About Freebird

In January 2004, Samantha Citrin and Rachel London founded Freebird Books at 123 Columbia Street in Brooklyn. Here's what they wrote about its genesis: It all started when Sam woke from an early mornings sleep after tending bar and greeted the day with a thought, "I want to open a used bookstore!" As many sunny summer days like this one, Sam and her good friends Rachel and Meghan lazed about their apartment rooftop overlooking the Red Hook container ports. Sam told her friends about her morning epiphany and Rachel was game, "Let's do it!" she said. Two free-spirits who shared a love of mystery, exploration and words ("barbaric yawp!"), Sam and Rachel set off on their best journey yet. As for the name of the store, well, let's just say it involved Lynard Skynard and some Ernest Hemingway shot glasses... With the help of talented and supportive friends and family, Sam and Rachel painted and sanded, crafted and alphabatized. They phone called and check wrote and dusted and tweaked. They carted books from around the borough, Vermont, Maine, (and some from Florida) and perfectly fitted a book lovers dream. Freebird Books & Goods is a used bookstore offering a comprehensive collection of used books at great prices. Elegant spalted maple bookcases are packed with titles that range from fiction to reference books, biographies and automotive manuals, gardening books, art books, kids books, foreign language books and much more.

In November 2007, Sam and Rachel sold the store to local resident Peter Miller. Joined by co-manager Charles Hutchinson and Linda Feldman--fellow veterans of the publishing industry--Freebird still features an eclectic mix of books with a new emphasis on New York history and culture. Yet the spirit of the place remains all Sam and Rachel.


A locus for community meetings, book discussions, and literary readings, Freebird is available for rental or special events. Starting in June 2008 Writopia Lab, a nonprofit organization, will lead workshops at the store for kids interested in writing. Contact info@freebirdbooks.com for more information.