Freebird Books

Freebird Books is a general used bookstore located at 123 Columbia Street on the Brooklyn waterfront in New York City. It was opened in January 2004 by Samantha Citrin and Rachel London, in a spot across from still-working docks and a container port that are remnants of the old Red Hook stevedoring trade. The store specializes in New York history and culture, and it operates as a small, community-oriented business that survives on the support and goodwill of its neighborhood. In November 2007 the store was sold to local resident Peter Miller, who has continued to run it. Although Freebird is only open on weekends, it remains an active community hub, sponsoring events, readings, and book clubs. It does not buy used books outright but offers store credit for many items, and it asks donors to contact the store ahead of time before dropping off books. Freebird is also home to NYC Books Through Bars, an all-volunteer nonprofit collective that operates from the store's basement and helps incarcerated people nationwide get access to the printed word. Books Through Bars is a 501(c)(3) organization and, unlike Freebird itself, can provide tax receipts for eligible donations. The store and the nonprofit collaborate on fundraising campaigns, including recurring Pride Month book bundles that send LGBTQ+ titles to incarcerated readers. As a small independent retailer, Freebird's public presence centers on its website, where it posts opening-hours notices, event announcements, and seasonal book-bundle campaigns. Its identity is closely tied to its Red Hook/Brooklyn waterfront location and to its partnership with Books Through Bars, which gives the shop a distinct charitable and literary mission beyond ordinary bookselling.

Freebird Books was opened in January 2004 by Samantha Citrin and Rachel London at 123 Columbia Street on the Brooklyn waterfront. The location sits across from still-working docks and a container port, remnants of the old Red Hook stevedoring industry, giving the shop a distinctive maritime and industrial setting. From the start it was conceived as a general used bookstore specializing in New York history and culture. In November 2007 the store was sold to local resident Peter Miller. Under his ownership Freebird continued as a small, community-oriented business, though it operates only on weekends. It sponsors events, readings, and book clubs, and it functions as a neighborhood gathering place. The store does not buy used books but offers store credit for many items, and it asks that donors call ahead before dropping off books. A defining feature of Freebird's history is its role as home to NYC Books Through Bars, an all-volunteer collective that operates from the store's basement. Books Through Bars helps prisoners nationwide get access to the printed word; it is a 501(c)(3) organization that can provide tax receipts for eligible donations, unlike the bookstore itself. The nonprofit depends on volunteers to process prisoner requests, package books, and transport them to the post office. In recent years Freebird has used its website to run seasonal fundraising book bundles in partnership with Books Through Bars. In June 2026 it reprised a Pride promotion, offering a $30 variety pack of three LGBTQ+ related titles—fiction, memoirs, humor, history, and adult coloring books—selected from a list narrowed down by Books Through Bars, with copies sent to incarcerated readers nationwide. The campaign also marked Books Through Bars' 30th anniversary. The store's site notes that Square describes such orders as "digital delivery," which does not refer to how the books reach incarcerated readers; purchases fund NYC Books Through Bars fulfilling requests with physical copies. Earlier, a prior almanac campaign reportedly yielded 500 copies. These campaigns, along with routine notices about weekend closures and donation guidelines, form the bulk of the store's public communications.

• Samantha Citrin and Rachel London open Freebird Books at 123 Columbia Street on the Brooklyn waterfront.

• The store is sold to local resident Peter Miller.

• Freebird runs a Pride Month book bundle marking NYC Books Through Bars' 30th anniversary.

Small, community-oriented independent used bookstore with a charitable mission through NYC Books Through Bars.

• Used books

  General used bookstore inventory, with a specialty in New York history and culture.

• Pride Month / Books Through Bars bundle

  $30 for three LGBTQ+ related titles sent to incarcerated readers nationwide.

1. 1Homefreebirdbooks.com
2. 2Aboutfreebirdbooks.com
3. 3Freebird Bookswikidata.org