Jennifer McAuliffe can hardly believe it herself — a village like Northport didn’t have a bookstore.
“I couldn’t believe that this town didn’t have a bookstore,” said McAuliffe, the owner of Northport Books, which officially opened July 15. “But when the space became available, it all came together. It was serendipitous.”
The shop, located at 127 Main St., is stocked with bestsellers, collector’s classics and children’s reads galore.
But McAuliffe says it’s more than a place to buy books — it’s a space to build community.
“I want to turn on a new generation of readers along with their parents,” she said.
How it happened
McAuliffe, who grew up in Bethpage, said the idea for Northport Books came after a big life shift.
Once her kids went off to college and she left her corporate job of 27 years, she started thinking seriously about doing something just for herself — and for the community.
“I started thinking about the bookstore idea,” she said. “I wanted it to be in a great location, one that was special to me.”
That special place was Northport.
“I’ve been coming here for years,” she said. “Getting ice cream with my kids, grabbing dinner with my husband, bringing the dogs to the park. I just love it here.”
It’s also where she used to meet up with the illustrator of her children’s book. They’d sit in the diner, she said, swapping words for sketches. “My book was born here.”
Before signing a lease, McAuliffe scoped out other Long Island bookshops, wanting to make sure she wasn’t stepping on any local toes.
“I didn’t want to compete with other bookstores,” she said. “So my first mission was to visit them all and make sure there was distance between us.”
The storefront — a former art gallery — needed little renovation. A fresh coat of paint, some new floors, and shelves to carry the thousands of books she had ordered was all it took. She found the space in the winter and moved quickly once it opened up in the spring.
If you go
Step inside Northport Books and you’ll find two rooms split by subject: Adults to the right, kids to the left.
“It’s a bit of everything, that way we’re covering everybody,” said McAuliffe.
The shelves are packed with New York Times bestsellers, locally written titles, and even beautifully wrapped reissues for collectors. Toward the back are cozy reading rooms — one for grownups, another for children — where McAuliffe hosts weekly story circles and book discussions.
Since opening, local teachers on summer break have volunteered to read to visiting families, something McAuliffe says has made the store feel even more like home.
“I really wanted this to be a community space,” she said. “I’m listening to what everybody wants, and I think it can be a really cool space.”
Plans are in the works for future workshops and classes. There’s also a membership program: For a flat fee, readers get 20 percent off all purchases, 40% off indie bestsellers, free Southdown coffee in-store, and early access to events.
Northport Books is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shop is closed Mondays.
Parking is available on the street or in nearby village lots.
— photos by Julianne Mosher
