It’s hard for me to talk about Montclair without talking about Watchung Booksellers.
When my family moved here in 2020, I was looking for more than just a place to live. I was looking for places that felt like anchors. Places that told me, you belong here.
Watchung was one of the first.
Over the years, it has become something like a second living room. A place where I’ve wandered the aisles solo, looking for a good read. A place where I’ve sat on the floor with my young daughter. A place where you inevitably run into someone you know, or someone you’re about to know.
And in the fall of 2023, it became something even more personal.
I had the honor of celebrating the launch of my book, A Healthy State of Panic, in the newly opened children’s bookstore just a few doors down. There’s something special about that space. It’s warm, a little magical, and full of possibility. That night, surrounded by neighbors, readers, and friends, I remember thinking: this is what community looks like. Not curated. Not forced. Just real.
Which is why, the other day, the news hit in a very Montclair kind of way.
I was standing across the street at Watchung School around 2:45pm, waiting to pick up my daughter, when I saw it: Watchung Booksellers had just been named Bookstore of the Year 2026 by Publishers Weekly.
And I had a split-second thought:
Can I make it?
Can I run over, congratulate them, grab a few photos for The Montclair Pod, tell the community what just happened…and still make it back before the school bell rings?
Reader, I did.
With about 90 seconds to spare.
A National Honor, Rooted in Local Love
Out of roughly 3,200 independent bookstores across the country, one is chosen each year for this distinction. The criteria are as much about heart as they are about business: community-building, customer care, and operational excellence.
Watchung checked every box.
For 35 years, the store has quietly – and sometimes with fanfare – become a cultural hub in Montclair. It’s not just the thoughtfully curated books (though those are excellent). It’s the author events that fill the room. The partnerships with schools. The conversations that start between the stacks and spill out onto the street corner.
Journalist Candy J. Cooper, who nominated the store, said it best: the presence of Watchung Booksellers was so meaningful that it persuaded her to move to Montclair 30 years ago. She says it has made it hard to imagine leaving since.
A Legacy, and What Comes Next
In 2023, Maddie Ciliotta-Young took over operations from her mother, Margot Sage-EL, continuing a legacy that has shaped Montclair for decades. Today, the store stands proudly as a Black-owned business, with deep roots and a forward-looking vision.
“We are incredibly honored,” Ciliotta-Young shared in a press release. “This award belongs to our dedicated staff, our loyal customers, and the entire community that continues to support us. Thirty years ago my mom started something pretty special and poured her whole life into this store. I can only hope to carry that legacy forward with the wonderful community she built.”
Since that transition, the bookstore hasn’t stood still.
There’s the Kids’ Room, of course. But also a growing slate of programming: a podcast, writers workshops, weekly writing groups, and multiple book clubs run by the staff themselves. These aren’t just offerings. They’re invitations.
And the recognition hasn’t stopped here. In 2025, children’s bookseller Susie Sonneborn was named Bookseller of the Year by New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association. That same year, Sage-EL was honored by the Montclair Public Library Foundation for her lifelong dedication to literacy and community.
Why This Matters
At a moment when we hear so much about the decline of local everything, this feels like a counterpoint. A reminder that when something is done well, and done with care, people show up.
They support it. They protect it. They make it part of their lives.
For me, Watchung Booksellers has been exactly that. A home away from home.
And now, officially, the best bookstore in the country. (yay!)
