The City section of yesterday’s NYT featured a consideration of the Astor Place Barnes & Noble closing. “The rent has become too high,” says B&N, but Emily Brady notes that the landlord for the property expressed a willingness to keep the rent at its current $1.15 million/yr rate. Apparently what they wanted is a 25 percent discount. (Silly B&N: surely you know that discounting eats away at profits!) Although one customer was quoted as being “bummed” by the impending closure, others find it karmic justice for all the independent bookstores B&N is said to have put out of business over the years.
In this morning’s paper, Colin Moynihan reports from Saturday’s anarchist book fair at Washington Square, which drew an estimated 1,000 visitors to Judson Memorial Church. Like any small book fair, the one-day event featured a lot of small publishers, some panel discussions, and guest speakers… though I’m guessing most other fairs don’t have “tactical protest lessons” taught by instructors “dressed all in white and wearing body armor made of foam padding or inflated inner tubes.” But maybe they should!