Harry Styles, the amphibious pop sensation who’s just finished a month-long run at Madison Square Garden, has found a fresh foe. And I’m not referring to Channing Tatum.
Enter Bonnie Slotnick, a cherished bookseller and purveyor of cookbooks in the East Village for many years. As the neighborhood blog EV Grieve reported last week, Slotnick was taken into custody on Friday after a clash with some of Styles’ entourage.
How did these two worlds collide, you might wonder? In August, the singer’s team opened a pop-up shop for merchandise on the same quiet downtown block that houses Slotnick’s cookbook shop, which has been operating for three decades.
From its much more recent arrival in the neighborhood, the Styles pop-up has drawn a crowd of devoted fans who spill onto the sidewalks as they wait for Harry. (New Yorkers apparently love lines these days; it’s become a thing.) A line-management crew with several security guards was brought in to maintain order. But not for the longtime residents.
As Slotnick told Gothamist, the pop-up has been especially bothersome for the block’s small businesses. “I don’t think the people standing in line, who are mostly from elsewhere, have any idea of the disruption they’re causing,” she wrote in an email statement.
Before Friday’s altercation, tension had been simmering for weeks between Slotnick and a particular guard. As she told EV Grieve, on the day of the incident the Styles supporter was blocking the space where Slotnick usually parks and locks her bike. Angry words were exchanged, then Slotnick moved toward the guard with a lock in hand.
There was a scuffle—both wrists ended up bruised—and someone shouted “assault.”
Slotnick subsequently spent 12 hours in custody. Neither she nor the guard appear to have sustained serious injuries, but the bookseller left with four charges—including harassment and possession of a weapon.
Although she doesn’t fully defend her actions, Slotnick told Gothamist that circumstances contributed. “The line has wreaked havoc on my mental state,” she said. “I dread coming to work on the days the pop-up is open, which is five days a week.”
Slotnick also told EV Grieve, I feel like what this story can turn into, or maybe is … a crabby old lady getting really mad at young people. And I don’t really need that to be my image any more than it already is.
I want to make sure that whatever information comes out about this doesn’t damage my business. I don’t want people to be afraid of me, and I don’t want people to think that I’m crazy, or that I’m a Karen.
For the record? I believe her! We don’t condone violence, but Team Bonnie, all the way. Not least because her thoughtfully chosen vintage titles have rescued my holiday gift-giving on three separate occasions.
But others in the indie-bookselling world have weighed in too. Acknowledging the aggravating trend of pop-up lines on quiet streets, an employee at Left Bank Books noted that “these lines, mostly for corporate and private-equity backed businesses, impede traffic flows, obstruct small businesses and local residents, and don’t arise as an organic expression of a neighborhood’s culture or street life.” Which, fair enough.
According to Gothamist, Styles’ team has yet to comment on the whole kerfuffle. But when it comes to Bonnie Slotnick’s shop, perhaps we should take a cue from the singer’s own words and let things be “As It Was.”
