Once upon a time a girl from the Bronx had big dreams of opening an independent bookstore/wine bar right here at home
         It would be the only indie bookstore in the entire borough–home to 1.4 million people and 10 colleges And it would be called The Lit. Bar…

Read the full poem The Bronx is Burning with Desire to Read here.

Noëlle Santos, Proprietress

In October 2014, Bronx native and resident, Noëlle Santos, joined over 3,000 protesters to save the only existing bookstore in the borough, Barnes & Noble, from displacement. This effort by Bronx readers galvanized property owners to extend the chains store’s lease through 2016; however, the future of Barnes & Noble’s Bay Plaza location beyond this year is uncertain. Through this initiative, Noëlle discovered that the Bronx would remain grossly underserved even if the northeast bookstore was allowed to renew its lease; recognizing an opportunity to create a sustainable, more accessible bookshop, that addresses the shortcomings of big-box stores: reflecting and serving the unique needs of the communities they operate in.

Update 12/31/16- Barnes & Noble closed its doors, leaving the Bronx without one bookstore.

Update: On April 27, 2019, National Independent Bookstore Day, The Lit. Bar opens the doors to its permanent location in Mott Haven.