By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

White Rabbit’s Books, a multi-language bookshop for kids and teens from newborns up to age 18, has opened at 200 West 86th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam). White Rabbit is geared toward helping youngsters find the “perfect” book for them. There are two separate rooms: one with English books and one with Russian and Ukrainian books. The owner is Mikhail Epshteyn, who started and serves as the director of EPISCHOOL, a private school. Mariia Zimina, a children’s literature specialist, acts as an educational consultant to the bookstore. White Rabbit’s Books holds reading classes for children together with their parents. The shop also hosts talks with writers, illustrators, and translators. 

“It was my dream to open a bookshop on the Upper West Side because it is such a family-oriented neighborhood,” Epshteyn told West Side Rag on a visit to the shop. “We want to help families spend time together – parents are welcome to accompany their children to all of our events.” The name White Rabbit comes from the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, Epshteyn told the Rag. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The space used to be a medical office.

Art on the Block, a studio showcasing art through short-term artist residencies, is planning to open in early February at 107 West 86th Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam), in the retail space that used to be Georgia Carpet & Interiors. The nonprofit aims to highlight local artists and make the arts more accessible to people in the community by creating a space that fills that gap between the large museums uptown and swanky galleries downtown. Greer Kudon, the organization’s founder and executive director, envisions visitors having an informal relationship with the artists who will be working out of the studio. “Somebody could be on their way to the bank and see an artist working in a storefront, walk in, have the opportunity to talk to that artist and learn about what they’re doing […] and then perhaps come back and participate in a program that that artist is leading for the community,” Kudon said on a call with the Rag.

The first artist taking up residency in the space is Allison Green, a textile artist whose work is often inspired by food. There are plans for three more artists to rotate through over the course of 2025, each hosting free programs for kids, families, and adults including art-making workshops, artist interviews, and more. Visiting museums can be expensive and might not be accessible to everyone in a community, said Kudon, an Upper West Sider who previously worked in art education at the Guggenheim and other major NYC museums. “I’m trying to remove [the perception] of ‘art as elite’ and [instead make it] a part of daily life.” (Thanks to Melanie for the tip.)

Goods for the Study, a stationery store that’s affiliated with McNally Jackson bookstores, is planning to open at 2109 Broadway (between West 73rd and 74th streets). The opening is expected to take place in the next few days, Sarah McNally, the company’s founder, wrote to the Rag. Goods for the Study has locations in Nolita and the West Village, offering a selection of notebooks, cards, pens, pencils, desk accessories, and lamps. “We chose [to open on] the Upper West Side because it’s full of nerdy intellectuals,” wrote McNally. The space has been vacant for the past few years but used to be part of Loehmann’s, a clothing store.

Ever/Body, a cosmetic dermatology provider at 2159 Broadway (West 76th Street), has closed. A representative told the Rag that while the Upper West Side is still a priority neighborhood for the company, their strategy is to focus on their existing locations in Manhattan and the Washington D.C. area. Ever/Body – which provides facial, injectable treatments such as botox and fillers, and laser hair removal services – has four locations in NYC, including one on the Upper East Side. It opened this UWS location in March 2023, and they hope to bring back a facility to the neighborhood in the future, the representative said.

Broadway Discount Mart at 2708 Broadway (between West 103rd and West 104th Streets) has closed. It was a variety store, which sold home and hardware basic items at discounted prices, that had “lovely nice people who worked inside for years,” wrote tipster Katherine, who noticed the shelves were bare over the weekend and later saw that all shelves and products were gone. The store opened there in 2020 or 2021, from what we can tell from past Google Maps images. Previously the space was Petland Discounts.

Allbirds, the sneaker and clothing store at 201 Columbus Avenue (at West 69th Street), permanently closed on January 12th, a representative from the Soho store confirmed to the Rag. Allbirds makes its products out of sustainable and natural materials, such as merino wool and eucalyptus. The Soho store is Allbirds’ only physical store remaining in NYC. The UWS shop opened in 2021.

Miss Saigon, the Vietnamese restaurant at 928 Amsterdam (between West 105th and 106th streets) has closed temporarily for renovation, according to a sign posted on the storefront. The restaurant opened in 2020. It could not be reached by WSR for details but we’ll provide an update when we have more information. (Thanks to Jeff for the tip.)

The Openings & Closings column wouldn’t be possible without our many tipsters: thank you! Anyone can send tips about openings and closings in the neighborhood to info@westsiderag.com.

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