Big Opening for Little City Books

by Jack Silbert

Go ahead, you know you want to: Toss your Kindle in the garbage. Real books are back in a big way. Saturday, May 2, was Independent Bookstore Day across the country, and in Hoboken the occasion was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Little City Books at First and Bloomfield.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have a new bookstore in Hoboken,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “We’ll do everything we can to support and promote you.”

With those words on a gorgeous spring morning, the red ribbon was snipped, and Little City Books was officially open for business. It was the culmination of many months of planning by the store’s “supergroup” of owners: nationally-acclaimed singer/songwriter Kate Jacobs (who is an author as well: Her song “A Sister” was transformed into the picture book A Sister’s Wish for Hyperion in 1996), Donna Garban, treasurer on the Stevens Cooperative School’s Board of Trustees, and literary agent Emmanuelle Morgen.

The time definitely seemed right for a new bookstore in Hoboken. Our Barnes & Noble is so long gone, even the Office Depot that replaced it is closing. And you don’t see quite as many people clutching e-readers on the PATH train as you did just a few years back. According to a 2014 report from the Pew Research Center, e-book sales continue to rise, but print definitely still rules. While 28% of adults said they read an e-book in the past year, the number for print books was a robust 69%. And the number of independent bookstores has actually increased by more than 25 percent since 2009.

Add one more to that tally with Little City Books at 100 Bloomfield Street, open seven days a week. “Come browse and shop and meet your book-loving neighbors,” said Kate Jacobs. Her partner Emmanuelle Morgen added, “Let us know about your favorite books and authors.”

To stay informed about upcoming events, sign up for the shop’s mailing list at www.littlecitybooks.com. And while you’re at their website, you may just want to bookmark it.