Shakespeare & Co.: ‘We’re Not Going Anywhere Until Something Happens’

Last we checked in with Shakespeare & Co., it wasn’t ready to comment about rumors of a “possible closure.” Now manager Margot Liddell confirms that the bookstore can’t afford the current rent — an undisclosed figure that she said is triple what it used to pay. But it isn’t ready to admit defeat.

“The store has been for rent for a year,” said Liddell, adding that from her count, the landlord has been through at least three realtors. “No one has rented the space. So we’re here until we’re not. We’re not going anywhere until something happens and that’s the truth.”

At the moment, the store, without a lease, is paying what it can on a month-by-month basis, Liddell said. If/when a new tenant signs a lease for 716 Broadway, Shakespeare & Co. will be given notice of how long it has to vacate.

“But it’s not over until it’s over,” Liddell said. “I have hope, but I’m sort of a Pollyanna. I’ve been in denial the whole time.”

When asked if the bookstore’s owners have considered any type of fundraiser, Liddell said that with the rent increase, “I just don’t see how a fundraiser is going to make a difference.”

A couple avenues away in the East Village, St. Mark’s Bookshop continues to put its faith in fundraising as it gears up to sign a new lease for a smaller property on East Third Street. In late February, that bookstore launched a $50,000 online fundraiser to help bankroll a space build-out and moving costs. While the fundraiser was set to expire this past Saturday, Indiegogo granted a 20-day extension, through May 16.  Currently, St. Mark’s Bookshop has received just under $36,000 in contributions.