Photos and interview by Stacie Joy
Signage arrived Monday for Rabbit Books and Bar, the incoming business at 170 Avenue A on the corner of 11th Street. (We first reported on this here.)
Yesterday, owners Marianna Vaidman Stone and her daughter, Emily Samara Stone, discussed the community's response to the project, addressed questions about the bookstore-bar-cafe concept, and said they remain on track for a mid-July opening.
What has the response been like in the community and from the neighborhood?
Marianna Vaidman Stone: It’s been so delightful! It really has been so delightful. We feel welcomed to the neighborhood. When we were out there [on Monday] putting up the posters, so many people stopped to say hello, to say how excited they were to meet us. And some of them had already been aware of us from social media.
It's been really nice, a wonderful welcome, and we're excited about the welcome we've gotten.
Emily Samara Stone: People are excited about the concept itself. We got quite a few "we're so happy that it's a family business that's coming in here," like a mom-and-pop or mom and daughter. [laughs] People have been super welcoming.
Has anyone reached out from Barnes & Noble [opening across Avenue A in November]?
Emily: No.
Do you think they might?
Marianna: No. I don't expect them to.
Emily: They're pretty big.
Marianna: Right. I don't know if we're on their radar, but even if we were, I imagine their view would be, ‘we're doing our thing.’ And our view is we're doing our thing, and we're going to continue to do our thing. Presumably, they're going to continue to do their thing.
Emily: Hopefully, there'll be more reaching out when they're closer to opening.
Marianna: Yeah, they're still a ways away from even their anticipated opening date.
What would you say to the people who are concerned, is this a bar or is it a bookstore?
Marianna: We would say that this concept, at its heart, is a bookstore. We have always conceived of the food and drink as a way to help people have the book experience.
I know that this neighborhood has faced, in the past, places that claim to be one thing and then turn louder and more boisterous.
My childhood dream was a bookstore. I'm pretty quiet…we're both quiet. I have always looked for a place where I can talk to my friends, and I want that to be this place.
I'm not in it to maximize the return on the people walking by this corner. I'm really in it to make a community space, a lovely space for conversation. And to some extent, other people have no reason to trust me, per se; they don't know me yet. But I think once they get to know us, they'll hopefully come around and see that we are good-faith operators and are presenting a good-faith picture of our plans that we're committed to.
Emily: I also, in that vein, want to be clear that it is really both a bookstore and a bar. And we hear concerns about the density of nightlife in this area. But the answer to that isn't "Footloose."
One of our answers to that is a slightly quieter alternative where you can hear your friends, talk about books, and have a glass of wine. We're not pretending that that's not true.
How are things with the targeted opening date?
Marianna: We're still aiming for mid-July, and so far, we're sticking to it!
Updated:
A look at the storefront with the awning in place...
