John Scioli, the owner of the Community Bookstore, in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Cobble Hill, set up shop on the corner of Warren and Court Streets some three decades ago. Over the years, the store has grown into a medley of stacked books, scattered toys, vintage records, and cultural debris, all of it floating in an apparent chaos intelligible only to the store’s enigmatic owner. The store has no traditional storefront or open hours, the gray windows haven’t been washed for years, and no signage indicates that the store is still open for business. Indeed, if you’re new to the neighborhood you might wonder whether it’s a store at all, rather than someone’s cluttered basement. But it is still open, and if you brave your way inside, curiosities await. As Scioli begins to clean out his “cavern of books,” in preparation of the store’s May closing, the task of sorting through the hoard is daunting, and sometimes slightly perilous. To read more from PAUL SZYNOL.