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<\/p>\nIn New York, it\u2019s hard to run a bookstore, and it\u2019s hard to run a bar, with both battling sky-high rents and changing consumer habits. That\u2019s why forward-thinkers like A.J. Jacono are merging the two. In 2023, he opened Bibliotheque, and since the hybrid venue has welcomed in a starry guest list, with its litereary-inspired wine list since celebrated by national awards. Jacono\u2019s eyeing expansion, but he wants more people to open spaces like his: \u201cThey\u2019re a very positive thing for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In the room, there are dancing clocks, dramatic chandeliers, leather banquettes and 10,000 books. It\u2019s elegant, yet homely, like stepping into the snug yet plush living room of a rich relative. Inside, there are screenplay writers, poets, calligraphers, and sometimes psychics; sometimes, even the former bob-and-sunglasses-clad editor of Vogue,\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, this isn\u2019t a modernised retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It\u2019s actually New York\u2019s Bibliotheque \u2013 a wine-bar-bookstore cafe launched by writer A.J. Jacono in late 2023. Jacano quit his job in publishing to chase his dream of launching a bookshop with his celeb surgeon father\u00a0 \u2013 inspired by the dual-stores cropping up around New York \u2013 reimagining what it means to sell books.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For decades, bookstores in The Big Apple were vanishing rapidly, thwarted by social media and sky-high rent. In 1950, Manhattan had 286 bookstores, according to Gothamist<\/a>; by 2015, the number was down to 106. In 2019, according to a count by the Strand, there were fewer than 80. Now, they\u2019re entering a new chapter, offering booklovers the chance to dine and drink while they flick through pages.\u00a0<\/p>\n A bookish wine list At the East Village\u2019s Book Club Bar, for instance, cocktails are basically expressions of poetry (In Cold Bloody Mary, Whiskey the Pooh, Cider House Mule), and Book Club Bar and Lit. Bar also serve both alcohol and books (\u2018lit\u2019 like literature, \u2018lit\u2019 like drunk, its website spells out). Plenty of others, like Flatiron and the Strand brew cappuccinos. But Jacono thinks he\u2019s the first to embark on the triple concept space: Bibliotheque in SoHo is a wine bar, bookstore and cafe. \u201cWe\u2019re treading new ground,\u201d declares Jacono, \u201cWe\u2019re turning the idea of what a hospitality establishment could be on its head.\u201d<\/p>\n The wine list, for instance, is not your typical wine list. Jacono works closely with beverage director Scott Woltz, previously of three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, to instill the catalogue with a literary lilt. Bordeaux, Burgundy and Tuscany shine, with rare bottles donated in verticals like Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti and Petrus. There are more than 20 by-the-glass options on the 700-varietal list, which was even honoured by the Wine Spectator\u2019s 2024 Best of Award of Excellence.\u00a0<\/p>\n But rather than region, it\u2019s split into chapters: There are \u2018short stories\u2019 (by the glass), \u2018stanzas\u2019 (half bottles), \u2018self-help\u2019 (Champagne, obviously), \u2018fantasies\u2019 (expensive baller bottles) and \u2018sagas\u2019 (large format wines). Louis Pasteur said, \u201ca bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world\u201d. And for Jacono, who\u2019s the founder of literary and arts journal The Spotlong Review, reading and drinking certainly share sensibilities: \u201cThere\u2019s a certain romance that emerges from wine,\u201d he contemplates. \u201cWe do have a romance section, and it\u2019s the succulent, passionate bottles of wine that could be spicy; could be seductive. But any wine has a history; the stories of the people who run the wineries, the houses\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Life is short, art is long\u2019 Storytelling, like winemaking, blends technicality with passion: utilising the tools of structure, genre and theme to deliver a devastating love story perhaps parallels the fermentation, filtration and ageing processes behind a particularly complex bottle. Jacono knows this better than most. When he has a moment, he abandons his post at the bar to work on his own writing, glass in hand. He\u2019s appeared in magazines like in The Best American Mystery and Suspense, Southeast Review and upstreet, and is currently pitching his debut novel, an intense literary thriller, to publishing houses. But what wine goes with it? He doesn\u2019t hesitate: \u201cA really deep, bloody Syrah. It\u2019s got the dark nature to it, but this sanguine beauty.\u201d It\u2019s the same wine Woltz would match with Truman Capote\u2019s true-crime masterpiece, In Cold Blood.<\/p>\n Much of Jacono\u2019s day is spent suggesting wine and book pairings to thirsty bibliophiles (\u201cit\u2019s an art form\u201d). Take Shakespeare\u2019s classic, Romeo and Juliet, for instance. Jacono swerves away from the obvious choice of red, and plumps for Californian vineyard Love You Bunches\u2019 orange wine. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit on the nose,\u201d he admits, \u201cbut when you drink it you feel this sense of romance. People on dates drink it, especially in summer. It\u2019s fruit-forward \u2013 an easy drink, but some people are like, \u2018it\u2019s more complex than I thought it would be.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In this way, both wine and literature spark conversation. When people drink wine, they want to share it, says Jacono. Like a bar, a character-packed novel is a \u201clocus of social interaction\u201d, pens Adam O\u2019Fallon Price in The Paris Review<\/a>. While reading is often considered a solitary act, managing the bookshop-bar-cafe has shown Jacono, \u201cit\u2019s much more social than people give it credit for\u201d. This sums up why A.J opened the place to start with. \u201cSince Covid, it\u2019s been more and more difficult to find authentic social experiences, and being able to facilitate this since then; it\u2019s been really gratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s the future for NYC\u2019s nightlife? In the post-pandemic hangover, nightlife in the city that (allegedly) never sleeps is struggling. A cluster of clubs from Bushwick to Williamsburg have shut down, citing staggering rent costs and spiking insurance rates; and young people are drinking less, ditching the dancefloor for activities like dinner parties, members clubs and run meets. Speaking to TimeOut, <\/a>Varghese Chacko, co-founder of Nightlife United, said spaces relying on multiple streams of income, as opposed to just alcohol, are best steeled to survive.<\/p>\n By this logic, Jacono\u2019s site on Mercer Street is armoured well. It\u2019s not just a bar; not even just a bookshop-bar, but a triple threat: a bookshop-bar-cafe. Yes, there\u2019s the business side of things, says Jacono, but what makes hospitality worth it is the ability to connect with people and create unforgettable experiences. Part of that is yoking together concepts \u2013 multiple worlds \u2013 that are more similar than first meets the eye.<\/p>\n \u2018Life is short. Art is long\u2019 \u2013 an urgent mantra from Hippocrates beams from the bar in neon yellow. There\u2019s artwork from Henri Matisse, Sylvia Plimack Mangold and Alexander Calder, and more from Robert Longo, Roy Lichtenstein, Damien Hirst and Rashid Johnson in the lounge, where diners can also enjoy food from \u00c9picerie Boulud and coffee beans from Onyx Coffee Lab. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves of fiction, fantasy, mystery, travel, memoir and thriller, bibliophiles don\u2019t just flock to the 70-capacity venue to read. There\u2019s a sparkling stream of events, from calligraphy classes to author readings, cocktail parties, board game nights, movie nights, psychic readings and painting workshops. Valentine\u2019s Day lasted not a day, but a month. Screenwriters, novelists and poets come to agonise over first drafts. Sketchers sketch, couples fall in love over Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. One guest, notes Jacono, will return to Bibliotheque to propose to his girlfriend\u00a0 \u2013 it was the scene of their first date.<\/p>\n Star-studded guest list And Jacono falls in love with every guest he meets, too. There\u2019s been award-winning authors and celebs, like Jenna Bush Hager, and then Anna Wintour (\u201cshe had her shades on and everything \u2013 she has an aura, like, it\u2019s not even a joke. I was so shocked. She just emanates authority and fashion\u201d). But he appears equally starstruck by regulars: \u201cAt this point I\u2019ve met 1000\u2019s of people, and everybody has something wonderful to say. Being able to serve and interact with them has been really special.\u201d<\/p>\n Meeting people is his second favourite part of running the bar. His first? \u201cI\u2019m really lucky that I\u2019ve managed to cultivate a team that I know, without a doubt, loves the place, loves what we do, and loves interacting with the guests.\u201d<\/p>\n He loves it so much that he wants to do it all over again. Jacono\u2019s eyeing expansion \u2013 perhaps a site in New York\u2019s Upper West Side \u2013 before he branches out to the international market. \u201cBut,\u201d he makes clear, \u201cI certainly don\u2019t want us to be the only place doing this. I want to see these places proliferate, because they\u2019re a very positive thing for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n So what\u2019s his advice for someone looking to start their own bookshop-bar? \u201c100% do it\u201d. He waxes poetic: \u201cIt\u2019s so fun. It\u2019s stressful, but in the best way. Don\u2019t get too disheartened, because there\u2019s going to be a lot of challenges. Just keep going, but never lose the passion. You have to have a real drive for it, and a real vision, but at the end of the day, make it about giving great service, a great experience, and connection.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s authentic and presented with love and effort, the success will follow you.\u201d<\/p>\n Related news<\/p>\n \n \n
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A.J. Jacono launched Bibliotheque with his father in SoHo, Lower Manhattan, in late 2023<\/p>\n
\n![\"Bibliotheque](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1278250931-640x495.jpg\")
Jacono would pair his own novel, a thriller, with \u201ca really deep, bloody Syrah\u201d<\/p>\n
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Nightclubs around New York are battling a challenging trading environment, including staggering rent costs, spiking insurance rates and changing consumer habits<\/p>\n
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Jacono hopes to open a second Bibliotheque in New York before he sets sights on the international market<\/p>\n
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