Housing Works Bookstore Café

It’s an oasis from the harried streets of NYC. The name says it all — it’s a bookstore (for used tomes) and a peaceful café with plentiful seating; they even offer beers. There are carts of books ranging from $ 1 each to shelves lined with various titles at around $ 10 per book. The selection is interesting, though sometimes the order in which the books are shelved is a bit haphazard, so if you’re looking for something specific, the staff may not know if they have it. The wifi works well and there are two bathroom. Also, it is a charity that benefits people affected by diseased including AIDS, which is a plus.

I cannot say enough good things about the Housing Works Bookstore Café and the Works Catering. We got married here in April and the everything — from initial consultation to planning meetings to the night of the event — was flawless. The food and service were impeccable, combing for a perfect evening. Our guests couldn’t stop telling us how much the venue and service exceeded their expectations, and we of course were so pleased with just being able to enjoy our night. Amanda, Josh and the staff are incredibly good at what they do. The cherry on top is that the proceeds go to support an essential NYC nonprofit instead of the wedding industrial complex. Check out Housing Works — you’ll be glad you did!

Such a nice store in the city!!! A lot of wonderful finds that all go to reducing New York City’s homelessness and AIDS. Since all the books are used they are at a reasonable price and the staff here are very helpful! Some of these books are first additions and the staff is more than happy to teach you about them should you ask. Feel free to ask questions– A very welcoming place!

This is definitely one of my favorite places in NYC (also a great place to volunteer)! The book selection is choice, great prices, great food & coffee, and a friendly staff. I love coming here to read and relax. Also, proceeds go towards homeless & AIDS research! They also own a really cool thrift store right next door that’s worth checking out!

This is an amazing bookstore — they also have DVDs, CDs, and records. I found a few DVDs I’d been meaning to pickup here and also got a great discount on all of them because they were running a sale. All proceeds go to charity as well. Some of their intellectual sections (e.g. philosophy and psychology) are a bit lackluster, but they have a wide variety of the basics (e.g. Descartes, Kant, Freud, CBT, etc.). Their fiction section is massive as is their kids books and music section. Highly recommend checking this place out.

Excellent place that I will be frequenting for the rest of my time here in the LES. It’s a very nice bookstore where all of the workers (and I do mean all) are so kindhearted and cheery. They are very willing to help you find things throughout the bookstore. On this day, I brought my book from home, ordered a tea and bagel from the café (nothing too fancy) and sat on the second floor terrace. The ambience is perfect for leisure reading! Also, this store donates proceeds to HIV/​AIDS campaigns, so that’s super rad also.

Amazing books at a discount with proceeds going toward the homeless and AIDS research? Sign me up! Absolutely loved this bookstore the minute
I walked in; Loved the ladders that reached the top of the shelves, the café in the back that served hot food and drinks, and the ample sitting space to read your book in peace. The layout actually reminded me of the bookstore from Beauty and the Beast! Such a charming spot and its right by the D. And the best part is that its not too crowded.

One of my favorite places in the city. Should be your’s, too, because:
— Regularly updated selection of books neatly organized by category, ex. philisophy, lgbt, history, books for $ 1 (!)
— Beer and wine served at the café
— plenty of tables and open space
— free condoms at the front
— proceeds go towards a non-​profit addressing homelessness and hiv
only thing is that there are no charging outlets.

This is my favorite place to go to read, study, relax, and daydream.
Hands down, this is my favorite café to recommend and meet up with people. It does get crowded, but with its popularity, it won’t calm down anytime soon.
They do a lot of little events and it is very nice, they don’t have outlets, they do, but you can’t use them. The wifi is fine, but very weak due to the traffic and the drinks are fine.
The books are nice and fun to read while you drink.

Got married here last week and the experience from start to finish was INCREDIBLE. Amanda helps you plan and map out your event and Josh works his magic the night of to ensure top service. I don’t have adequate words to express how wonderful the venue, the event planners and The Works Catering team are!
The venue is magic. Honestly, it surpassed every expectation I had. With books, hanging lights, and candles everywhere, it is a very romantic and authentic New York experience. Every single guest was raving. And the food was AWESOME.
Best part? The proceeds of the event go to support the fantastic Housing Works charity that supports New Yorkers battling with HIV/​AIDS and homelessness.
If you are considering this venue for your wedding or event, do it! You will be so happy! Best night of my life!

I am a fan of both bookstores and coffee and this place is one in the same. I was a first time customer to Housing Works Bookstore Café and left excited to come back.
The bookstore boasted great prices on used books. To which I’d have to agree. I got a barely used copy of ‘The Girl With The Pearl Earring’ by Tracy Chevalier for six dollars. Huzzah!
After waiting in line for a lot longer than I would have liked I received a delicious almond milk surprise latte. I sat in their adorable seating area and drank my latte and marveled at the amount of books they had. Though their gardening section was a little lacking, their atmosphere wasn’t. Who doesn’t love a rolling bookshelf ladder? I know I do.
They also were hosting an event with an author and online blogger later that evening and were polite and clear when telling everyone seated that they would be moving the tables in preparation. Thank you for the heads up. And thank you for the good experience.
I will be visiting again.

good place for books, and probably good for hosting events. but downstairs is too loud for casual reading.
the seats on the second floor are quieter, however sometime into my reading they said they have a private event coming so we all have to clear the table, sad.
also the baristas was kinda rude when I ask what’s the filling of the puff pastry.

My checklist for great bookstores always includes two things: 1) Have a great atmosphere and 2) Have a great selection for browsing. All of my favorite bookstores are places where you can magically and serendipitously find a new and interesting book, and then buy it and read it for hours in a warm, cozy environment. On this front, Housing Works knocks it out of the park. Add in the fact that everything goes toward a great cause (supporting those affected by HIV/​AIDS), and you’ve got a fantastic establishment.
We picked Housing Works a pit stop on a busy tourist day in NYC, and boy were we not disappointed. My partner and I both selected a book to read (I: Ted Kennedy’s autobiography and she: A woman’s guide to weightlifting) and enmeshed ourselves in the books while sitting at the café and drinking coffee. What was supposed to be just a short stop to rest our feet ended up being a much longer pitstop as we got caught up in reading and in the atmosphere!
The store’s layout is part of its charm, with an open-​air warehouse feeling and spiral staircases to the second floor balcony. It’s kind of like how you imagine the old library of some famous stuffy university, except cooler and hipper. The back area has tables for food and drink, but be warned that none of the power outlets work.
One last note: the book prices are surprisingly cheap! I would’ve supported what they were doing anyway, but it’s especially refreshing to be able to get a book that I had always wanted to read for cheaper than Amazon!
Overall, I can’t say enough good things about Housing Works. If you’re in SoHo, make it part of your day to drop by and see what they’re up to!

I can see why people love this place. Adorable, cozy space. Café serving coffee and food. Seating perfect for studying. I’d definitely come hang out here during a rainy day or if I need some place to work/​study from for a short time (didn’t notice very many outlets, if any at all).
I wasn’t super impressed with their book selection, however, particularly the ‘Travel’ section. But, understandably, because it’s a used bookstore, the selection changes constantly depending on their supply. I think it’s a great place to come if you’re not looking for anything too specific (outside of major titles, classics, etc.) and in the mood to peruse — otherwise you may not find what you’re looking.

great atmosphere

If you are looking for a coffee shop to work in or read a book in, come here! I love that the money goes to a good cause. It makes you feel less guilty if you are just looking to spend an afternoon by yourself.
It is spacious and there are tables scattered on both levels, so you can walk around until you find a seat. Of course it gets crowded, but there are definitely more seats than a normal coffee shop.
I also like the selection of books because there are so many random reads here. You can browse by section, and all of the books are used. I stumbled upon a $ 1 copy of Snow by Orhan Pamuk! I had wanted to read this book, so it felt like serendipity that I found it on a cart here.
Overall, highly recommend! After you’re done, pop in the housing works thrift store next door.

Spacious seating place which makes you feel like you’re in library in the middle of SoHo. Good options for books and coffee too.

Great spot. Heart definitely is in the right place. Delicious croissant but coffee… Not really a big fan. Maybe it’s just me. But still, will come back for the nostalgic atmosphere there!

The reason to go here is a great place to work/​read, great atmosphere, and know that it benefits others. The coffee is okay — not bad but not great. The place itself looks awesome — a bookstore with a sore of antique feel and character, and plenty of places to sit and read. Plus it’s got free wifi. The only downside, which others have mentioned is no outlets. However, if that’s the worst thing, it’s got to be a great place. The last thing I really like is that after staying there for a couple hours I didn’t smell like coffee.

Really like the atmosphere and supporting a solid cause with my coffee and tea purchases. Music is at a reasonable level. Other patrons are respectful. Nice spot.
Food looks ehh.
Would be the perfect place to do some work, but they don’t offer power. Lots of outlets, but they don’t work. So, I wouldn’t come here again to do work…

Really cool old bookstore atmosphere. I found items pricy. I had to keep reminding myself it is for a good cause.
I can enjoy looking around in here. They have the café too. It’s been a while since I’ve visited!
Go take a look if you like books. Tell me what you think!

I’d been here a couple times while in college, and always liked it. So while housesitting for a friend in SoHo I headed back. Unfortunately I found that it wasn’t quite as great as I remembered. The atmosphere is cool, don’t get me wrong, and take my review as just for my café experience, because I wasn’t there to browse this time.
I came here to get a little work done and have a light lunch, also because Unilocal said ‘Vegetarians go nuts for this spot” and Cups said «Vegan friendly». Not sure why on either account because the only veggie option they had was a veggie sandwich which was SAD. Probably the worst veggie panini I’ve had at a café in a while. One wilted and old piece of lettuce on each half, weird mushrooms, mushy and pretty tasteless. Slimey eggplant. The For $ 7. And the bread was mushy too, not crunchy like a panini should be. It seemed like they just microwaved it. The coffee was pretty decent though, and they had almond milk, which is always nice.
Then there’s your surroundings. Again, cool, floor to ceiling bookshelves, it looks great. Doesn’t sound too great if you’re trying to get a little piece and quite. Of course I don’t expect cafes to be library quiet, but it was so incredibly loud it was distracting. A big study group was there that didn’t seem to be studying at all, just yelling and gossiping. I don’t even think any of them had bought anything, except one. The guy next to me was playing loud video games on his phone. Too add icing on the cake (though I know this isn’t their fault), someone needed medical attention in the bathroom and the paramedics came (he was ok). More commotion. It was practically like a scene out of a movie. I left, still hungry, no work done, mildly caffeinated, and more than a little annoyed.
Again, if you’re looking for a place to hang out and talk or browse, and just get a coffee and no food, Housing Works could probably be ok. I like the idea behind it. But I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon.

I’m in town visiting my very studious hard-​working friend and we went here for her to finish an essay while I read An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. Lovely atmosphere. Quirky guys that work in the café. I loved the layout of the bookstore and if I was a local I would return here quite often.
Portland/​Vancouver (where I live) is KNOWN for amazing bookstores and cafes — especially Powell’s. But there’s just something incomparable about rubbing elbows with busy New Yorkers in a little cozy bookstore.

This hits all the positives. It’s a great used bookstore, profits go to a good cause, it ha
s a nice café and it is located in a stunning space. Fine place to spend an afternoon. I especially like their shelf of five dollar «uncorrected page proofs» of upcoming books. There’s always the hope of an unexpected find.

I attended a wedding at the Housing Works Bookstore Café. I don’t know what was cooler, reuniting with my friends in SoHo for a magical bookstore wedding or knowing that 100% of the profits from the event went to help the homeless and those affected by HIV/​AIDS in New York. It was a terrific venue.
The Housing Works is a non-​profit that operates this bookstore café, thrift shops, and an advocacy office in New York City. Its staff is almost all volunteers. In addition to books, the bookstore sells CDs, DVDs, and vintage LPs, all of which have been donated and are in good condition. The café is located in the back of the store.
Some of my friends in New York had no idea the bookstore could be rented out for weddings. The space is available for other private functions too such as company holiday parties. Various TV shows and movies have filmed at the bookstore including Law & Order, Sex in the City, Serendipity, Gossip Girl, 30 Rock, Enchanted, and VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown.
The bookstore isn’t huge and the wedding was rather intimate. Judging from the number of assigned seats at the dinner reception, I guesstimate the total number of attendees was about 70. The bookstore is old-​timey, elegant, and sophisticated with mahogany-​paneled walls and spiral staircases that lead to a second level mezzanine.
The wedding ceremony took place on the ground level where there was limited seating (approximately 25 – 30 seats) mainly for family. The rest of the guests were directed to the mezzanine overlooking the ceremony. This was a really cool and unique spot to take in a wedding.
Here are a couple videos I shot of what the ceremony looked like from my vantage point:
Vine:
Instagram:
The ceremony and reception were beautiful. I just thought it was a really neat and novel idea to have a wedding inside a bookstore. The folks at Housing Works did a great job with the setup, from the whimsical string lighting above the ceremony to the romantic and stylish, candle-​lit, white cloth table settings at dinner. The space was well utilized and nicely thought out.
I’m not sure who catered dinner and dessert, but it was fantastic. Housing Works does has its own catering arm called The Works Catering. There were doormen, a coat check, an open bar, and hors d’oeuvres (breads, spreads, fruits, and veggies). The seated dinner consisted of a mixed green salad with squash, nuts, and buffalo mozzarella and an entrée containing chicken, sliced steak, potatoes, and broccolini. The dessert buffet was awesome. It was a smörgåsbord of candies of every sort from Chupa Chups to gummy bears to Whoppers to Reese’s Pieces to Twizzlers to M&M’S to Sour Belt Rolls/​Rip Rolls. The way they were presented and «plated» (some candies were inserted into funnels made of book pages, fitting with the theme of the bookstore) was very creative.
And of course, there was open space for dancing and jubilation.
Check out my photos of the Housing Works Bookstore Café to get better idea of what its wedding atmosphere is like. It’s outstanding and memorable.

This bookstore is both spacious and quaint, perfect for fulfilling that satisfaction you get from holding tangible written works and browsing. #yas
There are virtually no bookstores in SoCal so I greatly appreciated this spot! A fair selection of fiction novels and the café looked cute too. It definitely has that «old bookstore» charm and I loved the spiral staircases. I didn’t even know they served beer here though– huge plus!
It was a serendipitous finding since I needed a book to read on my flight back because my kindle died. I ended up purchasing a Gabriel García Márquez book so it was perfect. Will definitely be back some day :)

Psst! They have wine/​beer available alongside of the coffee in the back of the store! That is all. ;)

Enjoyed a nice sunday afternoon here. It gets a bit loud but it’s a nice environment to sit down to read while enjoying their house special coffee. When I was leaving, I purchased three novels, they give you their special bag and book mark.
Definitely coming back

We’ve been in NY for about two weeks now and done a lot of café hopping, but I think that out of all the places we’ve visited, this one takes the cake. There’s not much there in terms of food but the book selection is both expansive and also very reasonably priced. This doesnt feel like a used book store — everything we looked at (granted they were mainly cookbooks) was in pristine condition and of high quality content. But this isn’t just a bookstore — make sure you try the coffee. I mean we’re a simple people so we pretty much drink Americano wherever we go but this place serves a better Americano than I have got anywhere in NY, including highly rated coffee joints. I can only assume everything else they have that’s espresso based is also very good, though I can only vouch for the Americano.
Oh and all the proceeds go to charity so there’s also that :)

Books — Check. Great coffee and appetizing sandwiches — Check. A quaint atmosphere — Check. Beer — Whaaaat?!
Yesterday, my fiancé and I finally made our long anticipated visit to this bookstore. Our two previous visits were thwarted by closings due to weddings or other special events. But it was worth the wait.
The moment you walk in, it almost immediately melts away the stress and noise of downtown Manhattan. With its lofty ceilings and spiral staircases, Housing Works has a rustic atmosphere with the amenities of a more modern one. And, I mean, c’mon, the combination of coffee and a good book is clearly only trumped by the combination a beer and a good book. There’s less shelf space than I anticipated but there are surprisingly plenty of tables and seats. It was fun meandering around the store and browsing their selections. I found old collections of American essays, books on politics, and children’s literature, both old and new.
My fiancé and I sat for a couple hours enjoying our coffee/​beer and respective reading selections — The Bookseller (fiction) for her, and Time To Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent (non-​fiction) for me. Despite the beer, the author’s contentions were quite sobering, but we’ll table that for another time.
This place is a must for any avid reader or bibliophile!
TIP: On Tuesdays, they offer a 20% discount on books for students, seniors, teachers, and military personnel. Must present valid ID.

This is a fantastic used bookstore. The fact that the proceeds go to charities that support those affected by HIV is even more cause to shop here.
Books are electronically recorded and from what I have seen are in good condition. On Tuesdays there are student/​teacher discounts. My five gently used hardcover books came out to $ 30, which is a steal.
I make sure to stop by whenever I’m in town and am always pleased.

@Housing Work Bookstore Café, it’s a non-​profit and are mostly volunteered staffed. All their profits go towards helping the community affected by AIDS.
U can find various of books, and make sure that u take a comfortable seat.
This also happens to have one of NY’s best café serving intelligentsia coffee, u can also get simple salad, sandwich, cookies. This makes every $ u spend here goes to a great cause

Wenn’s später geöffnet wäre, würde ich viel häufiger hier kommen. Aber da alle die Mitarbeiter freiwillig sind, ist es völlig nachvollziehbar, dass es so früh schließt.
Ich suchte nach «Is It Just Me?» von Miranda Hart, ein Buch, das ich nirgendwo anders finden konnte (außer online, aber ich kaufe Bücher lieber im Geschäft als online) — Barnes and Noble, The Strand, McNally Jackson — keine hatte dieses Buch. Zum Glück hab ich hier eine Kopie für $ 4 gefunden. Der glücklichste Tag meines Lebens, selbstverständlich! Ich komme hier sehr gerne seitdem ich in der Uni war (vor vielen Jahren — ich bin eine Oma), und es freut mich immer, herum zu gucken und gute Angebote zu finden. Und wenn man Hunger oder Durst hat ist das Café auch ganz nett.

Less books than I thought for looking at photos. however, the pricing is pretty good.
Depending on the book but it might be found cheaper here than at the Strand.
Their café menu is simple and also set in the friendly range.
The coffee tastes okay, not amazing that I fell in love with but way better than any chain coffee shops.
The street is Crosby and that is why they have quiet karma than the other cafes on Broadway and or Lafayette street.
Seems like many events are going on every week.
Tables are in good size for working.
There are good community feeling there that I would like to come back sometime soon.
It is rare to see this type of café in NYC!

Community feel, lots of space, good coffee, no music.
Great for reading and a good cause!

Fell upon this place on accident and I’m glad I did. It is a book store with proceeds that help homelessness and Aids/​HIV. There is a little café with affordable drinks and eats. There’s plenty of seating though they have designated tables for those working on computers. They strictly prohibit outside food… I got ‘reprimanded’ for this. It makes sense though as they are working towards donating their proceeds to a good cause.
Wifi is good and they have two clean bathrooms.

I have always loved Housing Works Bookstore the most out of all New York City bookstores. I just never thought I would get married there!
Last Saturday, we held the most perfect reception at the Bookstore. Initial planning with Amanda and latter planning with Josh went so easily (there was two scheduled meetings and many emails in between) — Josh especially helped to bring the various elements and details of the event so expertly that as a bride, I didn’t have a moment of worry during the event.
The FOOD was phenomenal, wine and beer selections were enjoyed by all guests, and the service/​support was so professional. We could not have had an easier or more fun experience. THANK YOU to all the staff for the wonderful experience :) It was my wedding dream come true!