In 2018, Shakespeare & Co. made a hopeful return to the Upper West Side, opening at 2020 Broadway between West 69th and 70th Streets–more than two decades after its original UWS location on 81st and Broadway shuttered in 1996. But on Monday, The Strand announced it would be taking over the lease — bringing Shakespeare & Co.’s brief UWS revival to an end.
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In March 2025, after only one year in business, Shakespeare & Co. closed its store at 105th and Broadway. The neighborhood has been reeling, with several recent closures in that immediate area including Szechuan Garden and Silver Moon Bakery.
Despite adding a café bakery, hosting book launches, and staging frequent events, the chain’s Upper West Side revival proved to be tough sledding. Its former UES location on East 69th Street, by Hunter College, enjoyed a run of more than two decades before closing in April.
“Shakespeare & Co. has been an invaluable and treasured resource on the West Side since the 1980s and, in 2018, opened a store near Lincoln Center to build on this tradition,” wrote Nancy Bass Wyden, owner of The Strand, a brand that’s been in business for over 97 years. “The Strand Book Store aims to honor and continue this legacy as we expand our presence on the Upper West Side with the addition of this new store. And, of course, all current Shakespeare & Co. booksellers and baristas will retain their employment with us.”
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ILTUWS took a trip to Shakespeare & Co. on Monday morning to inquire about the signs we’d been seeing in the window since last week. Multiple large red and yellow signs read “BIG BLOW OUT SALE,” while a black-and-white notice on computer paper said, “Don’t fret! IT’S SPRING CLEARANCE.” A staffer told us that “the circumstances changed” after the signs went up. According to them, a deal for The Strand to take over the lease came after the signs were posted. They have added new signs indicating The Strand is taking over, so they’re not worried. They believe the new management will come in and make it more effective.
The Strand will take over the lease on June 1, with an opening targeted for July, we’re told. The Strand opened its first Upper West Side location at 450 Columbus Avenue (between 81st and 82nd streets) in 2020.
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