(Originally Published May 12, 2019)
The Argosy Book Store in New York City is an established piece of the city’s history, dating back to 1925. I decided to take the plunge and visit the store for the first time while I was in the city yesterday. I had both Argosy and the Strand (which opened elsewhere in the city two years later) on my city trip bucket list, so with time to kill before my date with a cushy opera seat at Lincoln Center, I weighed my choices. Somebody had been very helpful in getting me the info for the Strand, but since it was some twenty blocks in the opposite direction from my destination, I knew my feet would not take the abuse, and taxis unlikely at that time of day. I walked instead to the Argosy, hoping to enjoy some slow time with some old books.
The place is designed much like a delightful old shoppe, smelling wonderfully of ancient paper in the muted light. On the shelves were old and more modern bound books of all sorts. Seeing Shakespeare occupying several shelves, I stopped to take a look and wondered about the cost of some future presents for my bookworm friends.
Meanwhile, a drama was unfolding at a nearby desk, where a worker was contacting a shipper (a major one whose name I will not mention here) to find out why a promised on-time delivery did not happen. A customer had requested a special book for a Saturday occasion, and it never arrived, she learned, because in spite of instructions to the contrary, they waited to get a signature for the delivery. The worker informed the shipper that it was the store reputation which was suffering for their error, and I nodded to myself that this was a merchant who thrived on doing things the right way. She was quite infuriated by the problem, but kept her composure on the phone, another mark of professionalism.
However, my shopping trip was now less important amid the chaos in the store. Nobody asked if I wanted assistance, and I figured that my timing was just wrong. I left with nothing, but will return.
Meanwhile, the Strand is having an identity crisis because of a possible designation as a city landmark, which the owners might not want. They claim to have “18 miles of books.” and is an icon of the Washington Square area, while Argosy is just a brisk walk away from Central Park.
And in Long Island, Amazon is coming, may the book gods help us all.
There is a big difference between old books in an Indiana Jones-style warehouse, and an actual store one can walk into and breathe in the life between those aged pages. Commerce isn’t what it used to be, but bookstores like the Argosy and the Strand should stand forever.
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