3c hapter - Index of

112 Locavesting
and overfl owing, that table,” laughs Stockton- Bagnulo. “We have
to rotate things through to give everyone a moment.” They also
stock a large number of African American–interest books, interspersed
throughout the store. “Being small, we can turn on
a dime,” she says. When customers started asking about For Colored
Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, a play
and book that had just been made into a movie, the owners
ordered a big stack of them and placed them up front.
Greenlight’s children’s story time on weekends has become
a community affair for the area’s many young families, who linger
after the hour is over to chat with neighbors. It has become
so popular the store is adding another story hour. And like many
small businesses, Greenlight supports local charities and is actively
involved in the business improvement district.
The fi nancial support of the community, born out of necessity,
has only contributed to the success and special appeal of the store.
“They’ve become regular customers,” says Stockton- Bagnulo. “They
shop at the store now because it’s their store.”
That’s the case for Josh Rutner, a 29- year- old jazz musician
who lives in the neighborhood with his wife, Jen, a librarian. After
hearing about the efforts to raise money for the store on a local
blog, he invested $1,500. “Since I’ve lived in Fort Greene, it’s been
a dream to have an independent bookstore around the corner,”
says Rutner. “If they had set it up as a donation I would have given
the same, so the fact that I get my money back and all the perks
and discounts—it was an easy decision for me.” He regularly pops
in for events, like a recent talk by music critic Alex Ross, who had
just released a collection of essays called Listen to This. “I love the
community appeal of the store,” he says. “It’s a great addition to
the neighborhood.”
That spirit was on full display one brisk evening in mid- October
2010. Greenlight bookstore’s broad windows shined like a beacon
onto Fulton Street. The store was mobbed with regulars and wellwishers
gathered to celebrate its one- year birthday (the day before,
investors had their own celebration, where they were handed their
fi rst dividend checks). Champagne popped, toasts were made, and
a speech sent by best- selling author Gary Shteyngart was read by