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Strand Bookstore

From Alfawiki
The Strand Bookstore
Company typeIndependent bookstore
IndustryRetail (Books)
Founded1927
FounderBenjamin Bass
Headquarters
Manhattan, New York City
,
United States
Area served
Manhattan, New York City
Key people
Nancy Bass Wyden (owner), Fred Bass (former owner)
ProductsBooks, branded merchandise
Number of employees
230+ (2020)
Websitewww.strandbooks.com

The Strand Bookstore is an independent bookstore situated at 828 Broadway, on the corner of East 12th Street within Manhattan's East Village, just two blocks south of Union Square.[1] Additional outlets include locations at Lincoln Center,[2] the Upper West Side,[3] as well as kiosks positioned in Central Park and Times Square, alongside a specially curated shelf at Moynihan Train Hall. The store’s tagline, "18 Miles Of Books," emphasizes its vast selection. In 2016, The New York Times recognized The Strand as "the undisputed king of the city’s independent bookstores."[4]

Description

Operating as a family-run enterprise, The Strand employs more than 230 staff members.[5] Among its notable past employees are rock icons Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine, along with writers and artists such as Richard Hell, Sam Shepard, Mary Gaitskill, and Lucy Sante. The bookstore has upheld a unionized workforce for over three decades.[6] After initially rejecting a contract proposal in April 2012,[7] the employees approved a new agreement by June of the same year.[8]

Apart from its flagship location and Central Park kiosk, the "Strand Book Annex" operated from the 1980s until it closed in 2008 due to rising rent costs.[9] A branch in the Flatiron District opened in 2013, followed by a seasonal kiosk in Times Square introduced in 2016.[10] The opening of the Upper West Side store was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[11]

Significant renovations took place at the main store in 2005, including the installation of an elevator and air conditioning, alongside a reorganization of floor layouts to improve customer experience. The store also broadened its offerings to include discounted new books and various non-book items.[10]

Starting with an inventory of 70,000 books at its inception, the collection expanded to 500,000 by the mid-1960s and reached approximately 2.5 million titles by the 1990s, necessitating additional warehouse space in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Among its prized possessions are a $4,500 edition of Magna Moralia and a $38,000 copy of James Joyce's Ulysses. While still promoting "18 miles of books," current estimates place their inventory beyond "23 miles."[12]

History

Founded in 1927 by Benjamin Bass, a Lithuanian immigrant who invested $600 from savings and a loan, The Strand began after an initial unsuccessful venture. Bass utilized his extensive contacts and benefited from a supportive landlord connected to the Stuyvesant family to navigate challenges during the Great Depression and wartime rent controls. Originally located on Fourth Avenue within Manhattan’s "Book Row," an area once bustling with 48 bookstores that later declined due to economic shifts.

Benjamin Bass passed away in 1978. His son Fred Bass, who started working at the store as a teenager, assumed control in 1956 and moved the bookstore to its present-day location at East 12th Street and Broadway in 1957. Under Fred’s direction, The Strand expanded across multiple floors and acquired its building in 1996 for $8.2 million, establishing itself as the world’s largest used bookstore. Today, it occupies three and a half retail floors plus office space and operates kiosks in Times Square and Central Park along with seasonal pop-up shops.

Nancy Bass Wyden, Fred Bass’s daughter and current proprietor, began working at The Strand during her youth before formally joining management in 1986 after earning an MBA and briefly working for Exxon. She spearheaded the successful Books by the Foot service catering to private collections, led major renovations in 2005, and developed branded merchandise that now contributes over 15% of total revenue. Nancy became co-owner when her father retired in 2017 and assumed sole ownership following his death in 2018. She is married to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden.

Ben McFall held the distinction of being The Strand’s longest-serving bookseller since joining in 1978; he was renowned for independently managing the fiction section until his passing in 2021. Nancy Wyden described him as "the heart of the Strand."

Opposition to landmark designation

In December 2018, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission reviewed the proposal to designate The Strand as a city landmark. Nancy Bass Wyden, the owner, opposed this move, arguing that the resulting regulations and increased expenses would impede her independently operated business. She highlighted the contrast between her situation and the positive reception given to Amazon HQ2 in New York, stressing that her goal was not financial assistance but operational independence. Despite these objections, on June 11, 2019, the commission officially granted landmark status to the building, citing its history of preservation. This decision remains open to challenge by the New York City Council.

Controversies in 2020

During March 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, The Strand laid off the majority of its workforce but obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan ranging from $1 million to $2 million aimed at safeguarding 212 positions, although 188 employees had already been dismissed. Only a limited number of union roles were reinstated. By July 2020, The Strand let go of 12 recently rehired workers while preparing to launch a new branch on the Upper West Side, taking over the space formerly occupied by Book Culture.

On October 23, 2020, Bass Wyden announced on Twitter that The Strand was at risk of closing due to a revenue decline nearing 70% and exhausted financial reserves. This announcement triggered a surge in sales with 25,000 online orders placed over the weekend but also attracted criticism tied to ongoing labor disputes.

Further controversy arose when Bass Wyden purchased between $115,000 and $200,000 worth of Amazon stock from April to June 2020, despite previously naming Amazon as a significant competitor threatening The Strand’s viability.

In popular culture

See also

External links

  1. ↑ "Strand History"
  2. ↑ Instagram
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named location&hours
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named acorreal
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named landmark
  6. ↑ Metrofocus
  7. ↑ WNYC blog
  8. ↑ Truthout
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Stranded by construction
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named obit
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Strand Bookstore Finds A Way To Sell Online Amid Coronavirus
  12. ↑ Huffington Post
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