WORD to Expand Beyond Brooklyn

After six years of serving readers in Brooklyn, New York, WORD will be opening a second location in Jersey City, New Jersey.

WORD owner Christine Onorati said that the prospect of partnering with her cousin, who owns an Italian eatery next door to the bookstore’s new Jersey City storefront, had influenced her decision. This partnership “enables me to include a cafe with good quality coffee and light food, and that’s what finally led me to consider this second location,” she said.

After her cousin opened the eatery, Onorati “was finally convinced that the area needed a bookstore and community hub. I think Jersey City is the perfect place to bring WORD, and I have been incredibly excited by the response we’ve received in just the last few months we’ve been talking about it.”

Demolition of the new space has already begun, and Onorati hopes to open by late spring/early summer. She will be hiring a new staff for the Jersey City store, including a new manager.

The inventory will be similar to that of the Brooklyn location, with an expanded gift selection for kids. The cafe will serve “double duty,” said Onorati, so the new store can host just as many events.