Asbury Book Cooperative

The Asbury Book Cooperative was founded in 2012 by a group of local artists, musicians, and writers who wanted a bookstore that matched Asbury Park's fearlessly creative spirit. Organized as a worker-owned cooperative, the store occupies a sun-drenched Cookman Avenue storefront where rotating gallery exhibitions share wall space with bookshelves. The music and counterculture section is the store's heartbeat, filled with titles on punk, soul, and the Jersey Shore sound that put Asbury Park on the map. An extensive LGBTQ+ literature section reflects the town's proud and vibrant queer community, and a zine rack near the entrance showcases self-published work from across the region. The in-store cafe serves fair-trade coffee, and the back room hosts everything from poetry slams to documentary screenings, making the cooperative as much a cultural center as a place to buy books.