Molasses Books in Bushwick, Brooklyn is a new bookstore that offers a change from the traditional retail model, letting customers trade their books for a coffee tab or even more books. The store owner, Matthew Winn, is also applying for a tavern license, which will enable them to swap for beer and wine in the future as well.

The small, curated store is light and open, with space for a dozen people to sit and read and plenty of room to browse. Lots of fiction titles cover one wall, while non-fiction, art, photography, can be found there as well. The average book is priced at $1-10. Brokelyn reports there isn’t an exact science for the buying and selling system just yet: “You’ll get about a third of the resale value in cash, or a little more for trade or a tab at the bar.”

Molasses Books

Photo by Paul Ker