Booking It: St. Mark's Bookshop's Savior, The Strand Breaks Records

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EAST VILLAGE—Finally, there is a glimmer of hope for St. Mark's Bookshop. The indie bookstore had been eviction from its new home, but EV Grieve is reporting that an investor stepped forward to take over the store's lease and pay the back rent that totals $62,000. But owner Bob Constant knows that this isn't a long-term solution: He and the investor are hoping that if they "fill the store with books, our business will increase and we'll be able to pay our way."

EAST VILLAGE—The Strand had a record-breaking holiday season last year: The bookstore's sales were up 10% from 2014. And on Saturday, December 19th, the store saw a whopping 30,000 more visitors than the previous year on the same date. "I'm very happy and proud. I know what we accomplished was something spectacular in the store," Fred Bass, who owns The Strand with his daughter, told Bedford + Bowery. "In fact, in the age of digital everything, we've turned the tide against e-books."

PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS—Greenlight Bookstore is opening its second location on Flatbush Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens with the help of the community, according to Ditmas Park Corner. The Community Lenders program asks interested members to loan $1,000 or more for the store's construction, which they're estimating at $200,000. Greenlight will repay all of the money over five years (beginning on the date the store opens) and participants will receive a 30% discount plus other perks while money is still owed. Owners Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton used this system to open their first store in Fort Greene.