Barter books for a tab at Bushwick’s first bookstore

Bushwick finally has a bookstore! Molasses Books, which opened at 770 Hart St. late last month, is built for lingering. Affordable is the key element, with “the average book that doesn’t suck being in the $5-8 range,” owner Matthew Winn tells us. The extra bonus is the barter system: you can trade books for coffee (or more books), and eventually beer and wine.

Winn estimates that within two months Molasses will have a tavern license (for beer and wine) [UPDATE 4/14: it has a liquor license!]. The shop is a nice alternative to pricey rare book shops and vintage retailers smattering north Brooklyn and beyond.

The space was formerly a barbershop, then briefly a painting studio before Molasses came in. Winn has spent about the last seven years in Bushwick — previously selling books on the street and working at a coffee shop. He studied literacy at the New School, so Molasses is a perfect amalgamation of his years here. The bookstore is the first in the neighborhood (in recent memory).

ARE THEY HIRING??
Though Winn has been working 13-hour days, six to seven days per week, he isn’t yet looking for employees or even volunteers [UPDATE: Winn no longer works 13 hour days, and he pays actual employees]. You should shoot your ideas his way, though – potential readings, zine and comics distribution, and foreign language books were all up for conversation.

CAN I BRING MY LAPTOP?
“Laptops are cool for now, just not at the bar,” Winn says [UPDATE 4/14: Laptops are cool at the bar now!]. He wants to keep Molasses a social and comfortable place for customers reading — it is a book store after all. High-ceilings and sunshine gleaming through the front windows breathes openness into this tiny but well-curated store that seats about 12-15 (with plenty of standing room). It has great work-space potential and a couple of tables to set up shop.

BOOK PRICES AND SELECTION
The average book is $1-10, and art books are $15-25. A lot of stuff is mint condition but comes from a second-hand seller, with very few antique gems that may cost a bit more. Customers will find loads of fiction covering one wall, and non-fiction, art, photography, and everything in between on the other side.

As for the buying and selling system, there isn’t an exact science just yet. You’ll get about a third of the resale value in cash, or a little more for trade or a tab at the bar. The value of selling the average book or two is about the same price as coffee.

When it comes to some treasured personal collection, it’s really all up for grabs at Molasses: “I’ve only kept things that were gifts, but for the most part I don’t have a home collection. I’ve had books that were less cool than what I was selling, so I thought ‘Why would I hold on to these shitty books if I’m selling nicer ones on the street?’ Nothing is off limits.”

MENU

Hot coffee $2/2.50

Iced coffee $2.75/3.25

Iced tea $2.75/3.25 (Moroccan mint/ Pekoe lemon peel)

Iced chocolate $2.75/3.25 [no longer available]

Update: Beers range from $3-$6, wine is $6

Drink prices include tax – book prices do not.

Oh, and bananas are 75 cents.

HOW TO SELL YOUR BOOKS HERE
“Whether or not there’s any retail value to the community” is the crucial element for selling books anywhere, but Winn laid out exactly what that means for his new Bushwick spot:

UPDATE: Winn tells us “All people need to know in terms of how to sell books is that they should bring anything in and we will go through it, if we can use it we will give roughly 30% of resale value– slightly more in trade and slightly less in cash.”

Molasses Books, 770 Hart St, Bushwick, is open 7 days a week from 8-8, with the exception of Monday, when it closes at noon. Dekalb or Myrtle Wyckoff L, or Knickerbocker M, or a myriad of buses