Bayside bookstore celebrates milestone anniversary
Turn the Page Again hosts celebratory luncheon in honor of 10 years on Bell Blvd.
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 21-27, 2020 5
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Since 2010, the Turn the
Page Again bookstore on Bayside‘
s Bell Boulevard has been
challenging the stigma associated
with having a mental illness
. On Feb. 6, the affirmative
bookstore celebrated its 10th
anniversary with a luncheon
hosted by its founding organization,
Transitional Services
for New York Inc. (TSINY).
Since its inception, Turn the
Page Again has employed
adults with mental illnesses
while teaching them transferable
skills including punctuality
and customer service.
“This is a celebration of
success. It’s not a destination;
it’s a journey,” said TSINY
CEO and Bayside resident Larry
Grubler. “I’ve never been as
accepted in a community as I
was in the Bayside community
when we opened up the bookstore.”
TSINY first approached the
city two decades ago about the
possibility of opening a business
that employed people
with psychiatric disorders.
The organization aimed to
hire and train these individuals,
many of whom had never
been employed, and help them
transition to other employment
opportunities.
Founded in 1975, TSINY is
nonprofit, multifaceted mental
health agency that provides integrated
services and housing
for adults with psychiatric disabilities
and others in need.
It opened Arts and Crafts
Cafe in Jamaica but learned
that many of its employees
were not transitioning to other
jobs. So Grubler proposed his
idea for Turn the Page Again
and opened up shop at 39-15
Bell Blvd., with annual funding
provided by the city’s Department
of Health and Mental
Hygiene and New York state.
Turn the Page Again’s
transitional model allows people
18 and older to work at the
store for six to nine months. A
job developer then works with
each person to set career goals,
write a resume and move on to
another job. According to Grubler,
39 percent of the people
who have worked at the bookstore
are employed part time
or full time currently.
“Not only does it provide a
great opportunity for people to
learn the skills to go back out
into the workforce, but it’s an
important part of our community,”
said Assemblyman Edward
Braunstein. “We’re losing
a lot of brick-and-mortar
bookstores in our neighborhoods
and a lot of people miss
that.”
In the beginning, Grubler
and his wife supplied books
from their personal collection
as the store took off. But now,
the store gets donations largely
from the Queens Public Library
and local residents. Patrons
can purchase books for
$1 to $5 apiece.
“Without Queens Library
and all the books that they give
us and supply us, we definitely
wouldn’t have a bookstore,”
said bookstore manager Elle
Fliegel.
During the luncheon, Acting
Queens Borough President
Sharon Lee declared Feb. 6 to
be “Turn the Page Again Day.”
“Here in Queens, we think
of ourselves as the borough
of families and the work that
TSINY does truly uplifts,
strengthens and empowers so
many families,” said Lee.
For more information, visit
turnthepageagain.com.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
From left: Councilman Daniel Dromm, Larry Grubler, Acting
Queens Borough President Sharon Lee and Assemblyman Edward
Braunstein Photo: Jenna Bagcal/QNS
/QNS.COM
/turnthepageagain.com
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