Our Story

Around two years ago, Kvartira Books opened its doors as a small apartment-sized space, built on a simple idea. Brooklyn needed a third space to slow down, grab a coffee, and chill among good books. Our shelves are curated in English, Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, with titles translated from all over the world, and our doors are open to the whole neighborhood, whatever language you read in.

Today, Kvartira is a cozy space in Brooklyn open for everyone to walk into. It is where you can sip your drink in our signature yellow mug, relax in a chair, and let your kid loose in the play corner while you finally finish a chapter. It is where a shy new arrival becomes the kid who runs in like it's their living room. It is where a parent who had no one when they landed in New York now trades book recommendations with the person sitting next to them, in two languages.

Over the two years that it has been open, Kvartira has hosted over 700 events in English, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. We welcomed more than 10,000 New Yorkers through our doors this year alone.

In honor of our second anniversary, we are raising $6,500 to fund the next year of Kvartira. We are looking for your support to keep the coffee brewing, the shelves stocked, the play area open, and the whole warm, comforting, well-loved space running for another year.

KvartiraBooks.org

Check out this clip from our video with The Insider:

Why Kvartira Exists

Kvartira Books was built to be a place to read, gather, learn, and breathe without an appointment or an agenda. Kvartira means apartment in Russian, and that's exactly the feeling we're going for.

The community that walks through our doors comes from all over the world. Our shelves hold a collection of books in English, translated from every corner of the globe, alongside titles in Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian. Our audience is just as wide-ranging. Longtime Brooklynites, new arrivals, longtime New Yorkers, and everyone in between all end up in the same room, browsing the same shelves. Whatever language you read in, and wherever you're from, we are happy to share our collection and our space with you.

This summer, as wildfire smoke and record heat waves have kept New Yorkers indoors more than usual, our space has served as exactly what a neighborhood needs in times like this. With air conditioning, a play area for the kids, shelves of books for every age, and comfortable chairs, Kvartira has been a place for Brooklyn residents and those stopping through to relax and take a moment away from whatever is going on outside.

Alexey Kortnev, from Neschastny Sluchai, at Kvartira Books. Photos by Sofia Drobinskaya

Donate $50 or more and we'll send you a Kvartira mug — the same one that's traveled into the hands of some of our favorite authors.

It's a small thing, but it's the kind of small thing that holds a community together. A mug on your desk, a community brewing because of you.

Our Way of Saying Thank You

$25 — handwritten thank-you postcard.

$50 — Kvartira mug + postcard + added to our VIP list for first access to book sales in the language of your choice.

$100 — All of the above + your name on our anniversary wall.

$250 — Everything above + an invitation to a Kvartira family celebratory event at the space this holiday season, open to all languages and ages, with activities and appreciation gifts for all.

$500+ — Everything above + a book of your choice, from our Rare and Gift Book collection.

What Your Donation Funds

Every dollar goes directly to keeping the space open and the programming free or low-cost. Here's what that looks like in practice:

$50 keeps the coffee, tea, and warm space running for a full afternoon of family programming.

$100 buys a stack of new bilingual children's books for our lending library.

$200 supports a month of weekly parent and child gatherings.

$500 - sponsors a full season of free community events, from toddler storytime to author talks, open to the whole neighborhood.

Your gift sustains the full ecosystem that makes Kvartira the supportive, cozy space it is.

A place to come sit, read, and have a coffee, no matter what's happening outside.

A play area where kids can be kids while parents get a break.

A lending library and bookstore with titles for every age, from picture books to literary fiction.

Free and low-cost community events for all age groups, from toddler storytime to author talks to music evenings for grown-ups.

Children's storytimes in Russian and English.

Free cultural celebrations throughout the year.

Fair compensation for the writers, artists, and speakers who lead our programming.

Our national subscription library of books in Russian, extending Kvartira's reach beyond Brooklyn.

Some of Our Recent Events:

Left to Right: Concert of Ukrainian music, Our traditional new year's children's celebration "Yolka", Book presentation by Marina Temkina

What's Next?

Year three is bigger. We're expanding our storytime programming, our science and culture lecture series, and our parent support series, while growing our bilingual lending library and making sure the space itself stays open, comfortable, and welcoming.

None of this happens without you. Whether it's $5 or $500, every donation literally keeps the lights, and the AC, on.

Two Years of Kvartira (kvartirabooks.org)

Brewing Community, One Book at a Time