood's record of supporting specialty bookstores.
| Shop | Address | What it focuses on | Hours as listed by the shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rabbit Books & Bar | 170 Avenue A | Books from around the world, with coffee and cocktails | Check the shop's site |
| Pillow-Cat Books | 328 E. 9th St. | Every book features an animal or animal character | Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Village Works | 12 St. Mark's Place | Downtown culture: street art, poetry, photography, music | Check before visiting |
| Afterword Bookshop | 216 E. 6th St. | Independent publishing, social justice, fiction, art, poetry | Check the shop's site |
| Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks | 28 E. 2nd St. | Cookbooks, nearly all bought from individuals | Posted weekly, appointments available |
| Book Club Bar | 197 E. 3rd St. | Bookstore with an espresso bar and a cocktail bar | 9 a.m. to midnight Sun. to Wed., to 1 a.m. Thu. to Sat. |
Afterword's owners, Lulu Mourning and Nika Voron, opened last December. Mourning told Gothamist that they designed the shop so they're "not necessarily competing with Barnes & Noble." Bonnie Slotnick moved her cookbook shop from the West Village to the East Village more than a decade ago. She told the outlet she doesn't think the neighborhood will go for a chain bookstore, and she pointed to the Starbucks closing a few blocks from the new store. Joseph Sheridan of Village Works has lived in the neighborhood since 1983. He remembers when shopping at the Gap on St. Mark's Place was seen as too mainstream. Today his store sits across the street from a Sephora.
Erin Neary of Book Club Bar told Gothamist the opening would make things "a little harder" for businesses that are already tough to run. She also said that "taking e-commerce money away from Amazon is always a win." Sheridan put it most simply: "If they make it, they make it. If they don't, they don't."
A Saturday route from 11th Street to 3rd Street
A single loop can cover the chain and the specialists. This route starts at the new corner and ends at the shop with the latest hours.
- Avenue A and East 11th Street. Begin at Barnes & Noble, 181 Avenue A. Then cross to The Rabbit at 170 Avenue A for a coffee.
- 328 East 9th Street. Pillow-Cat Books is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, and every title there includes an animal. It's a good stop for a child's gift.
- 12 St. Mark's Place. Village Works is a bookstore, gallery and gathering space, strongest in street art, poetry, photography, music and biography. The address comes from a 2024 Village Preservation profile, so check before you walk over.
- 216 East 6th Street. Afterword focuses on independent presses and social justice, and also carries children's books.
- 28 East 2nd Street. Bonnie Slotnick posts her hours a week at a time on her site and also takes appointments. She says 99% of her stock comes from books she buys from individuals.
- 197 East 3rd Street. End at Book Club Bar, which is open until midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. It has an espresso bar and a cocktail bar.
Mast Books lists 72 Avenue A on its own site, with hours of noon to 8 p.m. daily. It's on the same avenue as the starting corner.
What's on the calendar into December
The bookstores are also hosting events. These are the confirmed dates for the next few weeks:
- Barnes & Noble, Avenue A. The store's November calendar lists events on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22. The store page has the details.
- The Rabbit Books & Bar, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Local author John Wheeler launches "Harvest of Spears." The Rabbit's events page has the listing.
The Nov. 18 ribbon-cutting was scheduled for the big store at 181 Avenue A. The Wheeler launch on Dec. 2 is across the street, at the smaller store with a bar.
If one of these blocks is starting to feel like home, our team knows the East Village building by building, from the co-ops near Tompkins Square to the condos along Avenue A, including Steiner East Village. Reach out to Varun Sharma and the Johnny Lal Team to talk about which blocks fit the way you live. Get in Touch.
