Terrace Books

Great personalized service from people who love books and are passionate about great reads. Very friendly service, great selection of Terrace books and a carefully curated selection of books for adults too.

I love the modest size of Terrace Books. I walk by often, and can always justify a quick tour through its shelves. Because it’s so well-​curated, nearly every visit is rewarded with a new discovery. I avoid the online giant, and order all my books here.

Wonderful bookstore.
The incredibly sweet staff will help you find whatever you need and will order it if they don’t carry it.

One of the bookstore’s employees is apparently an avid reader of young adult fiction and discovered «Vango», which was on their shelf during Xmas, which I bought for my 11 year old nephew. He devoured it and ordered the follow-​up book. I imagine it being better than the Percy Jackson and similar genre books he was reading… Anyway, I asked for another recommendation from the same employee and am confident he’ll appreciate it as well. This is my go-​to place for more reading recommendations for my nephew!

Yes, it is small. But they use the space very well and carry absolutely the best variety of new and used titles I have seen in a small local bookstore. Babbos was also great. I miss the owner and her cat. My son loves story time on Sundays and I try to buy something each time I bring him. I want places like this in the neighborhood and I know how difficult it must be to stay in business. What is the profit margin on retail books? 5%? The place is about 500 sq/​ft and in a very desirable retail location so they must be leasing it for at least 5000/​month, maybe a lot more… At least two full time employees, there’s another couple of grand a month… I need to start buying more books to keep this place in business!
Tip– At the time of this writing they offer a frequent buyer program whereby they give a $ 10 discount for every $ 100 you spend. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I have special ordered titles and they arrive quickly and I get a call to pick the titles up.
***I wish I could order online and pick books up at the store. Surely there must be a way for them to integrate this service?***

Most of these reviews are outdated. The store has changed a lot in the past year.
The people in the store are extremely nice for the most part and they are trying really hard to keep their customers happy.
I miss Babbo’s for a multitude of reasons, only one of which is the great selection of used books. It had a broad based community thing going. When the new owners took over, they at first said they would continue to take used books, etc. Then they said they would open a sister store, selling used books.
I’m feeling a little used myself at this point. It’s not so much the lack of used books, though that is a bit of a concern. More troubling is the abandoning of the promises to continue some of the best features of Babbo’s and their disregard for the needs of the actual local population. So the great ambiance and the «great finds» referred to in earlier reviews just aren’t there anymore.
Each time I go in there it looks a little more like a tiny store making a big effort to snag some imaginary upscale clientele. Too bad, it used to be on my list of favorite spots. I just hope this community deprivation results in some profits for this store so our loss is for a good cause.
Or, hey, maybe the new owner could get some hints from other businesses who are thriving while supplying the needs of the (still) diverse demographic in this area.

This is a nice looking bookstore (although a bit cramped due to the narrowness of the space) and I always try to patronize indie bookstores.
However, I walked out tonight without buying any books after overhearing the incredibly snooty guy behind the counter (he might have been the owner but I cannot say) run down the previous owner of the bookstore. What a snob!!! He went out of his way to condemn the previous owner because she kept a cat in the store and, in his mind, was dirty. «People think we bought new shelves, but we just cleaned them,» he sniffed with a self-​satisfied air.
He left such a bad taste in my mouth that I fled in disgust. I’ll patronize Powerhouse on 8^th instead, an indie store closer to my house. (BTW, the previous owner of the bookstore where Terrace Books now stands, was a nice woman trying to do her best. The store may have been a little rag-​tag but she was not an elitist snob!)

Small
Bookstore
with new and
Used selections.
Also sells cards. Friendly staff for searching.

Great addition to the neighborhood. Great selection of used books, as well as new copies of recently published «hits.» They also have new copies of kids books.
I actually mostly use them to order books. If I place the order on a Sunday, it typically arrives on Tuesday! I am a member of the frequent-​buyer club, which gets me $ 10 off every $ 100 spent (I think). The staff are so helpful, and I’ve had interesting conversations with them about what they’re reading. Just LOVE this place.

Love having this bookstore in the neighborhood. If they don’t have what you are seeking they can get it from the Community Bookstore. Very knowledgeable and nice.

I love everything about this place! Friendly and helpful staff, and the used books are sold at great prices!
Just give yourself time to look through the shelves and you’ll find a treasure!

I’ve been a long-​time patron of Community Bookstore (which offers excellent readings, great staff selection and service, a friendly resident cat with a Twitter following, and effective publicity for events both in the store and Borough-​wide) and was thrilled to learn that the owners would be opening a sister shop specializing in used books and «out of print editions, old editions with cool covers, oddities, etc.»
My English professor friend and I were very pleased to have stumbled upon some rare first editions and limited print editions with stunning cover designs and illustrations (available at reasonable prices because slightly flawed), discovered works of whose existence we were hitherto unaware written by some of our favorite authors, and received excellent and friendly service. For example, after ringing up my order, the staff member pointed me to a pamphlet from a quirky rare bookseller whose philosophy seems akin to that of Terrace Books and which really resonated with me:
«Honey & Wax Booksellers offers great works of literature: rare first printings, beautiful and curious editions, copies with surprising stories of their own. We handle unique books, striking books, books with no downloadable equivalent. Our name is inspired by a nineteenth-​century epigram: „use books as bees use flowers.“ We like to see books, like flowers, in the field: on nightstands, in backpacks, given to friends, shared with children, passed across the bar at last call. And we like to hear readers buzzing: ‘You have to read this.’ ‘I marked a page.’ ‘This made me think of you.’ Don’t be afraid to open our books, don’t lock them away for safekeeping. Use books as bees use flowers, and pollinate the world.’»
Terrace Books also contains a well-​curated children’s section, which is de rigueur for this area, which I’ve dubbed «Mr. Roger’ s Neighborhood.» Quite a few families in fact stopped in during my extended perusal.
Terrace Books is exactly the kind of shop – ripe for serendipitous, singular findings, in tune with its environs, and proffering individualized customer service – which should remind everyone to support their local, independent book stores and not let Amazon bots insidiously, albeit cheaply, dictate one’s selections. My friend and I were immensely pleased with our rare finds and will savor them for decades. I know that I will be stopping in to browse here early and often, and I highly recommend that others do go and make their visit.

The owners are wonderful and it is so hard to find a small, locally owned bookstore anymore, with interesting stock. However, the blonde woman, whom also is the creator of the beautiful cards sold in the store, is as unfriendly, rude and ungrateful as a person can be. She is also terrible at customer service, particularly if she is the first person you encounter at the front. Too bad, since this turns customers away.

Terrace Books has taken up where Babbo’s left off, at the same spot in Windsor Terrace! They continue to buy back and sell used books.
Since the new owners also run the Community Bookstore of Park Slope, it’s no surprise they’re already engaging with the community. Terrace Books was a stop on the inaugural Morley Walk for Brooklyn readers in August.