Searching for a good scare? The Twisted Spine is pleased to point you in the proper direction…if you dare.
NYC’s first horror bookstore might still be in its infancy, but Lauren Komer and Jason Mellow’s passion project has a bright future, even if the inventory consists of dark literature.
Currently, the months-old NYC bookstore operates digitally, and its founders appear at pop-up literature events throughout the city, like the Brooklyn Book Festival. Already, Lauren says the appetite for the grisly and grotesque has been massive.
“Horror is really in a wonderful renaissance right now, and the amount of diverse voices is incredible — all backgrounds, all walks of life, across all LGBT communities. It’s a great opportunity for people to jump in and a great opportunity for people who already love the genre to dive a little bit deeper,” she says.
The Twisted Spine offers sizable selection for a small operation: the classics, viral YA #BookTok favorites, anthologies, paranormal picks — the list goes on. To house the growing collection and its legion of followers, the duo plans to find a storefront within the next year for shopping, signings, readings and beyond. (Even a restricted section for only the most devoted fans of the genre.)
“The longterm plan is to do a brick and mortar store either in Manhattan or Brooklyn and where we’ve established local connections,” Jason says. “Our thought process so far is that we don’t want to scare anyone away, but we don’t want to look like an average bookstore. We want people to come in and step into a different world.”
Bringing in readers will be the easy part, according to the founders. Real estate is where things get tricky.
“The community is already there,” Lauren says. “What we really need is the space where we can come together.”
Once they find a place to call home, The Twisted Spine will offer a dark academic vibe, lure in customers with refreshments like coffee or wine, and above all, help readers explore all things creepy and kooky.
“We want it to be opening and welcoming to anyone who’s interested in anything — anything from mildly unsettling to [books for] people who are real horror junkies,” Lauren notes.
While you wait for the next pop-up, and the brick-and-mortar store to open its doors, the duo recommends picking up a copy of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a paranormal take on the Mexico City film industry, and Jackal by NYC-based author Erin E. Adams, a thriller focused on race, womanhood, and the strange mysteries of a dark forest.
What scary story is on your reading wishlist?