Posted on February 5, 2020 at 4:57 pm by West Sider



The interior of The Strand’s downtown store. Via The Strand.

The Strand has just signed a lease to open in the former home of Book Culture at 450 Columbus Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets, the company told West Side Rag.

The Strand at Columbus Avenue (its official name) is planning to open in March. It will carry “a vast selection of used, new, and rare books, as well as other bookish items.” It’s also planning on holding an event series.

Book Culture, which opened in 2014 and closed for good last month, also held an event series. The store was apparently profitable for much of its tenure, but struggled in recent months as legal and financial issues mounted.



The former Book Culture space that will soon house The Strand.

The Strand has an iconic four-floor store on Broadway and 12th Street, the last surviving shop on New York’s famed Book Row of the early 20th century. The Strand has no other satellite stores; this will be its first time branching out since closing its annex store in 2008. The company is now run by the third generation of the founding family.

“We are so excited to expand The Strand and engage the community of the Upper West Side,” said owner Nancy Bass Wyden in a statement. “We aim to continue the legacy of my father, and his father before him, by bringing the joy of books to everyone.”