A MotherSister Minute: Peace of Mind Bookstore
I can understand why people might wonder about the opening hours of Peace of Mind Bookstore, having stopped in myself during the middle of a weekday to find it closed. Dwana Hope, the store’s proprietor, has a perfectly sensible explanation: maximum foot traffic. “The subway stop is right at the corner,” she pointed out, “so I get people coming home after a long day at work.” And of course, it’s open on weekend afternoons, which is when I stepped in to buy a YogaKids DVD I’d spied in the window. Less understandable is why anyone would take the store’s focus on well-being — featuring yoga, self-help, and nutrition books, CDs, and DVDs — as a personal affront, since there’s certainly room for Peace of Mind, DARE Books (with its educational mission), PrattStore (art books), and a potential future general-interest new/used bookstore to co-exist in an area as large and diverse (and apparently yoga- and nutrition-conscious) as Fort Greene/Clinton Hill. Indeed, Dwana observed that despite some initial naysaying from those who might’ve preferred a mini-Barnes & Noble, her patronage is “increasing from year to year. More people are coming around.” A former ESL teacher, first-time business owner, and longtime Fort Greene resident, she’s gratified by the nature of her venture: “There’s a lot of positivity. I feel good about that.”
OPENED: 2005.
WHY FORT GREENE/CLINTON HILL: I perceived that the neighborhood would be open to this type of store, since it has been an activist, artistic neighborhood.
BESTSELLING ITEMS: Learning to Love Yourself, Post-Traumatic Slave Disorder, and Energy Vampires. And incense.
COFFEE SHOP: I like Academy Restaurant.
ADVICE OR TIPS ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD: I would say that it is in the process of reinventing itself.
Peace of Mind Bookstore is at 112 South Oxford Street, between Fulton and Lafayette Avenues (718/855-0787). Open Wednesday through Friday from 4 to 10pm, Saturday from 1 to 7pm, and Sunday from 1 to 6pm.