Category: | Book Store |
Address: | 126 Crosby St, New York, NY 10012, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-334-3324 |
Site: | housingworksbookstore.org |
Rating: | 4.6 |
Working: | 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM |
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Lindsay
My husband and I traveled to NYC late July 2017 and stayed in SoHo. As there are few public restrooms, we walked to Crosby street from Broadway to use the restrooms in this bookstore. There were serveral tables of customers. We had to wait in line for the restroom for several minutes, as there were several homeless people using the bathrooms to get ready. While I was in the restroom during my turn, a woman started banging relentlessly on the door. My husband told her twice that there was someone in there. When I came out of the door, she pushed past me into the single stall. I could tell immediately that she was on drugs. We left the store, continuing down the sidewalk and a few minutes later this crazed 61 woman came chasing, yelling after me on the sidewalk claiming I stole her money. I was clearly a tourist and as she punched me in the back of the head, then tried to pull me down by my hair, I started screaming for help. I yelled that I was a tourist, for someone to please help me, that I didnt know this woman, all while shes trying to get around my husband to kill me. Literally, she was crazed, intensely focused on getting to me, yelling that she would kill me. Construction workers nearby didnt step in to help, passersby didnt help. I finally ran terrified into a small restaurant nearby, she chased me in, with husband standing between us, where three off-duty traffic cops called NYPD and forced her outside. She kept trying to come back at me. Four NYPD officers came and while bystanders were videoing with their cellphones instead of helping (!), they took her away. The cops told me that that specific block is very dangerous and that there is a metthodone clinic right next to the coffee shop/book store. I also found an article about this, warning of the dangers here, but only one article. The coffee shop isnt itself bad, but my assault happened in the middle of the day and the cops said tourists should never go to that area. Not to offend what theyre trying to do, but I couldve lost my life (if it werent for my husband and then finally, traffic cops being there) and nobody was helping. The cops seemed to suggest this wasnt uncommon there and indeed, the article I read says murder and muggings in this exact area are common. Be very careful.
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Isaac Bush
Are you having a meeting? Avoid the cafe. We have historically enjoyed the cafe at Housing Works in the past, however we had a very unpleasant experience today. We thought to call ahead for our group of six to reserve a table, thinking it would help the establishment with allocation of space. We ordered drinks throughout our two hour stay, then half of our group elected to buy lunch. During that time a manager, older gentleman with glasses, explained that we needed to vacate our table so that others could use the table. Upon returning with food 10 minutes later, he again stopped by to inform us that we needed to leave as soon as our meals were finished. This was so that the "look" of the cafe could maintain itself to be a space without groups. I am part of a production company that has continued to support HS and its mission, but was very unsettled and dismayed at our treatment today. Not only were his comments superficial and inhospitable, but they were also unjustified and rude. There was loads of space within the cafe, and the space that was taken up were by individuals on their computers, without having made any purchases. Our meeting was especially quiet, tucked away, without disrupting anyone, and sensitive to the volume of the cafe during our hours of attendance. We would like to be back, but unfortunately will not due to a real lack of heart but a healthy amount of rudeness by the manager. Its a shame this wasnt the hospitable experience that we had previously felt with Housing Works.
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K Tempest Bradford
I love Housing Works as a bookstore. Ive found many wonderful volumes here for a low price, and you cant beat the cause. Ever since Ive been whining about needing new and different places to write, many people have suggested the cafe here as a suitable place. I was skeptical because, in my times visiting here, I did see tables and chairs, but not much near a wall where outlets might reside or even people working on laptops. I saw it as more a place to sit and drink coffee and eat a scone before buying more books. Still, I heard that the place had free wifi, so I decided to give it a closer look. Yes, the wifi is real, which is good, and there are a few tables by some outlets. Though I talked to an employee and he informed me that they dont encourage people to plug in and they wish you wouldnt. So I can only give the cafe 3 stars though the bookstore gets 5. Split the diff and call it 4. I could see myself popping in here for some solitary writing. Maybe if I was heading to or coming from an event in the area or waiting for a friend. It just wouldnt be a destination.
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Angie Castells
Si te gustan las librerías de segunda mano hasta arriba de libros de todo tipo, Housing Works es tu lugar. No es muy grande, pero está atestada de libros distribuidos en dos pisos. Unas preciosas escaleras dan acceso a la planta superior, y las paredes de madera dan un aire muy acogedor al local. Al fondo hay una pequeña cafetería y unas cuantas mesas, perfectas para leer. Los precios van desde $1 hasta unos $15 por libro. Los beneficios se destinan a la lucha contra el sida y a programas para personas sin hogar.
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Ming De
I love this place and find myself popping in here even if only for a few minutes if Im near. The simple way to start off is to call it as it is--a great reasonably priced used bookshop. Its also a reasonably priced cafe (with alcohol). Youre not going to get anything crazy fancy here, but its solid for sipping and flipping pages of great reads. Ive also asked to share tables with people when it gets busy and have met some great folks. They have some light food fare that can also tie ya down for a bit (though I do love going to the Soho Halal Cart down the street). Most importantly, all their profits go to a good cause--helping folks in the NYC area with AIDS. They also have a schedule of events they out on during the evenings, "The Moth" Story Slams anyone?! Feel free to grab a gratis condom or two on your way out. Play it safe NYC!
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Lisa Read
This is a great little bookstore. The best part about this bookstore is that it’s tucked away in a quiet block in Soho (for Manhattan standards). The bookstore is welcoming and the dark wood makes you wander through the books even longer. There’s also a small café in the back corner and the staff is usually helpful and allows one to easily browse. I was lucky enough to also check this place out over the summer at my friends’ wedding. They picked this place to not only have the ceremony, but to hold the reception. The wedding was beautiful and the food served up was impressive! There was just so much delicious food, from the appetizers to the dessert course (which was a huge stack of gourmet cheeses!). Not only was the wedding gorgeous, but the venue was equally lovely.