Local bookstores are few and far between in 2019, thanks to e-commerce giants like Amazon that have made it hard to maintain brick and mortar bookstores in the digital age. There is one local bookstore, however, that has stood the test of time and come out on top. The Strand Bookstore in New York City has been in business since 1927, though it didn’t move into its famed downtown location until 1956. Today, The Strand has become New York City’s latest landmark.
Reactions From The Strand’s Owners
While earning a medal of honor as a landmark status may be impressive to customers, The Strand’s owners are less than enthusiastic over their new status from the city. “The Strand Book Store has officially been designated a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission,” the company Tweeted on June 11 following the designation from the city. “Although this is not the outcome we hoped for, we’ll continue to serve our customers as we have done robustly for 92 years. Thank you for your support along the way,” the Tweet continued.
The bookstore’s owners are skeptical that the landmark status will be a good thing. New York City landmarks are required to abide by a more strict set of rules and regulations regarding any upkeep to the building. Maintaining a landmark is often more expensive. Since family-owned bookstores already struggle enough, the added cost of having to maintain a city landmark may be too much for The Strand to handle.
“Landmarking our building will only make it that much harder for us to survive and pass our treasured family-owned business to [our] children, and hopefully to theirs,” said owner Nancy Bass-Wyden at a press conference about the landmark naming event earlier this week. Mayor Bill De Blasio assures that the designation as a landmark will not hurt the business. The Mayor seems confident that the business will be able to remain afloat despite the changes in its status according to the city.
History Of The Strand & Local Area
The Strand opened in 1927 on Fourth Avenue by Benjamin Bass. Back then it was a small used bookstore, before moving to its new location on Broadway in 1956. The new location has grown to be one of the biggest bookstores in the city, outlasting many of its other neighbors in an area that was once known for its wide selection of literature and bookstores. Barnes and Noble, the massive national bookseller chain, has its roots in the area as well.
Today’s Strand location boasts 18 miles of books, a number that the store prides itself on. The 55,000 square feet of store space is home to 2.5 million book titles old and new, and employs hundreds of book lovers in New York City. The area of East 12th Street that The Strand is located at was once a thriving “book row,” but is now home to only one major bookstore.
