More Than Just A Bookstore

When Barnes and Noble closes for good on March 31, second-hand bookstore Symposia will be the only place local bookworms can get their fix. 

The shop, located on 5th and Washington Streets, specializes in selling used books and has in some ways played David to Barnes &Noble's Goliath over the last decade. After all, how could a second-hand bookstore the size of a 7-11 compete with the vast collection of a megachain? But the store remains, and talking to the employees and its loyal customers, you realize why: it's not your average bookstore. 

When owner Carmen Rusu and her husband moved to Hoboken in 2001, Symposia was a spiritual books-only shop called "Hoboken Faith Books." Located off Willow Street, the fledgling shop was struggling financially. Customers were few and far between, donations were rare. 

"We were almost ready to close," Rusu said. "People were not interested in spiritual books."

After moving to the new location on Washington Street in 2004, the Rusus began rethinking the shop's mission. They spoke with residents and eventually cooked up the idea of opening the book selection to all genres rather than just faith-based items.

The result, after one year of renovations and donations, is what Symposia looks like today. The store now offers between 4,000 and 5,000 books on the ground level, including fiction, nonfiction, politics, biographies and sci-fi, and another 1,500 titles in the basement, which are sold on the shop's Web site and Amazon.com. 

The books, along with CDs, DVDs and the occasional VHS, are usually donated by residents, who in return receive tax deductible receipts for their good will. Prices hover between $3 and $5 with discounts for seniors. And if you're really in a bind, the Rusus still practice the honor system. Don't have the cash? Just pay next time. In spite of that—or maybe even because of it—business is doing better. In fact, Rusu reports a profit increase of 10–15 percent since the recession started. 

"If you look at the prices, they're about three-quarters cheaper than big bookstores," said Enrique Villabol, one of the shop's managers.

"We are not commercial," Villabol said. "We have more of a community feel." 

Former Hoboken resident Yimang Wang said she feels the same way. Though she moved to New York City recently, Wang still treks out to Hoboken once a month in hopes of coming across a hidden gem in Symposia's collection. 

"Larger stores like Barnes & Noble don't have some of the books I'm looking for," she said. Wang was reading a book named "Dream House," which she said she hadn't been able to find in the design section of the book giant.  

Symposia also plays host to community activities, such as book readings, educational classes, small concerts and art exhibitions from local student artists. The store isn't just about selling books, Rusu said, it's about offering a space where the town can gather and socialize. 

"We bring people together in a society which can seem pretty individualistic," Rusu said. "Some people are pretty lonely, far away from their families. Here, they have a place where they can meet other people who share a commonality: reading."

Perhaps that's been the key to Symposia's success all along, and the reason why, come March, it'll be the last bookstore standing in Hoboken.