With Shelves Full of Crime, a Store Faces Its Demise

By MICHAEL WILSON

“Endings, man, they weren't as easy as they looked.”

Any honest mystery writer would agree with that fine ending, from the last sentence to “Get Shorty,” by Elmore Leonard. And as we pause to consider the approach of another, very real ending, here is a random sampling of fictional ones from the bloody, bullet-riddled shelves of the Greenwich Village mystery bookstore Partners & Crime:

“Everybody watched them to the door, and then turned back to their quiet speculations.”

And:

“Somewhere along the way, I realized I'd had my shield, only not the one I'd expected.”

And:

“God just is, he thinks. God just is.”

Well, real estate just is, and the rise of electronic readers just is, and the death of independent bookstores just is. Partners & Crime, after 18 years on Greenwich Avenue, will close its doors Sept. 20. As Ian Rankin wrote in a last s entence 15 years ago, “Grabbed his jacket and took that walk.”

The usual suspect in the death of an independent store in New York City is the landlord, but in this case, he is innocent, even celebrated.

“We would not have been in business for 18 years if our landlord had not treated us as a valued member of the block,” said Maggie Griffin, one of the store's owners. “He helped keep the West Village alive. It's not just rent. It's a lot of things. It's all the other reasons bookstores give. It's an expensive proposition to run an independent bookstore.”

As her partner in the store, Maggie Topkis, put it, “This is the worst environment for publishing and bookselling pretty much in the history of publishing and bookselling.” She should know, as she is also a publisher, with Felony & Mayhem press.

Ms. Griffin is decidedly sunny about the whole situation. “Lots and lots of things don't last 18 years,” she said. “We had a vibrant and t hriving business for a really long time.”

Between now and the closing day, the store hopes to sell everything, so deep discounts have already begun, including on first editions and rare books. The last performances of the monthly radio plays in the store, by the Cranston & Spade Theater Company, are scheduled for Sept. 1.

The last sentences above come from three writers with strong ties to the store: Lee Child, Reed Ferrel Coleman and Peter Blauner. Ms. Griffin thought of an appropriate ending to a story about Partners & Crime.

“God, I had a blast,” she said.

Andy McCarthy contributed reporting.