Murder Ink, the "the world's oldest mystery bookstore" that offered everything from Tom Clancy to 50s pulp fiction, has closed.
Current owner Jay Pearsall "said he was paying $18,000 a month in rent for Murder Ink and another store, Ivy's Books & Curiosities, and couldn't afford a 5 percent increase expected in March. Competition from huge bookstore chains and online sellers didn't help."
The author of a novel titled "Murder Ink", Dilys Winn, founded the shop in 1972 and the ownership has gone through a few changes since. In 1980, the shop inspired a television show called "Murder Ink," starring Tovah Feldshuh (to play the owner of a bookshop specializing in mystery novels). The series failed, however. And the shop, which was on Broadway between 92nd and 93rd streets, shut its doors for good yesterday.
Photo via Ernae's flickr.
