Woke bookstore that lured junkies to posh LES nabe suddenly shuts down

Woke broke the bookstore.

The radical Lower East Side shop that lured drug addicts to its storefront by offering free clothing, food and Narcan suddenly shut down Tuesday — sparking internal warfare and finger pointing.

Without warning, Bluestockings Cooperative announced that it would permanently shut down after more than 26 years, stating that “daily operations are unfortunately no longer sustainable on multiple fronts.”

“This was our absolute last resort. On top of our crew’s ongoing struggle against the organized abandonment of New York City and the constant crises, the remaining worker-owner and staff are at the limits of what they can manage in terms of health, disability, and finances,” a statement posted to Instagram reads.

The Suffolk Street shop blamed the closure on its failure as a worker-owned cooperative to “come to consensus around the guiding principles and practices Bluestockings should embody” — adding that an inability to align on political and business operations directly led to the setbacks the business faced over the last two years.

“Of course, $12,000 a month in rent, thousands in utilities, and racist, classist violence from ‘neighbors’ certainly didn’t make our work any easier,” the statement continued.

Bluestockings came under intense outrage from its posh Lower East Side neighborhood, which transformed into a “zombie apocalypse” of strung-out junkies shooting up in broad daylight who were drawn to the bookstore’s free and indiscriminate services.

The self-described “radically inclusive” shop was a state-recognized Opiate Overdose Prevention Program and offered “harm reduction services” like Narcan, drug-testing strips and a used needle-drop off bin — which neighbors alleged enabled the junkies.

In recent years, Bluestockings plunged into around $100,000 in debt to its publishers and book distributors, according to reports.

When The Post visited Wednesday, there were no signs posted indicating its closure. A worker, who was seen taping a “UPS please knock” sign, declined to comment when approached by a reporter, directing all inquiries toward the bookstore’s social media statement.

Neighbors, however, celebrated the closure and expressed hope that its termination would finally usher out the five regulars who have turned Suffolk Street into a drug den.

“It’s going to be a plus,” said Marie, 68, who has lived on the block for her entire life.

“I heard they were giving out free needles, which is a good thing and a bad thing because everyone knew where to go, but I guess no one was overdosing from a bad needle … You see the [drug] exchanges in front of your face.”

The retired meter maid admitted that the issue has lessened in recent years, but that the street — which houses a pre-school — fills up with homeless addicts at night. Police pass through during the day more frequently, she added.

While the decision to shutter the shop might have stifled outrage from neighbors, it ignited a new battle between the employees.

Numerous “worker-owners” of the cooperative flooded the comments section of the Bluestocking’s closing announcement to claim they had not been consulted before they were fired from their gigs, a move they described as “violent” and racially-charged.

“My collective of in-store workers, all melanated POC, did not make this decision. the white folks on the lease who are former worker owners made this decision without consulting any of us. hold the white folks attempting to act like this was a collective process accountable. this is false and white violence,” one employee by the name of Dheivanai claimed.

Fellow “worker-owner” Jay Gandhi, who helped run day-to-day operations, told Gothamist they and other staffers were not told about the closure ahead of time and were booted from the store’s digital accounts without warning.

“This was not a consensus,” Gandhi said. “If you’re a cooperative and if you’re worker-owned, the people who were actually working had not contributed to this decision.”

Gandhi claims they and other workers were in the midst of transferring ownership from the “legal owners” and were not told closure was on the table.

Co-owner Raquel Espasande did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, but told Gothamist that the transition was delayed beyond feasibility because the employees were concerned about inheriting Bluestocking’s six-figure debt.

While the brick-and-mortar shop has shut its doors, Bluestockings said it would continue to operate through 2025 to fulfill book orders. Memberships will officially turn off Dec. 15.

A GoFundMe originally kickstarted to keep the shop alive will remain active through the remainder of the year, with the $65,000 funds raised so far being put toward settling debts and compensating its crew.