Downtown Huntington to once again have independent bookstore

An independent bookstore is returning to downtown Huntington.

The Next Chapter at 204 New York Ave. will have a soft opening Saturday after supporters spent more than a year fundraising and hunting for a new space.

The new store is just blocks from the Book Revue which shuttered in September 2021 after 44 years.

Mallory Braun, the former rare book manager at Book Revue who led the charge to keep a bookstore in the downtown, said she is ready to get started in her newest chapter.

“I’m glad to have a good place, I’m glad to have a really good team,” she said.

The new location was home at one point to Harbor Beverage Merchants. Braun said it’s a five-minute walk north of the former Book Revue site. There is a parking lot and free street parking, she said.

The opening will only be for the main retail area, Braun said. Other parts of the building are still under construction and will be open shortly with lots of things to look forward to.

“It has skylights,” she said. “It’s a sizable space so it’s good for a lot of shopping and browsing and people will be able to spend some time here.”

Braun said there is also an outdoor space that can be used for events.

Her efforts to find a new space began with a fundraising campaign that eventually raised $257,000.   

It was the right decision she said to pick up where the Book Revue left off.

“Bookstores are important and there was a lot of community desire for one,” she said. “I believe it’s important to have a place outside home and work where you can go and disconnect from your phone and meet people and to learn something you didn’t expect to learn.”

Store hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

Starting Saturday the phone number will be 631-482-5008.