12/6/2016
By Ivan Pereira
A beloved Brooklyn bookstore has reached its final chapter.
The owners of BookCourt announced they will be closing their Cobble Hill shop on New Year’s Eve after 35 years in business.
Henry Zook and Mary B. Gannett thanked their loyal customers. “Against many odds, BookCourt grew and flourished in a time when many independent bookstores closed,” they wrote.
The couple opened the store at 163 Court St. in 1981 when they were 27.
They expanded the store in 1996, when it grew into 161 Court St., and in 2008, when their son Zachary took over the management of the store and created the “greenhouse” event space.
Over the years, the store was host to author panel discussions and book release parties, like its famous Harry Potter midnight release events.
“BookCourt was able to thrive through economic and industry turbulence because we invested in the neighborhood and the real estate which housed the bookstore,” Zook and Gannett wrote.
Fans expressed their shock and favorite memories of the store on social media.
“I want @BookCourt closing to be Fake News. Right, this isn’t happening,” tweeted Lisa Wood Shapiro.
Michael Driscoll, an editor for The Wall Street Journal, tweeted about how the store changed his life.
“My 1st job in N.Y. was @BookCourt. Owner later offered to help me find a job in publishing. I’d be a B&N clerk today if not for him. Thanks,” he tweeted.
The owners urged fans to keep reading and shopping at local independent bookstores. “While bookstores do close for various reasons, we want to remind you that many more are flourishing and your support is vital to their success,” they wrote.
