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Saturday, March 27, 2010

Outside Three Lives, in the Village

Three Lives & Co., The Village
Photo by myself at West 10th Street and Waverly Place, in the Village.

Three Lives & Company is an independent bookstore in the Village. Its wooden display cases and bright red door make this a distinctive storefront.

Don't get me wrong - every neighborhood has at least one Barnes and Noble Bookstore. However there are still some independent booksellers left.

Many specialize, in order to stand out. Kitchen Arts and Letters on the Upper East Side and Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in the Village sell current and out of print cookbooks, for instance.

Archivia Books on the Upper East Side and Urban Center Books cater to architects, decorators and architecture lovers. The latter was located in what used to be the Helmsley Palace on Madison Avenue for 30 years, and only recently closed. It will re-open this Fall in another location.

Visit Partners & Crime for mystery books, East West Living for books on Asian culture and holistic life. If the theatre is more your cup of tea, visit The Drama Bookshop in the Theatre District.

I wish the list were endless. I remember when the Shakespeare and Co. store on the Upper West Side closed several years ago, New Yorkers feared they would lose all the small bookstores. Many New Yorkers boycott the larger chains on principle. (There are a few Shakespeare and Co. locations left).

For a nifty list in the Times about specialty bookstores, click here.
For lists of small bookstores according to general area, click here.

Related posts: Outside Biography Books, Bleeker Street, Searching for a Bargain, at the Strand and Browsing Around, in the Village.

9 comments:

Robert said...

That's sooo old english! Nice pic!

Washington said...

Wow! This is so cool! Bookstores dedicated to specific themes. NYC is really amazing! Anyone dedicated to music?

elsie said...

in my suburban "wasteland" we barely have any independent book stores - NYC still has so many riches! love the red door too!

Unknown said...

Your picture reminded me instantly of The Shop on the Corner in "You've Got M@il" - probably because the film was on French TV recently.
I have never been to New York, but those little shops and the houses with the bay-windows somehow seemed to make the special charm of New York. Just the vision of a film lover?

lewi14@gmail.com said...

I like your photo too. It's a pity that small independent bookstores are displaced by the big stores.

Emanuela said...

Thanks for the link of mistery bookstore! I'm organizing my first travel to ny and your blog is perfect.

dianasfaria.com said...

This couple look so happy. I wonder if they are in love.

Arwen said...

Bonjour,
Very beautifful blog.
I love New York too.

Très joli ton blog.
Moi aussi j'adore New York et la nourriture Américaine. J'y suis déjà allée 2 fois et je compte bien y retourner.
J'ai d'ailleurs parlé de mes séjour sur ce site :
http://www.trivago.fr/new-york-34812

Il y a des tas de photos et autres récits tous très agréables à lire.

Merci et désolée pour le dérangement.

Arwen.

Laura Cousins said...

Not only a wonderful picture, but a post that is a valuable resource as well. Thank you!