Librairie de France
Librairie de France was a famous French bookstore at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
The store, located at 610 Fifth Avenue on Rockefeller Center Promenade, was opened in 1935 by Isaac Molho,[1] though the company itself was founded in 1928.[2] Molho had studied in Athens at a French school and come to the United States in 1928, but before leaving Europe, become acquainted with officials from Paris' Hachette publisher.[1] The Rockefeller family were eager for some retail space in the new center to be filled by Europeans, and invited Molho to open shop as one of its first tenants.[1]
The store closed on September 30, 2009 as a result of a spike in its annual rent from $360,000 to $1,000,000.[1] The store continues to operate as a mail-order outlet.
References
- ^ a b c d Messana, Paola (2009-01-02). "America's most famous French bookstore to down shutters". France 24. AFP. Retrieved 2009-01-02. [dead link]
- ^ "Our History". Librairie de France. Retrieved 2009-01-02.