It's rare when bookstores open. It's rare to get any good news in this town about local businesses. And yet. Yesterday we heard that Shakespeare & Co. is opening two new stores in the city.
There will be one in Greenwich Village, in the spot long occupied by Jefferson Market (closed in 2008, turned into a Gristede's, and then a luxury condo showroom). Another will come to the Upper West Side at 2020 Broadway, between 69th and 70th Streets. (None for the book-starved East Village?)
They are slated to open in the fall/winter of 2018.
2014
I asked CEO Dane Neller a few quick questions.
Q: Downtown, we still miss the Broadway location near NYU (closed in 2014 and turned into a Foot Locker). Will the new shop on 6th and 11th Street have a similarly curated selection?
A: Yes, with more selection since it’s a larger store.
Q: With so many bookstores closing across the city, what's the secret to surviving -- and growing -- in the current market?
A: Being community based; offering an intimate setting and literary cafe for customers to convene, socialize, and browse; providing a forum for self-expressions and creation with the Espresso Book Machine technology; and having a thoughtfully curated selection of books geared to the neighborhood patrons, with knowledgeable and friendly booksellers.
Q: So is it a myth that people are reading (and buying) fewer print books?
A: Absolutely. Printed books still represent over 75% of total industry sales.
At the Shakespeare & Co. uptown
4 comments:
This is exciting news. Shakespeare & Co., along the now defunct St. Mark's Bookshop, was among the first booksellers to carry my first book. I also met a great fellow writer who used to work at the old Broadway store, and he remains a friend to this day. One thing I hope the new S&Co. branches continue from the Broadway store is to carry British imprints, which was a rarity for most bookstores for decades. Now you can order British and non-US Anglophone and non-Anglophone books right off non-US bookstores via the web, but Shakespeare & Co. had the British versions of some books, as well as of British authors not published here right there on the shelf.I also love that they're going to have one of those Espresso Book Machines in house. McNally-Jackson also has one, and I urge people to consider calling up and printing a book on it. Talk about really cool technology that should be much more widespread!
HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY! The Broadway location used to be my go-to bookstore; these days it's the Strand, which is great, but it'll be nice to have Shakespeare & Company as an option again!
There is nothing like a Dane. Nothing in the world.
Why did they choose to open just a few short blocks from Three Lives & Co.? To see if they can follow in the footsteps of indy-killer B&N and eliminate the competition?
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