by Michelle Mullen<\/p>\n
Books are appearing in bodegas across the Bronx, set on small shelves between chips, canned goods and everyday staples.<\/p>\n
The initiative, known as \u201cBooks x Bodegas,\u201d was launched last fall by Spuyten Duyvil residents Suzanne Likeness and her fiance Primo Cidi. In just a few months, what began as a single shelf expanded to eight locations across the borough, including shops in the South Bronx and along Bailey Avenue.<\/p>\n
Likeness, a high school teacher who works with English language learners, said the idea grew out of what she saw in the classroom. It was there that she realized how limited access to books outside of school could affect confidence and reading habits.<\/p>\n
Many of her students were encountering books primarily in structured settings, with fewer opportunities to engage with reading on their own terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking of ways to bring literacy outside the classroom,\u201d Likeness said. \u201cI want them to see books in unexpected places and associate it with the environment outside of school. I don\u2019t think that all the things we need to do as teachers can happen in the confines of the school day. It\u2019s not the solution. It\u2019s part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likeness\u2019 and Cidi\u2019s connection began while she was teaching at a South Bronx school near the bodega where Cidi worked. It was there that he saw a steady stream of students coming in and out each day.<\/p>\n
If students were already passing through these spaces, he and Likeness reasoned, why not bring books to them?<\/p>\n
This idea was a central thread that helped shape the initiative to bring books into the places people already move through, without requiring them to seek them out.<\/p>\n
Cidi said the project builds on those everyday interactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I see people happy, when I make someone laugh, or I help someone, books in bodegas bring a lot of enjoyment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The first shelf, installed at Cidi\u2019s bodega in late 2025, was stocked with donated books from a book drive and offered for free, with little expectation from the couple of how customers would respond.<\/p>\n
At first, some hesitated, Likeness and Cidi recalled, unsure whether the books were really meant to be taken. Others lingered, flipping through pages while waiting at the counter, returning to the shelf on subsequent visits.<\/p>\n
Over time, the hesitation faded. Books began to circulate, with readers taking and returning them freely, creating a quiet, informal exchange that required no sign-up and remained accessible to anyone.<\/p>\n
As the project grew, Likeness and Cidi became more intentional about where to place shelves, focusing on store owners willing to dedicate space to something that would not generate profit, but serve the community instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re asking the store owners to donate space,\u201d Likeness said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about more stores. It\u2019s about finding someone who wants to impact the community where they\u2019re in business.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Johnson Deli and Grill, worker Washington Ahmeidi said the shelf has gradually become part of the store\u2019s daily rhythm. Positioned near the counter, it draws customers\u2019 attention, some of whom now reach for a book rather than their phones as they linger.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople take books and bring books, they look at them while they\u2019re waiting for a sandwich,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s even brought more customers to the store.\u201d<\/p>\n
What began as a small addition shifted how some customers spend those in-between moments, turning idle time into something quieter and more reflective.<\/p>\n
The project gained more momentum earlier this year through Laura Levine-Pinedo, executive director of the Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, or KRVC, who first connected with Cidi through a community food distribution program. At the time, Cidi donated items from his bodega to support the effort.<\/p>\n
He mentioned to Levine-Pinedo that the couple was running low on donated books and had begun purchasing them with their own funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came to me, and he\u2019s like, \u2018I need books. We have a book shortage,\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cI was like, \u2018I\u2019ll get you books by tonight.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Levine-Pinedo said she immediately turned to her resident network, putting out a call for donations and spending the evening collecting books from across the community. She then delivered them that same night \u2014 an entire SUV\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n
The response helped restock shelves and allowed the project to continue expanding without interruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think [Books x Bodegas]\u00a0 activates local bodegas,\u201d she said. \u201cBodegas are really like the heart and soul of each micro community, so to have a place that can incorporate literacy is a wonderful idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sense of familiarity has helped the shelves blend into their surroundings. Rather than standing out, they become part of the environment.<\/p>\n
Since its debut in November of last year, the shelves have been filled with a mix of books for both children and adults, shaped largely by donations rather than being tailored to each store\u2019s customers. Although one location leans toward children\u2019s books, others offer a broader selection to reflect the people who pass through each space.<\/p>\n
For Cidi and Likeness, the goal remains straightforward \u2014 to make books visible and part of daily routines.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tKeywords<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBooks x Bodegas,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Bronx literacy initiative,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t free books Bronx,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t community reading programs,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t bodegas NYC,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t literacy access\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Michelle Mullen Books are appearing in bodegas across the Bronx, set on small shelves between chips, canned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[76444,76440,128,76441,76443,76442,76445,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-190980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bodegas-nyc","tag-books-x-bodegas","tag-bronx","tag-bronx-literacy-initiative","tag-community-reading-programs","tag-free-books-bronx","tag-literacy-access","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}