What to Know
- Strand Book Store, the famed independent bookstore beloved by New Yorkers, is issuing a plea for help due to the economic fallout brought on by the ongoing health crisis.
- The bookstore -- a staple for bibliophiles -- has been part of the New York City scene for almost a century, remaining as the lone standing bookstore that was part of Book Row.
Strand Book Store, the famed independent bookstore beloved by New Yorkers, is issuing a plea for help due to the economic fallout brought on by the ongoing health crisis.
Nancy Bass Wyden, Strand's owner, put out a letter asking for assistance and addressing the bookstore's dire financial situation.
"The Strand’s revenue has dropped nearly 70% compared to last year. And while the PPP loan we were given and our cash reserves allowed us to weather the past eight months of losses, we are now at a turning point where our business is unsustainable," the letter reads in part.
"Because of the impact of Covid-19, we cannot survive the huge decline in foot-traffic, a near complete loss of tourism, and zero in-store events (compared to 400 events pre-pandemic)," Wyden goes on to say.
The bookstore -- a staple for bibliophiles -- has been part of the New York City scene for almost a century, remaining as the lone standing bookstore that was part of Book Row -- a segment of 4th Avenue lined with a total 48 bookstores at one time.
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"We’ve survived just about everything for 93 years—the Great Depression, two World Wars, big box bookstores, e-books and online behemoths. We are the last of the original 48 bookstores still standing from 4th Avenue's famous Book Row," Wyden's letter reads.
Wyden is the third generation owner of the bookstore started by her grandfather, and it has remained in the family for 93 years.
"I’m going to pull out all the stops to keep sharing our mutual love of the printed word. But for the first time in The Strand’s 93 year history, we need to mobilize the community to buy from us so we can keep our doors open until there is a vaccine," Wyden's note ends.
The call for help quickly fell upon the ears of book lovers worldwide, who rushed to the bookstore's website, prompting it to crash Friday.
Wyden said that the Strand is "not only a bookstore for me, it's a place of discovery, it's a community center. So I hope that New Yorkers will realize that mother and pop stores and other independent businesses really are the fabric of New York City, and thank you for trying to help."
