Open Door Bookstore: celebrating 50 years

Open Door Bookstore: celebrating 50 years Locally-owned independent bookstore and boutique in the heart of New York's capital region for 50 years!

The Open Door is Schenectady's locally owned independent bookstore and boutique, serving the capital region for 50 years. Our wide selection of books has an emphasis on children’s books, and those of local and regional interest. We also carry a wide array of gifts and jewelry, featuring many US-made and fairtrade items!

Today at 1pm Ben Hoshko will sign "Where Did You Go, Mr. Black?"Have you ever wondered where your cat goes when they are...
09/19/2026

Today at 1pm Ben Hoshko will sign "Where Did You Go, Mr. Black?"

Have you ever wondered where your cat goes when they are outside? Do they visit the neighbors? Do they spend time with other cats? This picture book takes us on an imaginative journey into the adventures of cats and what they get up to!

Ben grew up in Schenectady and graduated from Schenectady High School. After earning an Associate's degree in music from SUNY Schenectady he joined the Army as a saxophonist, serving for twenty-one years to include a tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ben has a Bachelor’s in history and a Master’s in teaching from Liberty University, and is working for Varsity Tutors, helping students throughout the US with AP History. He lives with his family in Kansas, where he takes care of his orchard and writes children's books.

We could like to thank Badiana Badio Eckstrom and Adonis Richards for sharing their books with us this Art Night!
09/18/2026

We could like to thank Badiana Badio Eckstrom and Adonis Richards for sharing their books with us this Art Night!

Tonight at 5pm we're celebrating Art Night with two amazing authors: Badiana Badio Eckstrom will be reading from and sig...
09/18/2026

Tonight at 5pm we're celebrating Art Night with two amazing authors: Badiana Badio Eckstrom will be reading from and signing "Black Women in Bloom" and Adonis Richards will be reading and signing from "Confessions of a Hopeless Creative."

Badiana Badio Eckstrom reading from & signing "Black Women in Bloom"
"Black Women in Bloom" is a limited-edition coffee table book celebrating the becoming journeys of black women writers around the world, alongside photography and illustrations all by Black women artists.

Badiana Badio Eckstrom is a writer and poet, whose work intersects identity, wellness, and the stories women carry in their bodies. She is a featured contributor in "Black Women" in Bloom, a globally distributed limited- edition coffee table book, and serves on the board of Electric City Community Grocery.

Adonis Richards reading from & signing "Confessions of a Hopeless Creative"
The book explores themes of personal healing, self discovery
and the emotional realities of being an artist.

Adonis Richards is an Afro-Latino poet, currently serving as the Assistant Director of Programs for Post-Secondary and Workforce Development for 518ElevatED. He is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. He is the Inaugural Poet Laureate of Schenectady.


He is the Inaugural Poet Laureate of Schenectady.

Oh my goodness, it's time for our annual Children's Art Contest!Design a book jacket for your favorite book! Artwork wil...
09/18/2026

Oh my goodness, it's time for our annual Children's Art Contest!

Design a book jacket for your favorite book! Artwork will be judged for originality, creativity, and interpretation of the book’s theme. Entries are due in the store before October 9. Winners in each grade level (one through eight) will receive gift certificates from The Open Door, and all entries will be displayed in the store windows Nov. 15-21.

Full rules and entry form can be picked up in store or you can download a .pdf here:https://files.constantcontact.com/2a9009d3101/fe8b5efd-d0ed-4320-9530-89587cb65515.pdf

On Friday, September 18 at 5pm we're celebrating Art Night with two amazing authors: Badiana Badio Eckstrom will be read...
09/17/2026

On Friday, September 18 at 5pm we're celebrating Art Night with two amazing authors: Badiana Badio Eckstrom will be reading from and signing "Black Women in Bloom" and Adonis Richards will be reading and signing from "Confessions of a Hopeless Creative."

Badiana Badio Eckstrom reading & signing "Black Women in Bloom"
"Black Women in Bloom" is a limited-edition coffee table book celebrating the becoming journeys of black women writers around the world, alongside photography and illustrations all by Black women artists.

Badiana Badio Eckstrom is a writer and poet, whose work intersects identity, wellness, and the stories women carry in their bodies. She is a featured contributor in "Black Women" in Bloom, a globally distributed limited- edition coffee table book, and serves on the board of Electric City Community Grocery.

Adonis Richards reading & signing "Confessions of a Hopeless Creative"
The book explores themes of personal healing, self discovery
and the emotional realities of being an artist.

Adonis Richards is an Afro-Latino poet, currently serving as the Assistant Director of Programs for Post-Secondary and Workforce Development for 518ElevatED. He is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. He is the Inaugural Poet Laureate of Schenectady.


He is the Inaugural Poet Laureate of Schenectady.

On Saturday, September 19 at 1pm Ben Hoshko will sign "Where Did You Go, Mr. Black?"Have you ever wondered where your ca...
09/17/2026

On Saturday, September 19 at 1pm Ben Hoshko will sign "Where Did You Go, Mr. Black?"

Have you ever wondered where your cat goes when they are outside? Do they visit the neighbors? Do they spend time with other cats? This picture book takes us on an imaginative journey into the adventures of cats and what they get up to!

Ben grew up in Schenectady and graduated from Schenectady High School. After earning an Associate's degree in music from SUNY Schenectady he joined the Army as a saxophonist, serving for twenty-one years to include a tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ben has a Bachelor’s in history and a Master’s in teaching from Liberty University, and is working for Varsity Tutors, helping students throughout the US with AP History. He lives with his family in Kansas, where he takes care of his orchard and writes children's books.

We love new hardcovers and this week does not disappoint!"Our Noble Selves" by Kate Atkinson"More" by Gillian Anderson"W...
09/17/2026

We love new hardcovers and this week does not disappoint!

"Our Noble Selves" by Kate Atkinson
"More" by Gillian Anderson
"We Chase Shadows" by Richard Osman
"The Perilous Fight" by Colin Kaepernick
"Styx: The River" by Nikita Gill
"The Thoroughbreds" by Elin Hildebrand
"Dead Beat" by Leigh Bardugo

Are you looking for something a little less expensive, a little more portable? We have got some great new paperbacks wai...
09/16/2026

Are you looking for something a little less expensive, a little more portable? We have got some great new paperbacks waiting for you!

"Bread of Angels" by Patti Smith
"Boy from the North Country" by Sam Sussman
"Life and Art" by Richard Russo
"What Happened to You?" by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry
"King Sorrow" by Joe Hill
"The Women" by Kristin Hannah

We have a cool new picture book this week! "Spooky Rivers" by Geo Rutherford is available now.From Geo Rutherford—the cr...
09/16/2026

We have a cool new picture book this week! "Spooky Rivers" by Geo Rutherford is available now.

From Geo Rutherford—the creator of the hit series Spooky Lake Month (over 79 million likes!)—comes this thrilling nonfiction book that follows the winding histories of 25 mysterious rivers around the world. Readers will explore natural phenomena, scientific oddities, historical events, and environmental disasters, as well as the myths and legends tied to these waterways, which are increasingly threatened by climate change.

Rivers are Earth’s restless travelers—carving landscapes, shaping history, and holding secrets. Some are forces of destruction, sweeping away everything in their path, while others are lifelines, sustaining civilizations for millennia. And some are both, bringing prosperity and devastation in equal measure.

From deadly whirlpools to lost cities submerged beneath their waves, these rivers challenge everything we think we know about the natural world. There are rivers that catch fire, rivers that boil, and rivers so deep they seem bottomless. Some slither beneath the ground you stand on, while others vanish without a trace.

Who knew rivers could be so . . . spooky?

Backed by extensive research and packed with all-new content—including eerie and eye-popping gouache illustrations in full color—Spooky Rivers takes readers on an adventure through weird and wild waters.

Out today and one I'm very excited for: We have "Exit Party" by Emily St. John Mandel on our shelves now!Los Angeles, 20...
09/15/2026

Out today and one I'm very excited for: We have "Exit Party" by Emily St. John Mandel on our shelves now!

Los Angeles, 2031: The first spring after the collapse of the United States, peacekeeping troops withdraw from the city, the Jacaranda trees blossom, and the curfew is finally lifted. Ari Waker and her roommate pass the gauntlet of bomb-sniffing dogs, the shanty towns, and the Red Cross tents as they walk across Silverlake to a party. The mood is ecstatic inside the apartment, people drink and dance, a woman wears a silver dress, pleated like tinfoil. And then: A shift. A bewildered twin, an uncanny doppelganger stumbles through the crowd and out into the night, and Kareem, the party’s host, vanishes into thin air.

As Ari Waker unravels the mystery of this inexplicable night, Emily St. John Mandel unfurls a story that takes us from a future America splintered by civil war to the seaside cliffs of Greece where weapons dealers hide in an elegant resort, and from the domed city of Paris to a colony on the moon. An unforgettable literary feat, Exit Party is a novel about the price of safety, the perils of the surveillance state, a requiem for a world not unlike our own, and a breathtaking story of resilience in the face of cataclysmic change.

Address

128 Jay Street
Schenectady, NY
12305

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

+15183462719

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Open Door Bookstore: celebrating 50 years posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category