Over the past few years, Ellenville has seen a wave of new businesses contributing to the gradual revitalization of the village. Its newest addition is the Common Good bookstore and bar: a spot for readers, history buffs, and socializers alike. Owner Matthew Goldman—a former bookseller, touring punk musician, and high school history teacher—is combining his passions for books, learning, and meaningful connections to create a welcoming venue for both locals and visitors.
The bookstore occupies the middle and far-right bays of 119 Canal Street. Inside, you’ll find sections for fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature, each designed to have its own distinct space while blending into an overall open layout.
Goldman worked with custom furniture and cabinetry company Studio Glagola and designer Samantha Leeds of Creatures of Place to renovate the space. They removed tile, knocked down nonstructural walls, and added an ADA-compliant bathroom. Goldman also gives credit to his electrician and floorer, Anthony of GM Electric Enterprises and Tony of Antnee’s Painting, as well as his wife for her support and his brother-in-law for consulting on the project since its inception.
The full bar, styled after a traditional British pub, seats about 10 to 12 people and features a full banquette and a bar rail (the entire bookstore seats about 34 to 36). The cocktail-forward menu features local spirits and includes drinks named after Andrew J. Bacevich and Bruce J. Schulman, former professors at Boston University who served as Goldman’s intellectual mentors (he’s excited to carry their books, too).
“I’ve had so many happy memories where books and alcohol were combined,” Goldman reflects. “I didn’t have many friends during my undergrad, so I would take a book to the bar, and I made so many friends that way—so many intellectual conversations. Alcohol allows us to open up a little more to the possibilities of socializing around us.”
In addition to its drinks, the menu at Common Good includes a variety of prepared foods, such as hot and cold sandwiches, pastries, bagels, spreads, muffins, and a soup of the day. Other highlights include the “Uncommonly Good” Cobb salad, a meat and cheese board, and bar snacks like soft pretzels, hard pretzels, and corn nuts. Coffee is sourced from Swing’s Coffee, a historic roaster founded in 1916 in Alexandria, Virginia. The coffee menu includes drip, cafe au lait, pour-overs, French press, and espresso made with a moka pot. Matcha and chai are also available.
Goldman’s connection to Ellenville goes back to his childhood. His paternal grandparents, Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Paterson, New Jersey, worked low-wage factory jobs but spent time during the summer in the bungalow colonies and resorts of the lower Catskills. Goldman’s parents continued their tradition by taking him and his brother on vacations to the region, including trips to the Nevele Resort in Ellenville and Kutsher’s Sports Academy in Monticello. “This place holds a very important place in my heart and family history, so building [the bookstore] here is special,” says Goldman.
The Common Good held a soft launch on October 20, with limited hours and a reduced menu, and began regular hours on October 24. Goldman’s goal is to make the store a community space where people can come together. “I really want to elevate students in the area and have events for people of all ages,” he explains of his plans for open mic nights, trivia competitions, author readings, and adult history classes.
The bookstore has already sponsored a film during the inaugural 2024 Borscht Belt Film Fest (Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort on November 3) and hosted the VIP lounge for directors and their guests.
As for the bookstore’s selection, Goldman emphasizes that he doesn’t pretend to know everything about every genre. “I lean on people who have experience where I don’t,” he says. “Personally, I’m spending a lot of time on nonfiction. I did my undergrad in American history, foreign policy, and cultural history, so I want a really strong history section.”
One history author, C. Vann Woodward, is especially important to Goldman. “Woodward was a Southern historian writing during a time of increasing Southern resistance to desegregation,” Goldman explains. “He argued that segregation was not a natural occurrence but rather a deliberate strategy by Southern elites to divide a growing movement of poor black and poor white people. The story of how segregation emerged in such a devious way, with tremendous violence, is powerful. When you realize that the history you’ve been told is incomplete or leaves people out, it opens up opportunities to change the present.”
As for the name, Goldman opted for a hope-filled play on words. “It’s obviously a little playful, because we’re selling goods, but it’s also what I want the store to be about,” says Goldman. “We’re a very isolated, hyper-individualistic society at the moment. There are fewer and fewer times we come together, acting in accord for the broader interests of a community. I want to recreate the concept that there is a common good.”
The Common Good is open Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-10pm, Friday and Saturday from 9am-11pm, and Sunday from 9am-4pm at 119 Canal Street in Ellenville.
nice article, very informative. The community events sound very interesting.
Hi DAK,
Thanks for your comment!
Since this article was published, they’ve hosted a variety of community events, including live blues, R&B, and soul performances, Tales and Tunes for Tots, and Drop In and Draw.
You can find photos and updates on their Instagram page, and their website has a schedule of upcoming events as well.
Thanks again for engaging—hope this is helpful!
Ryan