Atticus Coffehouse
Address:
1082 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510
Phone:
(203) 776-4040
Hours:
- Mon: 7am-9pm
- Tue: 7am-9pm
- Wed: 7am-9pm
- Thu: 7am-9pm
- Fri: 7am-10pm
- Sat: 7am-10pm
- Sun: 8am-9pm
Other Details:
The location in the Yale Center for British Art, perhaps the best retail location in New Haven, evolved from a trip to an Asian Grocery store in 1975. It was one of the few vegetarian alternatives and sought out by my friend Jane Naliboff , who has raised three exceptionally talented daughters and has herself become a successful children’s book author. If the beginning was accidental, it was also a prelude to an incredible cadre of creative people who made Atticus a New Haven icon: a destination for tens of thousands of students, New Havenites, and celebrities. The bookstore opened in 1976, before the museum itself. It was designed by Jay Bright, who emulated the white oak finish of the Louis Kahn interior of the museum. The two comfortable chairs, visible from the street, and the custom designed fixtures were a significant counterpoint to the generic mall stores of the era. In 1980, we relocated an adjacent cheese store and expanded. The first manager of the bookstore was George Wagner, whom we recruited from the 24 Store a block away. He knew more about books than anyone I have met in all my years in the business. He would hold a trade paperback in his hand and literally feel its appeal. He left, along with another employee, to form a competitor that still exists today.
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