When Rizzoli closed its doors at 31 W. 57th St. in April, the elegant bookstore promised it would be back.

That's what everyone says.

But given the challenging economics of brick-and-mortar bookstores, I assumed Rizzoli was toast and assigned it a choice niche in the columbarium of my memory. It's a space becoming increasingly cluttered with the ashes of beloved restaurants, bakeries and bookstores.

But Italy-based Rizzoli turned out to be as good as its word. Company executives told me Friday afternoon that they've signed a lease to reopen next spring.

The new store will be at 1133 Broadway—that's between 25th and 26th streets—on the ground floor of the St. James Building, an 1896 Beaux-Arts structure.