Sweet Pickle Books
Used book store · Chinatown ·
Used books, unique pickle exchange, and vintage culinary items
Used books, unique pickle exchange, and vintage culinary items
"A New York-based independent bookseller concentrating on food writing and vintage culinary materials, offering pamphlets, matchbooks, and retro recipes that make charming, low-cost additions to curated goodie bags." - Nat Belkov
"A used bookstore and pickle shop in the Lower East Side owned by Leigh Altshuler; her pickles are featured on the Baby Blues Luncheonette menu and her connection helped bring Hank O’Neal posters to the luncheonette's retro, music-focused decor." - Emma Orlow
"An ode to the film Crossing Delancey and the neighborhood's pickling history, Sweet Pickle Books pairs used books with jarred pickles made exclusively for the shop and houses coveted merch—hats, sweatshirts, mugs, and baseball caps—sporting slogans like “New York’s Best Pickle Bookstore,” so the pickle theme never gets sour." - Emma Orlow
"I opened a bookstore that also sells pickles, celebrating Pickle Day each October as part of the shop’s quirky identity after launching my first business in November." - Luke Fortney
"Opened in November on the Lower East Side, I found Sweet Pickle Books at 47 Orchard Street to be a risk-taking used bookstore and specialty food shop launched by Leigh Altshuler after she lost her marketing job at the McKittrick Hotel early in the pandemic. The shop pairs a curated selection of used books — niche topics like psychedelics, “books you lied about reading,” and a robust vintage cooking section that tends to be a best seller — with a singular, custom line of pickles made exclusively for the store in collaboration with a Texas farm: 32-ounce jars of dill and a jalapeño-spiced version (the only place they’re sold) priced at $12.95. Altshuler sources cukes grown on the partner farm that are bottled and sent to New Jersey for pickup; she plans to expand into other pickled goods like beets and sauerkraut and emphasizes the neighborhood’s immigrant pickling history. The pickle theme runs through the merch (vintage mugs, tote bags), the shop’s approachable, playful vibe (complete with a hanging disco ball), and programming that supports other small businesses through pop-ups; the store is generally open most days except Mondays (weekday hours about 1–7 p.m., weekends 11 a.m.–8 p.m., with daily hours posted on Instagram)." - Emma Orlow
