Soon this space will be filled with books!

Bookstores gradually disappeared from the Upper West Side in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, but the tide seems to have turned in the past few years. A new Book Culture opened on Columbus Avenue in 2014, Bank Street Bookstore debuted a new location in 2015, and Amazon just opened its first New York store in Columbus Circle.

Now, another new shop is on its way: a children’s bookstore!

Books of Wonder, a beloved downtown shop that’s been around in various locations since 1980, is getting ready to open this summer at 217 West 84th Street, the former home of Gymboree. The Times reports that owner Peter Glassman has been eyeing the neighborhood for years, and became more serious starting last year. “Glassman said he spent more than a year trying to find the right space, a challenge exacerbated by the particular needs of a store geared toward children (‘a doorway wide enough to accommodate double strollers’ is just one of the unique requirements he cited).”

The lease on Books of Wonder’s 18th Street location is up in 2019, and Glassman is worried that his rent will spike. He figures that at least the Upper West Side store will be there if he’s forced to close the downtown one.

The Times says Books of Wonder was the inspiration for You’ve Got Mail, although we always thought Eeyore’s was the inspiration.

“The original Books of Wonder was the inspiration for the bookstore owned by Meg Ryan’s character in the 1998 romantic comedy ‘You’ve Got Mail.’ The second location, at 2,600 square feet, will house the same mix of new, classic and collectible books that the original store does. It will also include a gallery of original children’s book art, as well as prints and signed posters.”

Order signed copies of Thick as Thieves and Three Dark Crowns @KendareBlake today! Meet both authors Saturday 6/3. https://t.co/qY1Clk1P1k pic.twitter.com/GQGZsPV415

— Books of Wonder (@BooksofWonder) May 30, 2017

Photo by Gus Saltonstall.