There are many types of independently owned businesses that my New York City neighborhood possesses in abundance: hookah bars, restaurants, hookah bars, delis, more hookah bars, and liquor stores, to name a few. But there have been two types of establishment woefully lacking here in Astoria: an old-fashioned ice-cream scoop shop, and an independent bookstore.

At least one of those absences is about to be rectified.

I was excited to learn recently that Enigma Bookstore, an independently owned bookshop specializing in science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction, both classic and new, is opening soon not far from my home. I’ll be out of town for their grand opening the weekend of August 2–4, but I plan on paying them a visit next week during their “soft open,” or else just after their grand opening.

Those of you who live in NYC, especially Queens, and dig SF&F literature, I hope you’ll join me in supporting this new business.

Now, if only we could get a new ice-cream scoop shop….