NYC's Coliseum Books to Reopen in New Location

New York City's independent bookselling landscape continues to change. On the heels of news that Oscar Wilde Bookshop was sold and Bluestockings Women's Bookstore may close, New York City's Coliseum Books announced that it is set to reopen in a new location directly across from the main branch of the New York Public Library. The store signed a lease with Tishman Speyer last Friday. Coliseum owner George Leibson told BTW, "I'm euphoric in signing a new lease, but also terrified. I'll probably be running on adrenaline for quite awhile."

Coliseum Books, which had been at its original 57th Street and Broadway location for 27 years, has long been a staple of independent bookselling in New York City. That is why, when the store closed in January 2002 after its lease expired and the landlord increased the rent, the sad news reverberated throughout the independent bookselling community.

Still, Leibson said he never expected to close his bookstore. "It was a blow, and it never occurred to me that I would do anything else," he said, and explained that he pictured the store continuing well after he retired from bookselling. "I didn't want to leave the area -- which still needs a bookstore badly -- but I had to be realistic."

Four months prior to closing, Leibson hired a real estate broker, Philip Metzidakis, the president of the Jansizian Group Ltd., with the purpose of either "finding a new location or keeping him at the old location," Metzidakis told BTW. "It was not possible to stay at the old location, so this caused a long and arduous search for a new location."

Coliseum's Leibson noted that, though the city offered incentives to businesses to move downtown, he wanted to stay in midtown Manhattan. Metzidakis said he knew from the start that finding the right location in midtown would be a challenge, but he was happy to be a part of keeping the store going. "I had bought hundreds of books at Coliseum and loved the store," he explained.

Metzidakis further explained that a new location would have to meet a number of requirements: It had to be affordable, large enough to recreate the previous Coliseum Books, far from a chain store, and, of course, needed to be in a location where there was foot traffic. "The kind of foot traffic that translates into buying," Metzidakis explained.

Fortunately, each requirement has been met, and then some, with Coliseum's new location at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, right across the street from the New York City Public Library. "I think the new location is better than the old location," Metzidakis said. "Across from the library -- that's kind of lovely.... I'm ecstatic to have made this deal." The space is 11,000 square feet, he noted, and it has a basement for storage and a small area for an office upstairs. Additionally, Leibson has partnered with an independent operator to feature a coffee and wine bar.

Leibson said that he stored his old store's fixtures and will use as many as he can in the new space, which is about 5,000-square-feet smaller. Additionally, he said that Richard Urciuoli will be returning as store manager and Jay Grace will be back as head buyer. Leibson's target date to open is mid-April, "but, realistically, May 1," he explained, and added that, as soon as his feet are on the ground, he will be rejoining ABA.

"This is good for New York City," Leibson summed up. "I think it will be a good thing to have a store that is not driven by the tastes and the obligation of chain stores." --David Grogan