Secret Bookstore Makes For A "Nerd Heaven"

Michael Seidenburg runs a small used bookstore in New York City. It's called Brazenhead Books. But you won't find a cash register or even a display window in this bookstore. That's because Brazenhead is run out of Seidenburg's apartment. It's illegal to run a business out of your personal residence. But Seidenburg says he's not all that concerned with legality.

"People say, 'are you scared you're going to lose it?' No, I'm just not," says Seidenburg.

Brazenhead started as a traditional bookstore, but then the rent for the space quadrupled. So about ten years ago, Seidenburg moved his entirely hand-picked collection of books into his apartment.

"It worked out so well, you'd assume I had a plan," says Seidenburg when remembering those early days.

Seidenburg relies on word of mouth and people who stumble on his website to find his store. For privacy (and legal) purposes, he doesn't list his address on Brazenhead's website. But if you email him, he'll send you the address to his apartment. Once inside, visitors are greeted with rooms and hallways stacked to the ceiling with books. Shelves line the walls of almost every room in Brazenhead: from the kitchen to the foyer to the bedroom. There's even a "Mystery Closet," dedicated solely to- you guessed it- mysteries. But according to Seidenburg, it's more than just books that attract people to Brazenhead.

"It's like a safe zone," he says. "It's like a nerd heaven."

Dan Chung has been coming to Brazenhead for several years now. He also thinks it's the community that attracts people to Seidenburg's store. Chung says Brazenhead is emblematic of "a deep interest and love in something that trancends commerce. That's extremely rare in any time, but especially in modern day New York."

Seidenburg says one of his favorite things about running a bookstore out of his apartment is the wide variety of people who find him. Some visitors are writers, some are book lovers, some are just looking for good conversations. Some don't even buy books. But Seidenburg says that doesn't bother him.

"Ninety percent of the people who come here are writers with no money. So it's not like they're going to be buying books. It's a different thing I'm offering here."

Brazenhead regularly hosts social events for book lovers as well, like poetry readings.