BookCourt Customers Say Goodbye: 'It's Part of the Identity of the Neighborhood'

COBBLE HILL, BROOKLYN — When Cobble Hill resident Sarah Hendrickson was told that BookCourt will be closing on Dec. 31, she reacted with shock.

Hendrickson had just emerged with a bag of books in hand, as had her parents, David and Beth Hirzel, who were visiting from Massachusetts.

"We rely on them for all the children's birthday presents," Hendrickson said, adding that she had regularly shopped at BookCourt since moving to the area in 2002. "I think it's part of the identity of the neighborhood. Everyone I know who has authored a book had a reading here."

BookCourt owners Henry M. Zook and Mary B. Gannett weren't speaking to the press on Monday, but they did issue a statement explaining their decision to close (embedded below), as first reported by Gothamist.

"We want to thank our Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill neighbors for their loyal support," Zook and Gannett wrote. "It's important to note that in addition to your support, BookCourt was able to thrive through economic and industry turbulence because we invested in the neighborhood and the real estate which housed the bookstore. We could not have survived the challenges of rent increases, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon otherwise, and we are thankful that we were able to provide this community with an independent bookstore for many years."

In the note, Zook and Gannett seemed to suggest that they're not being pushed out, as they own BookCourt's 163 and 161 Court St. properties, according to Gothamist. Rather, they seem to be simply retiring from the business, which they opened in 1981.

"BookCourt has truly been a family business," the owners wrote. "Our accomplishments were supported by our parents (especially in the early years) and our children. Our son Zachary was BookCourt’s events manager and general manager through the crucial 2008 expansion, and in many ways he is responsible for solidifying our reputation and making the store what it is today. He dedicated his twenties to the store. As he moved on to other pursuits in 2014, we are now doing the same."

Outside, Hendrickson said that the store carried "just the books that you want," and wasn't weighed down by toys and other items. Her father David agreed, likening Barned & Noble to a Toys"R"Us.

"The whole vibe is human interface, human exchange, not just a transaction," he said of BookCourt, adding that he had just had an engaging conversation with a bookseller inside.

Hendrickson said she didn't know where she would shop for books now, but seemed happy to hear about a new independent neighborhood bookstore planned by author Emma Straub.

Until then, however, the pickings would be slim.

"Birthday presents will not be the same in this neighborhood," she said.

Pictured at top: BookCourt on Dec. 6, 2016. Photo by John V. Santore.