As a child, Mr.Drougas loved books and dreamed of becoming like an old and grumpy bookstore owner who owned a small bookstore in Long Island where his family would spend summers.
“I was always collecting books for myself and even created a lending library thing for my classmates when I was in sixth grade,” said Drougas, 71, who has a long flowing white beard and wears a Stetson hat.
His dreams came true when almost 30 years ago he opened Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books on Carmine Street, a holdout of the West Village’s bohemian roots.
Photo by Stacy Kim
His bookstore, like a treasure island in the middle of the city, has books stacked on top of one another and shelves filled with used books on every wall. Upon entry, customers can see two posters above an area that stocks books about or by Bob Dylan, who is known as “a key figure in the development of the Village’s culture during the 1960’s onward.” Alex, a two-year-old cat that follows Mr.Drougas everywhere, was sitting through the interview next to Mr.Drougas.
On Carmine Street, many popular businesses like the House of Oldies have disappeared and businesses like Berber Street Food, which opened in 2018, are new on the street. However, Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books, which remains alive, is now as iconic as Bob Dylan.
The past year and a half since the pandemic started have been particularly challenging for a small business owner such as Drougas.
“About a year and a half ago, we were forced to stay closed until this summer. It was so desolate,” James Drougas, the owner of the bookstore that has been open for 30 years, said. “We haven’t had too many international customers who used to frequently visit us again and again, but they’re coming back now.”
Even before he was allowed to open the store during the pandemic, Mr.Drougas said he took a leap of faith and bought a lot of new books to bring into the store.
“We are not flourishing, but we are at least getting by,” Mr.Drougas said.
The bookstore had a moment of fame when its distinctive outside sign was featured in the 2014 romantic comedy film, “Obvious Child,” whose main character, Donna played by Jenny Slate, works in Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books.
The unconventional name of the bookstore, Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books, immediately caught the attention of audiences. “Audiences laugh so hard when the sign pops up. Either they know the store or they just chuckle because the name is so great,” Ms.Robespierre told Off the Grid.
Although many people had told Mr.Drougas to change the name in the beginning, Mr.Drougas, who gave his store the name, said he is glad that he kept the name.
He went on to joke that while people still seek out the store after seeing it in the film, his cat is now the main star.
Mr.Drougas, with long white hair wearing a Stetson, has a two-year-old cat named Alex that follows him everywhere at the store. “Actually, Alex has really taken over the photo sessions,” Drougas said. She gets more pictures than our sign, so I’m a little jealous.”
The name of the store also suggests that this independent bookstore aims to not have prices that are oppressively high as other markets like Amazon.
“We are anti-imperialist. It suggests we are not Amazon. We are not going to take over the world, but we are accessible in terms of price,” Mr.Drougas said.
Books in his store are bargain books, many of which Mr.Drougas purchases from warehouses in Tennessee or Pittsburgh. The reason for low prices of bargain books that are mostly half the retail price is because warehouses buy those books from publishers that have too many copies of a specific title and sell them off cheap.
Mr.Drougas said he “never deals with pennies” because sales taxes are included. For example, if a book is $5, it will say “$4.59 + tax” on the sticker that is attached on the cover.
The entire place is a reflection of his personal taste. His choices include William Blake, Angela Davis, Laurence Ferlinghetti, Patti Smith, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, over 35 different books by or about Bob Dylan, and many more. Mr.Drougas said he would not “taint his store” with names like Ayn Rand.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and many other challenges, the bookstore is still enriching the lives of many New Yorkers who love books and his cat, Alex. Mr.Drougas’s bookstore has been drawing attention from many bookworms, celebrities and tourists as the place full of his favorites is giving off a vibe of Greenwich Village in the 1990s.
“I cannot pretend that things are perfect, because with the news of the South African variant, everything is unpredictable. But I’m still willing to give it a go. There’s always this magical consequence of squeaking by,” Mr.Drougas said.