In the 1930s, this storefront was home to the Armenian bookstore of H. Mamasian.

From 1985 until 2014, this lovely building was Rizzoli Bookstore, the city's go-to place for classy art books.

In the 1980s, New York's much-loved bookstore, the Strand, opened a shop on Front Street similar to its Union Square location that sold mostly used books. The branch later relocated to Fulton and Gold Streets in 1996 but closed in 2008 due to rent increases.

This storefront was home to the Community Bookstore from 1981 to 2016. The New York Times called it “a place to rummage and ruminate, a place for treasure hunters and lost souls.” After 35 years in business, the beloved shop only closed down because the owners wanted to retire.

Benziger Brothers is a Catholic publishing firm that was founded in 1792 in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. The firm operated out of this storefront from 1950 until 1966, producing not only religious tomes, but also lithographs of religious images and liturgical paraphernalia (including Catholic vestments).

The Surma Book & Music Company, better known as “The Ukrainian Shop” on Seventh Street, closed in June of 2016 after 98 years of selling records, books, clothes and other trinkets.

Ruby’s Book Sale, which opened in 1960 and moved to Tribeca in 1970, closed in March of 2005 after 45 years of business.

In 1973, this first-floor storefront was occupied by the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop. The shop, credited as the first bookstore with an avowed focus on gay and lesbian authors, closed in 2009.

Now a medical center, 162 Pierrepont Street in 1958 was the home of Civic Center Book Shop.

The Pageant Book Store was established in 1946 and occupied a number of venues on Fourth Avenue (then called the “Bookseller Row”) before moving into its most well-known location on 9th Street in 1981. After a brief closure, Pageant can be found today at 69 East 4th Street.