Beloved 'Books Of Wonder' Outpost Closing Down On The UWS

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — In some not-so-wonderful news, the Books of Wonder store on the Upper West Side will shutter by the end of June, according to owner Peter Glassman.

The closure of the well-liked children's bookstore was first reported on by the WestSideRag.

The store at 217 West 84th Street will offer a 20 percent discount for everything in the shop until it closes permanently. Its other location at 42 West 17th Street will remain open, which opened amid the pandemic in November 2020.

"The building where our West 84th Street store has been located for the past four years has been sold to a new owner and as part of the sale, they have chosen to deliver the building without retail tenants," Glassman wrote in an email to customers.

Glassman did include a positive nugget within an unfortunate email, saying that he was looking for another location on the Upper West Side to reopen at.

"We love the Upper West Side and hope to continue being a part of the supportive and welcoming community that has been so wonderful over the past years," reads his email.

Books of Wonder first opened on the Upper West Side in 2017.

"We've really missed being able to spend time at Books of Wonder during the toughest parts of the pandemic," UWS resident Michael Schulman told Patch. "Hopefully, it can find a new location in the neighborhood."

To reap the benefits of the 20 percent discount, you need to do your shopping at the store rather than online.

You can find out more about the children's bookstore founded in 1980, on its website.