Good Morning Sabah People,
We’re kicking off a new series this Fall called “Mornings With...” - where we spend the morning with New York City creatives & entrepreneurs as they start their day. And, naturally, we do it wearing Shearling Babas.
First up is Sarah McNally, founder of McNally Jackson Books — one of New York's most beloved independent bookstores and, at this point, a true cultural institution. For more than 20 years, Sarah has helped shape the literary life of this city, creating spaces where New Yorkers come not just to buy books, but to discover new ideas, spend time, and feel part of a community. In a city where independent shops come and go, the longevity and depth of what she's built is pretty remarkable, and something we aspire for with Sabah.
I’ve been a fan of her shops for years, always stopping in for something to read ahead of a big trip, but I actually met Sarah at Sabah House New York, right after we opened almost four years ago. She's been a Sabah wearer all these years since, and I've always been proud to know that.
So, on a crisp fall Tuesday morning, we met Sarah at her Seaport bookstore and sat down to talk business, books and, her morning routine.
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
The Sabah Dealer
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The City Needed a Bookstore.
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Sarah moved to New York from Winnipeg in 1999, initially to pursue a career in book publishing, which she'd always imagined to be rather glamorous. But after a few years working as an editor, she realized she missed what she'd grown up around: the energy of a bookstore, the people, the discovery, the independence of it all. And she couldn't quite believe that New York City didn't have a bookstore like the ones her parents had built back home in Canada. So, at just 29 years old, and at a time when many believed independent bookstores were a dying business, she decided to open one herself on Prince Street. That was 2004. |
More than twenty years later, McNally Jackson has become a beloved New York institution, with multiple shops across the city. But what I love most about Sarah's story is that she's built something much bigger than a bookstore: places for people to gather, discover new ideas, and feel connected to their city. And she's done it while remaining fiercely independent.
In many ways, that's what we're trying to do at Sabah, too. Yes, we sell shoes, just as Sarah sells books. But the real ambition is to create places people want to spend time, where they might meet someone new, discover something unexpected, or simply feel part of a community. Sarah's story is a wonderful reminder that a small, independent business can become something much more meaningful than the products it sells.
A few excerpts from our conversation to follow...
Do you go out in the morning?
“I don’t. But, I have this, idea: I think the cities where people are very happy, people have places where they go in the morning. I was in Paris and I thought, God, there’s more chairs than there are people, which is so nice. Don’t you feel like it’s like musical chairs in NYC? There’s one chair for every ten of us.”
What does a perfect NYC morning look like to you?
“For two months I lived right on Central Park North… and that northwest part of Central Park, it’s virgin forest that preexisted New York City. I am not a morning person, but during that time… the idea of missing out on walking the dog in that part of the park was ridiculous… those were the best New York mornings I’ve ever had.”
Do you read in the morning?
“No, but I write in the morning a little bit. Lately, I do sort of automatic writing for 5 minutes or 10 minutes, where I sit and I just sort of brain dump. I’ve never reread what I’ve written. Maybe it’s business ideas. Maybe I’m like, upset about my sister. I don’t know, but it’s all written down.”
And, as we end most conversations like these, we had to ask Sarah, Where To Next?
“After decades of teamwork, I have this craving to do something alone. I want to do something that is just me making something. Which is funny, because when I look back, the happiest I've ever been is when I'm part of a really high-functioning team, and I look around at the people I'm working with and realize how much I respect and like them.”
Sarah's Fall Reading List.
Sarah being Sarah, we couldn’t resist asking her to share her book picks for Fall. She suggested four: (1) Switzy by Emma Cline (2) The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante (3) Man in the Mirror by Anand Giridharadas and (4) The Disappearers by Marlon James. We left the store with one of each for the Sabah HQ Bookshelf. Enjoy!
