If the recent chill in the air got you excited for all things spooky season, we have some great news—The Twisted Spine, a bookstore specializing in horror, will soon open its doors in Williamsburg.
Lauren Komer and Jason Mellow first started The Twisted Spine as a series of pop-ups around the city. Komer first got the idea in graduate school, when she started listening to horror podcasts to pass the time and fell in love with the genre. She had been working at the National Institutes of Health, but Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) budget cuts pushed her to reevaluate what she wanted to do, ramping up the timeline to open a brick-and-mortar location of The Twisted Spine.
“It’s been kind of a whirlwind but we thought that with the current political climate, we needed a place for people to be able to gather,” Komer told Greenpointers. “Oftentimes, horror people seek out horror in times of uncertainty, and we wanted to be able to create a safe space for everyone while we were in this time.”
Komer and Mellow signed a lease at 306 Grand Street in May, thanks in part to a successful Kickstarter campaign. The store, which will open on September 6, builds on Brooklyn’s flourishing community of horror fans, also bolstered by the presence of similarly-minded stores on Grand Street.
Night Owl Video and Twenty Sided, two stores offering physical media often depicting darker or more fantastical themes, are located on the same block, further attracting Komer and Mellow to the space. Komer dubbed the block “Analog Alley,” with the hopes that customers might flock there in search of more tangible forms of community.
And while the books might be filled with frights and phantoms, Komer hopes to create a cozier atmosphere for the new space. The Twisted Spine partnered with Devoción for coffee service and will also serve pastries (both food and drink options include some specialty spooky treats). The café also has a beer and wine license.
“Inside, we’re going very ‘dark academia.’ The one thing we don’t want to come across is a Halloween store,” said Komer. “It’s supposed to be a lot more gothic, moody, and welcoming to any audience. We want to keep the horror between the pages.”
The space also includes a back patio and a graveyard that should open by Halloween (people who donated to The Twisted Spine’s Kickstarter received their name on a tombstone in return).
The Twisted Spine plans to have a full roster of events in the months to come.
“We want to be a home for horror in all formats, not just literature, but a place for anyone, whether they’re in the film industry, or the theater industry, to feel like they have a safe space to enjoy the darker side of life,” Komer concluded.
Opening weekend hours (September 6 and 7) are 12 to 8 pm. Regular hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 to 8 pm, Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 11 pm, and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm.