Tucked into 731 Washington Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Kvartira Books (formerly known as MyBiblioteka) is a bookstore, a library, a community center, a cultural anchor and a classroom. What also makes this place stand out is that there are carefully gathered books in Russian and Ukrainian.
It is a small, woman-owned business. A home for literature and belonging in a borough that has long been shaped by immigrant life.
What does the name “Kvartira” mean?
The word “kvartira” means “apartment” in Russian and Ukrainian. It’s an intimate, domestic word — not a grand house, but the specific, lived-in space. Choosing this name was not accidental. It signals exactly what the founders intended: not a store you pass through, but a space you inhabit.
For the Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking community in New York, that has grown significantly in recent years, this space carries meaning far beyond its square footage. When you are raising children far from your native country, the stakes of keeping your native language alive feel urgent and daily.
The collection of Kvartira Books
The collection includes over 3,000 titles spanning children’s books, young adult literature, and adult reading. Every book is described as handpicked for the quality of its text, the distinctiveness of its illustrations, and its attention to emotional intelligence.
Books in both languages sit alongside each other on these shelves, as do titles translated from all corners of the world, making the store a genuinely global library filtered through a Slavic linguistic lens.
The library by mail
Long before Kvartira Books had its physical Brooklyn location, it was building community through the mail. The subscription-based library service — which operates under the name MyBiblioteka — is one of the most distinctive things about this enterprise, and one of the reasons its reach extends far beyond New York.
The premise is simple and rather lovely: subscribers receive a rotating selection of books, borrowed rather than owned, delivered to their doorstep and returned by mail when finished. The borrower keeps a set of three books at a time, swapping them out as they go.
For families outside Brooklyn, for homeschooling parents in the Midwest or bilingual households in California or Texas, this service is often the only practical way to access a meaningful variety of high-quality Russian and Ukrainian literature.
Events That Bring the Books to Life
One of the most exciting aspects of Kvartira Books is its events calendar. The store operates more like a cultural institution than a retail shop. Programming spans the full range of its community:
For children: Regular Saturday storytimes, bilingual read-alouds, creative classes, and seasonal events give kids a reason to keep coming back. The emphasis on making these sessions joyful and social — with snacks, with stickers, with the informal warmth of a neighborhood gathering — sets them apart from more dutiful educational programming.
For adults and teens: Book launches, poetry readings, and community discussions bring a more literary dimension to the space.
For the broader community: Art exhibitions, cultural gatherings, and community events open the space up to anyone drawn by curiosity or connection.
Visitor’s information
📍Kvartira Books / 731 Washington Ave Brooklyn, NY 11238
Hours: 11AM-6PM (5:30 on the weekends)
Website: kvartirabooks.org
