by Arden Gray, 3RP Lead Editor

Perched on the corner of Church Ave and East 8th St, sits Lofty Pigeon Books, an independent bookstore that opened its doors to the public in August 2023. Lovingly created by its founders Briana and Davi, who both share a passion for books, Lofty Pigeon Books fulfills their desire to create the perfect community-oriented space, much needed after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Briana, a former editor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Davi, a longtime bookseller, met working at The Corner Bookstore fifteen years ago, where they shared their aspirations of creating their own bookstore. They felt an urgent need to establish a community-oriented bookstore to bring people back together after the isolation of the three-year lockdown. They chose the Brooklyn neighborhood of Kennsington, near Briana’s childhood home, populated with friends and family. The pair decided on their location due to the abundance of local small businesses, a passionate literary community, and the absence of a bookstore. Briana and Davi waited to find the perfect space. They wanted to do it right and build something lasting. Their perfect building was found in March of 2023 ⎯ they leased a space on Church Ave and the sprint to a September opening was on, beginning with launching their Kickstarter and constructing the cozy space of the storefront. 

“It was a moment of commitment, digging in our heels to being in New York, and to being part of the community: to contributing to it, to building something for and with it.” –Briana 

With their grand opening on September 9th, 2023, Lofty Pigeon Books quickly became a staple of the community Briana and Davi wanted to build. The first thing they did was send a survey to the neighborhood, asking for input on what locals wanted in a bookstore, which shaped the space from its infancy. They designed the storefront to be a welcoming and restful place for people, something often lacking within New York City. The space has multiple seating areas for patrons to sit and stay for a while, including a special children’s area lined with a variety of books for young readers. Lofty Pigeon Books is also fully accessible, the bathroom is open to the public with a changing table, and there is an outdoor space for people to read and eat among the potted plants. Rather than quickly conduct a transaction, Briana and Davi instead aim to invite the community in and encourage them to use the space in whatever way is helpful for them. 

Lofty Pigeon Books is very community-oriented in multiple ways. One of its key features is highlighting local authors and artists. They have a shelf dedicated to authors from the immediate neighborhood. This also extends to local artistry. Artist creations range from stationary and prints to crochet plushies of their feathered namesake. The store also hosts many different events, often having book launches and readings from local authors, but also school visits, story time hours, and book clubs. Together, Briana and Davi plan events to make people excited, showcase their talents, and feel heard on a platform that connects them with their community. Without the backing and support of their community, Lofty Pigeon Books would not be what it is today, and their events have been met with overwhelming positive feedback and support. 

“Children are really the lifeblood of, honestly, the whole project. We wanted to encourage literacy at a young age, encouraging reading and comfort in this kind of environment.” -Davi

One of the core beliefs of Lofty Pigeon Books is customer service. Davi often spends his days off perusing catalogs to make sure each book in their collection is deliberately chosen with care. The owners and their employees provide a friendly atmosphere, offering expert knowledge of their books and working with customers to find or discover the book they need. But if patrons just want to quietly peruse the extensive collection, they can take their time without disruption.

The collection is varied in many ways. Briana and Davi wanted to highlight diverse perspectives not just among contemporary books, but classics as well. They make a point to not only have the big-name books that everyone’s looking for but also put lesser-known books that people would not expect to see right beside them. There’s a shelf with featured books that the owners want to highlight such as the Filipino American History month display created by one of their workers. While the inventory is ever changing, both Briana and Davi have their own tastes. Briana stocks much of the romance and fantasy novels, whereas Davi focuses on the nonfiction books that match his interest in science, nature, and travel. Briana noted that they’re always working to find a balance between having a little bit of everything and pursuing passions to foster connection and growth.

“The inventory is constantly changing, and it’s a reflection of the neighborhood and a conversation with its people.” -Davi

On September 7th, 2024, Lofty Pigeon Books celebrated its one-year anniversary with a party for their community. Over the past year, Briana and Davi have had many reasons to celebrate, taking the time to feel proud of the little moments as they constantly grow with the store. They feel rewarded with each moment a patron finds the perfect book or when a kid exclaims “Lofty Pigeon is my favorite store!”; These moments solidify the specialness they set out to create. 

Briana and Davi are also proud of the business accomplishments they have made, now that the store is solidly cemented in its place. While they feel they have achieved their goal for the store, they are always looking to continue exceeding their goals by planning more community outreach and events, such as open mics nights, which began on November 8th. 

Their hopes for the future of Lofty Pigeon Books are very modest. They want to focus on the community and sustainability of the store and keep the passion and joy they have fostered in their goal of becoming a neighborhood institution that people can rely on. Though if they had to pick an aspiration, it would be to end up in a NYC guidebook and eventually become the spot for the perfect book lovers’ proposal. Afterall, the beautiful mural outside the store would make for a unique backdrop.

“So many little moments add up, it’s so gratifying we’re doing what we set out to do […] We’re really in this for the long haul and we want to be here for as long as possible.” -Briana