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Is Today Your Last Chance To Save The St. Mark's Bookshop?


By

Jamie Feldmar

Published Oct 24, 2011

Modified Oct 24, 2011


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By

Jamie Feldmar

Published Oct 24, 2011

Modified Oct 24, 2011


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Supporters of the St. Mark's Bookshop in the East Village have tried everything from petitioning to sing-a-longs to save the beloved indie bookstore, but the final word has always rested with owner Cooper Union, who is mulling the decision to reduce the store's rent from $20,000 to $15,000. Today, Bookshop champions The Cooper Square Committee is urging residents and readers for one final push, since Cooper Union is apparently set to vote on a decision very, very soon.

This morning EV Grieve published the following note:

Please contact Cooper Union President Jamshed Bharucha immediately. [email protected] or (212) 353-4250.

A Board committee is meeting [today] to decide if they will reduce St Mark's Bookshop's $20,000/month rent by $5,000. Thousands of emails or calls will influence the decision.

Tell the President to reduce the bookshop rent to $15,000 a month until the economy improves. You can add any additional comments.

Your support is invaluable.

However, when we called Cooper Union, an employee there told us there is NOT a meeting scheduled for today. So we rang up the Committee to clarify. According to Committee spokeswoman Joyce Ravitz, the Bookshop is scheduled to meet with Cooper Union TOMORROW, sometime in the late afternoon. "I sent out an email over the weekend asking people to contact the President by Monday because I believe the finance committee is meeting Monday and Tuesday or possibly just Tuesday," she explained.

Ravitz also encouraged people to continue signing the petition, because the Committee plans to turn over the 43,000 (and counting!) signatures to Cooper Union tomorrow afternoon. Go! Go! Go!

Tagged

books

cooper square commitee

cooper union

east village

rent

st mark's bookshop


Jamie Feldmar

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