Little City Books Prepares for May Opening

On the corner of First Street and Bloomfield in Hoboken, New Jersey, Little City Books is coming to life. A joint project of Kate Jacobs, Donna Garban, and Emmanuelle Morgen, the bookshop will open on May 2, Independent Bookstore Day, with Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer on hand to cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Jacobs, Morgen, and Garban

“Hoboken really does need a bookstore and we realized that we’re not the only ones who think so because we’ve had a tremendous response from the community. It’s an obvious hole in the fabric of the town,” said Jacobs.

A local musician, Jacobs has long felt that, with the closing of Maxwell’s club in Hoboken, the city needed a cultural center and community venue. Garban, Jacobs’ longtime friend, is a former investment banker with a passion for owning a business, and Morgen, a literary agent at Stonesong, caught wind of their plan to open a bookstore and jumped in.

“There was a certain synergy with the three of us, with our skills and dynamic,” said Jacobs.

The bookstore is situated across from Hoboken’s City Hall, in a neighborhood of independent shops, including two French bakeries, an organic grocer, an organic makeup shop, and a music store.

“It’s a nice, bustling little intersection with tons of foot traffic,” said Jacobs. Little City is visible from Hoboken’s main strip, Washington Street, and is in the sightlines of Carlo’s Bakery, home of the reality TV series Cake Boss.

The 1,200-square-foot storefront was rented to them in good condition, said Jacobs, so the buildout, including hardwood floors, a new bathroom, and shelving, has been the biggest project, but one that their landlord has been helping with throughout.

Last month, the trio launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the buildout. The campaign, which has raised more than 50 percent of its fundraising goal, ends on April 19. Rewards for donors range from kombucha brewing and poker lessons to agent and editor critiques. Donors will also be given an invitation to the exclusive opening party on April 24, where they will have the opportunity to see the store and its offerings before the general public.

Little City’s inventory will cover a broad range of interests, with a hearty children’s section and non-book items including literary toys and stationery, but the owners are prepared to make adjustments based on how it performs when the store opens its doors. “I think we just have to wait and see what really moves here,” Jacobs said. “Hoboken is an interesting community that I think will reveal itself to us as we start to sell books.”

Initial meetings with publishers’ sales reps have been productive, she added, and the owners are about to place their first stock order this week. “We’ve been trying to create this opening order, which is a great combination of guesswork, passion about the things that you love that have to be there, and following trends,” said Jacobs. “It’s a great learning experience.”

Jacobs’ dream of having a venue for community events made great strides just this week, as the bookstore brought in sound and light contractors to polish up the event space. “It’s a high priority for us to have a nice event space for authors, for it to feel like a really professional and welcoming space,” said Jacobs. The store will host author readings and signings, play readings, poetry events, book clubs, and writing groups.

Little City Books will also benefit this year from a city revitalization campaign aiming to bring new businesses to First Street, where the bookstore is located. The rebranding of the street will include the installation of gardens, benches, and street lights to attract new shops, restaurants, and customers.