It’s open! Book Culture, an actual real-live spanking-new bookstore just opened at 450 Columbus Avenue between 81st and 82nd street. The store opened Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. and plans to close at 8. It’s the first new bookstore on the Upper West Side in forever, give or take a few years.
So go in and check out the scene. It’s still got that new-pulp smell. Oh and try to buy something, because they need to make $3 million a year.
They’ll be holding a grand opening party on December 3 at 7 p.m.
Photo by Emily Baer.
Congratulations.
Best of luck.
I hope they make it. I plan on buying some books there.
May 1, 2015…who wants the over/under on when this closes? Smart money thinks a type writer retailer next takes a flyer on the space.
i popped in tonight and was glad to see a carefully selected array of books. plenty of things i’d like to have but wouldn’t immediately think to search for. the internet is great when you know what you want and have time to get it. maybe, just maybe, we’re ready to embrace a proper book store again. i contributed my 0.00015% towards their annual required sales. your turn.
Good for you, James.
The Strand Bookstore should open up a location on the UWS. ahhhh, books.
We peeked in the window after checking out the parade balloons, closed but it looked nice inside. Next door is a new restaurant- The Milling Room- great addition the neighborhood.
Here’s an idea for a way in which each business could benefit each other while at the same time benefiting themselves: Each could offer a discount or some other promotional perk for patrons of the other.
The restaurant could advertise,
Eating alone? Why not enjoy the company of a good book?….
The book store,
A good book is even better with good food…
Good luck to them, I hope they survive. Its a huge risk considering B&N is a couple blocks away, and, well, digital is eating into all physical sales. I think a store like this can survive in Brooklyn where rents are lower, but where on the UWS mom and pops are closing every day due to landlord greed its alot more difficult….
I am going to make it a personal mission to help this store stay open.
I will support them but not with every book purchase as its often cheaper and/or faster to get books online. Aside from B&N up the road, the issue is Amazon and beyond Amazon the issue is that more and more people are reading books on their Kindle or iPad.
I wish them well but sadly, there’s not a chance in hell that they can gross $3 million a year.
Gross $9,000 a day = $3 MM a year.
9000 /$25 purchase average = 360 paying customers a day…..
Yay! It behooves ALL of us who are able to visit the bookstore and BUY something – that is, if we wish to have a real book store here. Yes, I buy at Barnes and Noble, but I would much prefer to buy from a local store. Wouldn’t you? (We haven’t had much of a chance to do this lately!)
Just stopped in. It’s great. Let’s support our small businesses!
Nice children’s area downstairs – much to explore and discover. But please buy something (as we did), don’t just drool on and sticky up the merchandise!
I went in over the weekend and it’s very nicely laid out. They have a great kids’ section which my son loved. It’s much more pleasant than B&N and seems to have been designed with the kids in mind: low shelves, little tables and chairs to sit at. We bought a couple of things and we’ll definitely be back for more.