Rabbit Books and Bar ready for its grand opening on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Rabbit Books and Bar is set for its grand opening Saturday (tomorrow!) at 8 a.m. at 170 Avenue A on the southeast corner of 11th Street. 

The mother-daughter-owned bookstore and bar comes from Marianna Vaidman Stone and her daughter, Emily Samara Stone, who previously told us they envisioned the space as a neighborhood gathering place inspired in part by Parisian book cafes.

We stopped by for a sneak peek as the team was putting the finishing touches on the space — installing signage, setting up the bar, unpacking boxes, and even doing a dry run of the ribbon-cutting.

The finished space is inviting, with an elegant palette of jewel tones and plenty of tucked-away nooks with tufted banquette seating where you can settle in with a book. (You'll forget this was previously a 7-Eleven.)

The shelves include the expected categories — sci-fi, international fiction and romance among them — alongside some less conventional ones: "books too big to fit on our other shelves," "not for kids" kids' books, "blind date with a book" and "cats of Tokyo."

There are literary touches throughout, including a bathroom hidden behind a bookshelf door and all-gender restrooms wallpapered with pages from books.

The bar will serve wine, beer, frozen rosé, coffee, tea, sodas and sparkling waters. There's also an option to assemble a mix-and-match plate with items such as olives, dried fruit, chips and dips. 

And for kids (or the kid in all of us?), there are Lunchables and Uncrustables. Pastries and other selections will also be available.

Rabbit will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, with grand-opening activities throughout the day. (Find updates on Instagram.) 

The owners are also launching their Founding Readers program. Anyone who visits on Saturday can sign up to become a Founding Reader, which will include access to exclusive offers in the years ahead.