Spoonbill & Sugartown Create Williamsburg's Bookish Culture

It’s safe to say that Bedford Ave. has been the street most emblematic of the ‘new Brooklynite’ in the borough’s transformation of the last ten years. As what many would consider the main thoroughfare in Williamsburg, Bedford Ave. has also become something like the Magnificent Mile and Sunset Strip for the ironic and self-aware, the well-dressed, the artistically inclined, big time real estate developers, and a flourishing culture of small, independent businesses. This week Spoonbill and Sugartown, one of the businesses that has seen the neighborhood grow up around it, celebrated it’s ten year anniversary. In those ten years, the bookstore, along with other now-thriving shops like Verb Cafe and Earwax Records, has helped mold the culture of the neighborhood, but in Spoonbill and Sugartown’s case, they have almost single-handedly established Bedford Ave. as one of the top destinations for scouting out the best used books in New York, and owner Miles Mellamy has certainly recognized that fact. “The wider the selection of books around, the better it is for buyers. It has been so throughout history.” He says of the various tables that are set up all along the avenue, going both north and south, and the new stores like Book Thug Nation on North 3rd.

“I can’t claim to be a visionary” Mellamy says when asked if he knew the direction the neighborhood would take, “but it was obvious we needed a bookstore as there were already so many literate, artistic, creative people clamoring for a center.” While some would argue that many of those creative folks that helped reshape the entire neighborhood have been systematically pushed out by high rents, Samuel Cohen, 31, who lives a block away from the bookstore sees it differently. “People stick it out. Places like Spoonbill make it worth it.” He says as he sits next door to the bookstore sipping a coffee from Verb. He clutches a newly bought copy of a Thomas Pynchon hardcover acquired at the bookstore, as well as cheese purchased from Bedford Cheese Shop, which sits right across the street. “I’ve lived here since 2000, and I make just about enough to get by.” He stops to wave hello to a friend, and continues, “I’ve moved three times in almost ten years, but I have everything I need right here on this block.” When asked how often he shops at the now ten-year-old store he says “usually monthly. This entire street has made it possible for me not to trek to Strand in the city anymore.”

But as the neighborhood continues to be one of the hottest spots in the entire city, Mellamy looks at his wise decision with a bit of trepidation. He makes note that Williamsburg now has “fewer artists, musicians, thinkers.” He continues, “being right on Bedford, and being not just your average bookshop, we feel we are a big part of what makes the neighborhood great.”

Specializing in “used, rare and new books on contemporary art, architecture and various design fields, with an emphasis on imported or hard-to-find” Spoonbill and Sugartown has not only helped establish their niche in the neighborhood, but has also become somewhat of a source of pride for local residents. As Samuel Cohen finishes his coffee on a chilly November morning, he makes note of one of the used book vendors setting up a few feet away from where he is having his ritual first cup. “People talk about all the hipsters and artists, and the gentrification around here” he pauses and points to Spoonbill and Sugartown, “but if I had to guess, I don’t think any of those guys would be selling books around here if it wasn’t for this place.