Over the years, I’ve discovered hundreds of used, secondhand and antiquarian bookshops, but none as unique as New York City’s Sweet Pickle Books.  The founder and owner Leigh Altshuler had always dreamed of opening her own bookstore, but the time never seemed to be quite right. Then, in 2020, everything changed.

During the dark days of the Pandemic she found herself jobless and at loose ends. Growing up in a Eastern European household, books and pickles were a constant.  So Altshuler decided to combine the two passions in a shop that featured both artisan pickles and secondhand books.

The combination of the two makes Sweet Pickles Books so unique. Customers can bring a few books of their own and trade them for some of Leigh’s delicious pickles.

Located at 47 Orchard Street, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Sweet Pickles is situated in an historic district that once was home to immigrants from Eastern Europe and dozens of pickle makers.

Altshuler is planning on opening another store for antiquarian, rare and collectible books. The new shop will be called ‘Sweet Pickle Books: Rare, Fine and Fancy’.