McNally Jackson
| File:McNally Jackson logo.png | |
 McNally Jackson Bookstore, Prince Street location | |
| Industry | Specialty retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Sarah McNally |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 5 branches |
Area served | New York metropolitan area |
| Products | New, used, and rare books |
| Owner | Sarah McNally |
| Website | mcnallyjackson |
McNally Jackson Books is a New York City-based independent bookstore that has been owned and managed by Sarah McNally since its establishment in 2004.[1] The business operates five retail locations throughout the city, including neighborhoods such as Soho, Rockefeller Center, Seaport, Downtown Brooklyn, and Williamsburg. In addition, it runs three stationery outlets under the name Goods for the Study. The company’s publishing division, McNally Editions, focuses on reviving overlooked literary works.[2] According to a 2025 report by New York magazine, McNally Jackson ranks as probably the third-largest book purchaser in the city, surpassed only by Barnes & Noble and the Strand.[3]
Family Background
Sarah McNally was born in 1975 to Paul and Holly McNally, who founded the Canadian bookstore chain McNally Robinson in 1981.[1][3] Raised in Winnipeg, she began working at a young age, initially delivering newspapers at eight and later assisting with inventory in the backroom of McNally Robinson from age 13. After completing a philosophy degree at McGill University, she spent eighteen months traveling through East Africa before relocating to New York City in 1999. Prior to launching her own bookstore, McNally gained experience as an editor at Basic Books.[3]
Establishment
In 2004, Sarah McNally opened her own bookstore initially branded as a branch of McNally Robinson, funded with financial support from her grandfather.[1][3] She selected a site on Prince Street in the Nolita neighborhood after thorough consideration. The store was rebranded as McNally Jackson in August 2008, inspired by her infant son with Christopher Jackson. Although Christopher Jackson, a senior publishing editor and McNally’s husband from 2004 to 2010, did not hold any official role within the store,[1][4][3][5] the store invested in an Espresso Book Machine by October 2011 to print titles from major publishers as well as around 700 self-published books monthly. This printing service continued until 2017.[1] Despite remaining independently owned by Sarah McNally, her parents sold their shares of the original McNally Robinson chain to longtime employees in 2012.[6]
Sarah McNally personally oversees frontlist acquisitions and is recognized for emphasizing a selection that includes older titles, international writers, and works from small presses.[3] In 2019, employees across all five McNally Jackson locations voted to form a union; this led to a collective bargaining agreement being finalized in 2021.[3]
Additional locations
In 2013, McNally launched a dedicated stationery shop named Goods for the Study, situated just a short distance from the original McNally Jackson bookstore. Since then, the company has expanded with several other branches.[3]
The second McNally Jackson bookstore opened in January 2018 within the Lewis Steel Building at 76 N 4 St in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This was followed by the establishment of a third location in the South Street Seaport in September 2019,[7] a fourth store launched in Downtown Brooklyn in March 2022,[8] and a fifth location debuted in 2023 inside the former Time & Life Building at Rockefeller Center.[9]
In early April 2023, the flagship store on Prince Street relocated a few blocks away,[10][11] following disputes with the landlord regarding rent hikes from $350,000 to $850,000 annually.[3]
Publishing
On August 26, 2021, McNally Editions was introduced as a new paperback reprint line focused on bringing attention to overlooked literary treasures. The initial releases featured works by authors such as David Foster Wallace, Han Suyin, Penelope Mortimer, Kay Dick, Margaret Kennedy, and Roy Heath.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namednyt - ↑ "About McNally Editions". McNally Editions. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ Chamberlin, Jeremiah (November–December 2010). "Inside Indie Bookstores: McNally Jackson Books in New York City". Poets & Writers. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ Sucher, Cheryl Pearl (December 15, 2008). "Glimmers of Hope". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ "McNally Robinson Booksellers is sold". CBC Manitoba. October 3, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Seen & Heard: McNally Jackson is open at the Seaport". Tribeca Citizen. September 5, 2019.
- ↑ Hubert, Craig (March 2, 2020). "McNally Jackson Opens Its Doors at Downtown Brooklyn's City Point". Brownstoner.
- ↑ Leaden, Claire (January 6, 2023). "A 7,000-Square-Foot McNally Jackson Location Is Now Open At Rockefeller Center". Secret NYC.
- ↑ Rhamanan, Anna (March 16, 2023). "The iconic McNally Jackson bookstore on Prince Street is officially moving". TimeOut.
- ↑ "NYC's McNally Jackson Flagship Store Reopens in New Location". Shelf Awareness. April 3, 2023.
- ↑ Temple, Emily (August 26, 2021). "McNally Jackson is publishing gorgeous new paperback editions of overlooked classics". Literary Hub. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
External links
- Official website of McNally Jackson Books
- McNally Editions official site