Asbury Book Cooperative becomes a nonprofit while remaining a staple of the community

By:  | January 29, 2025 |  |  Monmouth County

By Emma Sylvia

It’s easy to get lost in a bookstore, perusing the aisles until you practically have to get dragged away to prevent yourself from buying enough books to make your arms hurt. That’s just the experience you get, however, from Asbury Book Cooperative on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park. Manager Michael Newton — a self-professed long-time reader and lover of bookstores himself —elaborates on the cooperative’s journey to becoming a local staple and its newly minted status as a nonprofit.

“When I was a young man, I would just go and get lost in a bookstore,” Newton says. After a career in publishing in New York, Newton transferred to New Jersey and began participating in used book sales and library sales. It was through this that he met Asbury Book Cooperative ’s former manager, Jan Sparrow, and founder, Liza Minno-Bloom. Newton officially began working for Asbury Book Cooperative — which was formerly called “Words” — in February 2020.

“It was an interesting time,” Newton says. “It was right before lockdown happened. We had just gotten the co-op up and running and figuring out how to run a business during the pandemic.”

The community response, Newton says, is what allowed Asbury Book Cooperative to continue during the pandemic.

“We had a great response from the community. It showed us how invested people were in books and bookstores, and they were invested in helping us survive and thrive.”

In April 2022, Asbury Book Cooperative moved to a larger location on Cookman Avenue, and in May 2023, Newton became the General Manager. 

While the terminology between a “co-op” and a “nonprofit” seems similar, there are distinct differences that make Asbury Book Cooperative’s new status worth celebrating.

“In terms of a mission, the status of a co-op and a nonprofit is similar in the sense that both are entities that are concerned with not just turning a profit, but having an impact in the community,” Newton explains.

However, a co-op has more taxes to pay than a nonprofit organization. A co-op’s revenue is also primarily derived from goods and services rather than donations. Newton elaborates on that technical side of the definition but is more excited about what he calls the exciting reason for becoming a nonprofit.

“For a long time, we have been focused on community. We would visit homes for the elderly with books, we would have book tables at public housing. We got a great response from that. We get to do the book drive during the holidays and the backpack drive during the summer. If we become a nonprofit, it allows us to focus on those things equally, as much as the store. In the co-op days, we had to focus more on the store. We now have more freedom to not focus on profit; we can instead focus on community building and literacy building efforts.”

A true town bookstore (that loves its town)

Asbury Book Cooperative incorporates Asbury Park’s DNA into their business strategy. The store is entwined with music, whether you head down to Springwood Park to see Asbury Book Cooperative’s free book table, or pop-in to the store itself for one of their free concerts.

“It’s a music town, and a performing town. A lot of smaller venues closed during the pandemic. This was a space where smaller acts had a place to play. It’s a great fit for the town – any time the store is busy and full of people, it benefits everyone.” 

Newton says that when people come to a town to visit, they want to visit the shops downtown. He says, “We thought that in terms of the town, there should be a marquee bookstore that was an anchor to the whole town. I think being a nonprofit helps push us further in that direction. A key to a successful bookstore is to make the people feel like it’s part of the community.” 

Jordan Hayes, the Events and Community Outreach Director of Asbury Book Cooperative, also lauds the community aspect of being a nonprofit on Cookman Avenue.

“My grandfather was one of the first Black doctors in the area, and my great-grandma started a lot of programming in the 30s in the Asbury Park area. Monmouth’s in our blood — it’s amazing. To become a nonprofit means we have more opportunity to do more for the kids, families, and adults of all economic backgrounds. We’re very lucky to have this space and be on Cookman, bridging the gap between the west and east sides. We’re making it a community space that anyone can go to. I think that’s key – showing people that we’re together and we’re not separated,” Hayes says.

The community outreach to Asbury Book Cooperative is visible through its sheer number of volunteers. With more than fifty volunteers in total, it’s clear that folks in town are eager to support their local bookstore. “People just love books and reading, and they’re hungry to have spaces like that in our town,” Newton says. “It’s really gratifying. That community interest is what has allowed us to live through these years.”

2024 was a growth year for the nonprofit, with time spent on scheduling events. “We had a ton of concerts and readings. We were able to do something with the Stone Pony, too,” Hayes says. In 2025, the nonprofit’s plan is to double down on these events, with more concerts and bigger author events. 

But no matter how big the events get, for bookworms, the magical allure of a great bookstore such as this is as simple and pure as it’s ever been.

“We always say that Asbury Book Cooperative is a browser’s paradise, says Newton. “That’s what we try to be. A place where people can come and get lost in the shelves for a while. It’s very restful and it spurs creativity. We want to be that place for people.”

To learn more about Asbury Book Cooperative or how to donate, visit AsburyBookCoop.com and follow them on Instagram at @asbury_book_cooperative