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The Strand Is Opening A New Bookstore On The Upper West Side At Former Book Culture Location
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 5, 2020
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 5, 2020
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At the start of the new year, city marshals seized control of the Book Culture location on the Upper West Side for unpaid rent totaling more than $100,000. One month later, the now-vacated store has a new renter: The Strand announced late this afternoon that they have signed a lease and are planning to open a new store there in March.
“We are so excited to expand The Strand and engage the community of the Upper West Side," Strand owner Nancy Bass Wyden said in a statement. "We aim to continue the legacy of my father, and his father before him, by bringing the joy of books to everyone.”
In a press release, the store adds that the new location will be opened seven days a week and "will be stacked with all the literary goods that the 93-year old bookstore is known for: a vast selection of used, new, and rare books, as well as other bookish items. The Strand will bring its popular event series along with it; they host over 400 events a year including discussions with authors and a weekend storytime curated for children."
This will be the first satellite location of The Strand since they closed their Strand Book Annex store in 2008.
Book Culture opened their store at 450 Columbus Avenue in 2014; since at least last summer, it had been dealing with financial troubles due to alleged mismanagement from co-owner Chris Doeblin. That led to a schism between Doeblin and minority owner John MacArthur, the vice president of Harper’s Magazine, who later sued Doeblin over, among other things, a “community lending program” Doeblin launched after he went public with his money woes. In a lawsuit, MacArthur has argued that Upper West Side residents were misled about where their loans went, alleging that Doeblin was taking out loans on the Columbus Avenue store and using it to pay off the debts on other Book Culture locations.
Owner Chris Doeblin outside Book Culture on Thursday
Gwynne Hogan/Gothamist
It also emerged that landlord Tim Quinlan had lost faith in Doeblin, who Quinlan claimed has had issues paying rent since 2016. (The store’s monthly rent was just shy of $38,000 at the end.) Quinlan promised to keep the space a bookstore, just without Doeblin in charge.
Doeblin still runs three other Book Culture locations: two in the Morningside Heights area, and one in Long Island City. "The Book Culture on Columbus store won't open again," Doeblin said in an email last month. "The landlord is the one in charge of leasing the space of course so they get to decide its use with the next tenant."
We've reached out to Doeblin and Quinlan for comment, and will update if we hear back.
Tagged
Book culture
book stores
the strand
books
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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