Now (Almost) Open

St. Mark's Bookshop Gets a Second Life, Albeit in a Smaller Space

By Laura Gurfein Jun 2, 2014, 11:30am EDT

Image via <a href="http://diary.thepurplepassport.com/global/shopping-global-cities/the-hunt-bookshops">The Purple Passport</a> — Image via The Purple Passport

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A few weeks ago, St. Mark's Bookshop announced that it had done the (nearly) impossible—it had raised enough funds to relocate from its original home on Third Avenue, where it was facing an unsustainable rent hike, to a city-owned property on East Third Street just west of Avenue A.

This came after a string of bad news for independent bookstores, including the Rizzoli bookstore demolition and the imminent loss of Shakespeare & Co.. However, it's not all depressing: McNally Jackson is opening in Williamsburg, and Posman Books is headed to Brookfield Place, standing out in a sea of name-brand businesses.

The money for the St. Mark's move came from an Indiegogo campaign and a private committee, Friends of St. Mark's Bookshop. They'll now be near similarly-minded small businesses where the East Village meets Alphabet City, including the gift shop Exit 9 and the home goods store Lancelotti, both just up the street on Avenue A.

New York magazine has illustrated the layout of the new shop, which is expected to open later this month. Though St. Mark's is now working with less than half the square footage of their previous space, they're making the most of this second life with shelving covering every available wall space.

See the rest of the organization in the image below.