Photo by Lori Philipson.
The building on the Southwest corner of 81st street and Broadway is in the process of being demolished, and as the facade is being removed an old sign has peeked through.
Bloomsday 2, a bookstore on that corner, was a popular spot in the 70’s. It appears to have closed in 1981, because that was the year that Shakespeare & Co. opened in the same location.
Owner Enrico Adelman also had a shop in Morningside Heights, and the Columbia Spectator wrote about it in 1975.
“While the Bloomsday Bookstore has seen a steady increase in sales during its twelve month existence on the Heights, owner-manager Enrico Adelman said this was because “ninety per cent of the books here aren’t carried in the library or in other stores.” The shop specializes in “remaindered” books which are sold well below original publishers’ prices.
Adelman also started a Bloomsday festival that ran every year on June 16, the same day that Joyce’s Ulysses takes place. Participants read the Joyce classic for hours. That festival was so popular it was often sold out — Isaiah Sheffer, a founder of Symphony Space, started the Bloomsday on Broadway festival (which continues to this day) because he couldn’t get into the one at the Bloomsday store.
Photo by Krista.
After Adelman closed the store, he began selling books outside Zabar’s. Shakespeare & Co. closed in 1996, and the location was most recently an Essentials discount store. The three-story structure will now be replaced by an 18-story residential building.
Feel like reminiscing? We’re written about other uncovered signs too.
There was also a nice cafe’ on the second floor. Long predating Starbucks — anywhere! — and the invention of the latte’ (let alone the double-pump extra-foam half-skinny moccachino), it was a wonderful place to sit with a book and a coffee or meet up with friends. Smart business on the owners’ part, too, since there weren’t many options for that.
Ah, the neighborhood.
Shakespeare Bookstore had a cafe on 2nd floor as well
79th street subway station needs a massive redesign
I’ve been calling for that to happen for years. With that new building on West 80 street; this one proposed on West 81; and the two new ones on West 77 street , , , a few extra hundreds of people entering/leaving the West 79 street Subway. They could have requested the Developer on West 80 to add a new entrance on that corner to help alleviate the congestion.
There’s also a new building on 79th btwn Amsterdam and Broadway. It’s going to be insane.
I loved Shakespeare and Co, it had great light from those windows. I wonder if they’ll keep the facade on the bottom of the building? Is the building landmarked?
shakespeare was across the street…southwest corner
Nope. This is where Shakespeare & Co. was. (And in fact it *is* the southwest corner.)
The Bloomsday in Morningside Hts was on the Southwest corner of 112th & Broadway next to the long departed New Moon Inn.
Shakespeare and Co. would not order a book for you until you paid in full. Ever.
And look where that policy got them.
Well we now know something about the condo project that will go up on this site.
At average cost predicted to be around seven million, affordable housing it ain’t.
https://ny.curbed.com/2017/2/23/14716616/upper-west-side-alchemy-condo-average-cost-7-million