Small Press Bookstore Pops Up Along Gowanus Canal

by Katie Sharrow-Reabe

The future of the brick-and-mortar bookshop may just lie with the independent, the niche, and the nomadic. New York’s latest pop-up bookstore is Third Factory, hosted by Ugly Duckling Presse. The shop occupies a storefront in Gowanus’ Old American Can Factory for the month of February and hopefully even longer.

The shop features titles from independent poetry publisher Ugly Duckling Presse, as well as Archipelago Books, United Artists Books, Belladonna*, and Akashic Books. They are also accepting self-published titles and chapbooks on consignment.

In addition to selling rare titles and art prints, Ugly Duckling aims to cultivate a community space for lovers of small press publishing. The store will be staffed by the publisher’s editors as well as two artists-in-residence, Sarah Anne Wallen and Woody Leslie. Starting this week, Third Factory will host readings, performances, and other events, and every Saturday people gather to stitch chapbooks.

Chapbooks by Woody Leslie

The shop is the most recent of a string of literary ventures in the borough. Mellow Pages still keeps its doors open in Bushwick. The Newsstand had a short but sweet six-month run in the Lorimer-Metropolitan station. Hullabaloo Books boasts itself as the world’s smallest bookstore and Crown Heights’ largest.

Third Factory is located on 3rd Street, just east of the recently opened Whole Foods. It is open Thursday through Tuesday from 12–6 pm. Check Twitter (@udpbooks) to stay abreast of upcoming events.