((PKG)) COVID / STRAND BOOKSTORE
((TRT: 03:46))
((Topic Banner: Holding On))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Natalia Latukhina, Max Avloshenko))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 2 males))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
My first memory is walking into the store and just kind of seeing it
kind of painted ghostly gray, and seeing all the walls of books
everywhere and smelling that kind of chocolaty, musty kind of
smell, and seeing my grandpa and my dad working side-by-side
at the buying desk, and heading straight back to the children's
section, where it was just candy colored books. And I felt like
such a princess because I could pick out any book that I wanted
or books that I wanted to.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
So, the store's been around for 93 years. It was begun by my
grandpa, Benjamin Bass, in an area that was called Book Row
that was just around the corner and there were 48 bookstores at
the time.
((Courtesy: Strand Bookstore))
1946, we moved over, just a block over, to a higher traffic area on
Broadway
((Courtesy: Strand Bookstore))
where we are today.
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
The store was then passed on to my dad, Fred Bass, and then on
to me. So, all three of us have worked all of our lives at the store.
We have survived almost everything: the depression, two world
wars, 9/11, until COVID stopped us in our tracks - the first thing
that has really, really dangerously affected us.
((NATS))
((Vasilis Terpsopoulos, Rare Book Expert, Strand
Bookstore))
And it's a limited signed edition of James Joyce's Ulysses, all of
which were signed by Henri Matisse, who was the artist who
illustrated it, signed also by James Joyce.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
Of course, at first it was very painful and I very much felt all alone
and I didn't know, “What am I going to do next?”
((Courtesy: Strand Bookstore))
So, I decided I would write a letter, a heartfelt letter and appeal to
our customers and my friends and see if they would, I, the only
ask was, “Would you buy your holiday gifts from us?” Three
hours later, our website crashed. It did not know how to handle
that many orders.
((NATS))
((Dan Roth, Web Orders Manager, Strand Bookstore))
It was sort of a combination of “Wow” and “Uh-oh”. So, yeah, you
know, we instantly started figuring out, “How are we going to do
this?”
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
We had one lady from the Bronx and she put in an order of 197
copies.
((NATS))
((Sara Buroi, Customer))
It's really sad. So, everyone's getting books this year for
Christmas, everyone I know.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
We realize that we have to pivot very early to Christmas holiday
buying. So, we just encourage people to buy early, think indie,
you know, and buy local. Support your neighborhood stores. I
just think this is a little bit of a wake-up call for people that are just
staying at home and, you know, consumed with the news that
when COVID’s over with, they might wake up and their
neighborhood has disappeared. Neighborhood’s retail stores
have disappeared.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
I have to think that my grandpa and dad are looking down at this
turn of events and are just absolutely floored and cannot believe
this phenomenon. And I never would have imagined this
outpouring of love.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
Thank you, New York, for today.
((NATS))
((TRT: 03:46))
((Topic Banner: Holding On))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Natalia Latukhina, Max Avloshenko))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 2 males))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
My first memory is walking into the store and just kind of seeing it
kind of painted ghostly gray, and seeing all the walls of books
everywhere and smelling that kind of chocolaty, musty kind of
smell, and seeing my grandpa and my dad working side-by-side
at the buying desk, and heading straight back to the children's
section, where it was just candy colored books. And I felt like
such a princess because I could pick out any book that I wanted
or books that I wanted to.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
So, the store's been around for 93 years. It was begun by my
grandpa, Benjamin Bass, in an area that was called Book Row
that was just around the corner and there were 48 bookstores at
the time.
((Courtesy: Strand Bookstore))
1946, we moved over, just a block over, to a higher traffic area on
Broadway
((Courtesy: Strand Bookstore))
where we are today.
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
The store was then passed on to my dad, Fred Bass, and then on
to me. So, all three of us have worked all of our lives at the store.
We have survived almost everything: the depression, two world
wars, 9/11, until COVID stopped us in our tracks - the first thing
that has really, really dangerously affected us.
((NATS))
((Vasilis Terpsopoulos, Rare Book Expert, Strand
Bookstore))
And it's a limited signed edition of James Joyce's Ulysses, all of
which were signed by Henri Matisse, who was the artist who
illustrated it, signed also by James Joyce.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
Of course, at first it was very painful and I very much felt all alone
and I didn't know, “What am I going to do next?”
((Courtesy: Strand Bookstore))
So, I decided I would write a letter, a heartfelt letter and appeal to
our customers and my friends and see if they would, I, the only
ask was, “Would you buy your holiday gifts from us?” Three
hours later, our website crashed. It did not know how to handle
that many orders.
((NATS))
((Dan Roth, Web Orders Manager, Strand Bookstore))
It was sort of a combination of “Wow” and “Uh-oh”. So, yeah, you
know, we instantly started figuring out, “How are we going to do
this?”
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
We had one lady from the Bronx and she put in an order of 197
copies.
((NATS))
((Sara Buroi, Customer))
It's really sad. So, everyone's getting books this year for
Christmas, everyone I know.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
We realize that we have to pivot very early to Christmas holiday
buying. So, we just encourage people to buy early, think indie,
you know, and buy local. Support your neighborhood stores. I
just think this is a little bit of a wake-up call for people that are just
staying at home and, you know, consumed with the news that
when COVID’s over with, they might wake up and their
neighborhood has disappeared. Neighborhood’s retail stores
have disappeared.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
I have to think that my grandpa and dad are looking down at this
turn of events and are just absolutely floored and cannot believe
this phenomenon. And I never would have imagined this
outpouring of love.
((NATS))
((Nancy Bass Wyden, Owner, Strand Bookstore))
Thank you, New York, for today.
((NATS))
