It seems like a statement of incredible optimism these days that a neighborhood would be working to get an indie bookstore–given the attrition rate of existing ones all over NYC–yet that’s exactly what Fort Greene is doing. There’s even a kickoff event for the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative on September 16. Per an email we received:

Last year the Fort Greene Association’s retail committee surveyed 380 locals about their shopping preferences. 75 percent of respondents (281) cited bookstores as a category in which they wanted more choices. To meet this need, the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative (FGIBI) embarked on a campaign to find an independent bookstore. After months of talking with Brooklyn-based bookstores, the group met Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, a Brooklyn entrepreneur who won the 2007 Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp! Competition for her business plan to open a bookstore in Fort Greene.

The would-be bookstore owner, who lives in Park Slope, also has a blog.