2017 marked the year that The Bronx became recognized by gentrifiers forever. As part of New York Times’ 52 Places to Go piece, we were finally put on the map…and when I say “finally”, I mean: get the fuck out of here! We’ve always been on the map, but what people fail to realize is unlike other boroughs, we don’t need to shout it at the rooftops because let’s be real – dope things get ruined when everyone wants a piece of it. The Bay Plaza mall housed The Bronx’s ONLY bookstore for decades. I remember sitting on the floors there, with my Starbucks coffee, flipping through pages of all the cool new Animorph and Goosebump books that I’d never buy because I already spent the $15 dollars on the Starbucks but I was a kid with fucked up priorities – and now, mostly thanks to gentrification, that last bookstore is gone (to make way for a clothing store, no less).

Enter Noëlle Santos. A revolutionary, if you will. She recognized an opportunity that’s been slept on for years, yet came up with a way to introduce a unique brand of fun to Bronx readers. Her concept of opening a bookstore called, “The Lit Bar”, merges readers and wine connoisseurs in one dope place that’ll surely be a go-to for many of us who live here (and many who don’t). Since 2014, Santos has been working hard to make sure “The Lit Bar” becomes a reality.

Take note that through years of grassroots efforts, consistent publicity (that she’s obtained herself, which is a feat in itself) and crowdfunding – Santos is well on her way to bringing not only the only bookstore back to The Bronx, but an idea so creative that it’s a huge breath of fresh air beyond anything the Botanical Gardens could provide. With about 21 days to go in her Indiegogo campaign, Santos has already surpassed her $100,000 flex goal. Which means, there’s still time to contribute to the campaign and help make The Lit Bar expand its reach beyond the 1.4 million residents of The Bronx.

Let’s take a moment to reflect here: 1.4 million people live in The Bronx. That means currently, 1.4 million people have to travel into Manhattan to get a book of their choosing. And if they wanted to have just a piece of the experience Santos is providing, it means they’d have to then find a bar that has good wine and a quite atmosphere so one could actually read through the pages of their book. It also means the possibility of being subjected to ridicule because you bought a book into a bar. Finally, it poses the opportunity of being interrupted of said experience that one probably took a few hours to obtain. What a pain in the ass, right? What’s worse is that even with protests, petitions, and an uproar that closing the only bookstore in The Bronx caused – a decision was still made to get rid of a place that has served to hundreds of thousands of Bronx residents as a place to enrich their mind. I’m still confused on that one, but that’s neither here nor there.

Give Santos a key to the city, because it takes a lot of courage, determination, and drive to supply and demand and then do the borough one more of making a bookstore an even cooler place to go to. Hell, I can easily see myself spending Friday and Saturday nights at the bookstore, chillin’ with an oversized wine glass (I’ll bring one if you don’t have them) and a new read at The Lit Bar. Congratulations and a major thank you to you, Noëlle Santos, for making a dream come true for The Bronx. We can’t wait to celebrate your achievements and hard work at the grand opening of The Lit Bar!

To contribute to The Lit Bar’s campaign on IndieGoGo, click here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/let-s-bring-a-goddamn-bookstore-to-the-bronx-books-comm unity and to learn more about The Lit Bar, visit: www.thelitbar.com. Read on!

*The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of The Bronx Brand*

Jenni Ruiza is from the Wakefield section of the Bronx.  She says “The Bronx is my home. I know a lot of people out there who say they would move out of The Bronx as soon as they got money but this place is a big part of who I am today. I always feel like an alien when I go to Brooklyn or Queens. A great part about living in The Bronx is there’s so many facets and secrets like City Island, Arthur Avenue, Riverdale, Pelham Parkway and the house that has a thousand mannequins and lights that block traffic every Christmas. Where else are you going to find that?”

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