Former Congressman Israel Passionate About Oyster Bay Bookstore

OYSTER BAY, NY — For 16 years, Steve Israel was a popular figure in Congress. The Democrat was an eight-term member of the House in the 3rd District until his retirement in 2017.

But Israel, 64, has more than enough to occupy his time.

He is the director of the new nonpartisan Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University. Closer to home, Israel is celebrating a year as owner of Theodore's Books in Oyster Bay.

"I was always passionate about books," Israel told Patch. "In my 16 years in Congress, wherever and whenever I traveled, either in the U.S. or in the world, my scheduler would indicate the closest bookstore. You have not shopped for a book until you've shopped for a book in Kabul."

Since he left Capitol Hill, Israel had the idea of running his own independent bookstore. Having no business experience, he would gain knowledge with each visit to the literary shops.

Israel was indirectly helped when the Book Revue in Huntington closed and fast-tracked his plan when a vacant storefront was spotted.

"As a result of COVID, people wanted to get out of the quarantine and go to their local downtowns," he recalled.

The timing wasn't just ripe for readers; it was urgent for Israel.

Experts told him that it's typically at least a six-month process to open the business. However, the former lawmaker brought it to fruition in just six weeks.

"To make this financially stable, we needed to open in time for the holiday season of '21," he said.

Theodore's Books has special local author events, including Jewish-themed, where they collaborate with local synagogues.

"They don't sell as briskly as James Patterson, but there's got to be a place in a bookstore for people to buy those books," Israel said of the community-based writers.

Theodore's Books is Israel's homage to Oyster Bay's favorite son, former president Theodore Roosevelt.

"[He] was a major influence on my grasp of policy," he said. "Our vibe is all about Theodore Roosevelt's love of literature."

With that in mind, Theodore's puts an extra focus on Current Events and History genres.

"We also have a very wide inventory [including] best-sellers and children's books," he said.

Israel, a two-time author, who usually spends a couple days per week at the store, curates the shelves. At 1,520 square feet, there isn't much wiggle room.

"Every inch of shelf space has to sell a book," he said.

Israel would ultimately like to expand the property, as the larger author discussions need to be done off-site.

While competing for "space" against Amazon and other online retailers, Israel said aside from the convenience, there's really no contest.

"When you come into our store, you're actually talking to a human being who has read the book," Israel said.

He is "all in" with the business, pointing to metrics showing that Theodore's is outperforming its three-year targets.

"As long as I can pay my booksellers, pay the rent and have a good time, I'm happy," he said.