Peek Inside Brazenhead Books, New York's Secret Bookstore (VIDEO)

If you're looking for Brazenhead Books in New York City, you might run into a problem. In a grand tradition usually reserved for the fake ID or other illicit business, Brazenhead is hidden.

Photography director Andrew Watson, in a succinct 3-minute video for DIY mecca Etsy, captivates with an account of a visit to this hidden bookshop and a meeting with owner, Michael Seidenberg. Seidenberg doesn't often give interviews, running an illegal business and all, but a 2008 profile in The New Yorker reveals him to be all about the books; a creative entrepreneur who acknowledges that in his line of work, it's not always about the money. This current reincarnation of Brazenhead might not attract many visitors, but the ones that it does attract are sincere in their enthusiasm. Watson's video does little to dispel that image of both Seidenberg and his bookshop.

"I wouldn't have thought I'd like to have a bookshop in a location that no one knows about," he confesses to the camera. "But once I did it, it just seemed realer than everything else."

As for Watson, after shooting over an hour of footage to compile the video, don't expect him to brag about the secret location of Brazenhead, he found his own reward in interviewing such a unique subject.

"I think the most important thing I learned from Michael is how rewarding it is to live your life by your own terms."

So, if you happen to run across Seidenberg on the streets of New York, don't ask him for his contact info. "I don't have a card," he reveals. "I'm a secret bookstore."

WATCH:

There's No Place Like Here: Brazenhead Books from Etsy on Vimeo.

via Andrew Watson on Etsy

Comments

[BettyEverdene]

11:52 AM on 07/14/2011

Michael, thanks for letting the internet in. You are a great example of living a quality life. I watched the video twice and sent it to my poet friends who go to NYC often.

[Schneb]

09:21 AM on 07/14/2011

Love the look of the place--and that the video brings that out; recognizes that the look and feel of the place is as much a key component to it, as it's 'secret' location. And I don't want to encourage smoking, but the idea of a quiet, dusty, maze of shelves of old books, with a guy quietly puffing a pipe somewhere is *just right*. I wish him well.

[R500]

01:09 AM on 07/14/2011

Good books, good tobacco, and good whiskey: my kind of individual.

[cybogoblin]

09:22 PM on 07/13/2011

From the sounds of things, it's only really hidden to the ignorant and lazy. Sounds like a great idea ;)

[Annemarie Dooling]

04:23 PM on 07/14/2011

I didn't say so here, 'cause I want you to click over and read the other opinions, but it's all a silly matter of real estate. Very interesting guy!

[JBS]

07:57 PM on 07/13/2011

I don't understand why it's illegal to sell books in NYC?

[Doc Wattson]

08:29 PM on 07/13/2011

Its not illegal to sell books in NYC, its illegal to use his apartment for a commercial store. He can't afford the commercial rents.

[JacksonHts]

11:03 PM on 07/13/2011

well, and probably not retaining and paying sales tax or reporting the cash income I assume. I remember walking by his location in the 80's and he would solicit people walking by to purchase some books.

[FLAMINGO KID]

12:06 AM on 07/14/2011

THAT'S A PRETTY BIG PRESUMPTION IS IT NOT. YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE STATEMENTS LIKE THAT. IT REMINDS ME OF THE STORY ABOUT THE GUY WHO STEALS ONE OF HIS NEIGHBORS CHICKENS EVERY TIME HE GOES OUT IN HIS BACK YARD. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK HE THINKS HIS NEIGHBOR DOES EVERY TIME HE HEARS HIS NEIGHBOR OPENING HIS BACK DOOR AND GOING OUT IN THE BACK YARD. I AM NOT SURE IGOT THE STORY 100% TO THE TEE BUT I THINK YOU GET THE IDEA. THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE FIRST TO ACCUSE OTHERS OF WRONG DOING WOULD BE DOING IT THEMSELVES IF THEY JUST GOT THE CHANCE.THEY ARE MORE UPSET AND JEALOUS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO STEAL OR CHEAT THAN THEY ARE ABOUT THE EVILNESS OF THE DEED. IN THIS CASE LIKE SO MANY OTHERS WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE THAT ANYTHING OTHER THAN A ZONING VIOLATION HAS OCCURRED. IT DOES NOT SEEM THAT THIS MAN'S PURSUIT OF A LIVING IS CAUSING ANYDIFFICULTIES FOR HIS NEIGHBORS SUCH AS EXCESS TRAFFIC OR DECREASING PROPERTY VALUES. SEEMS MORE LIKE A CASE OF ANOTHER UNNECESSARY LAW AT LEAST THE WAY THIS MAN IS CONDUCTING HIS BUSINESS.

[LuLou Murder]

01:16 PM on 07/13/2011

It's "peek", unless they're hiding a mountain in there as well.

[threnodymarch]

03:51 PM on 07/13/2011

Ahahaha, I was just about to say almost the same thing.

[Annemarie Dooling]

05:55 PM on 07/13/2011

Changed it asap but, gee, you can't hide from indexing, can you? :)

[threnodymarch]

10:00 AM on 07/14/2011

No harm done. Interesting article too :]