Last Round of Applause: NYC Theater Store to Close

by John Mutter, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 3/25/2005

The curtain is going down on Applause Theatre & Cinema Books on New York City's Upper West Side. The 24-year-old store, founded and owned by Glenn Young, will close June 30, and has already started a going-out-of-business sale.

The store's last act has been extended for some time. In 2000, Young transferred day-to-day management of the store to a partner who nearly ran Applause into the ground: stock was depleted and staff dwindled. Young's friends and advisors counseled him to give up the store. "But I couldn't let go," he said shortly afterward. In 2002, Young took back the leading role, closed the store for a short time, then re-opened it in a slightly refurbished state and with used and out-of-print books added to the inventory. At the time, Young said, "We needed used books to set us apart. If we couldn't set ourselves apart, we'd close."

Local competition has been fierce. Applause is not far from several Barnes & Noble superstores and a new Borders, each of which has extensive selections in Applause's specialty. Three years ago, the Drama Book Shop moved into a larger space that includes a theater space on 40th Street near Eighth Avenue, close to the heart of the theater district.

Last fall, Young sold his remaining stake in Applause Books, his publishing venture, to Hal Leonard Corp., which had acquired a majority stake in 2000.

Located at 211 W. 71st St., Applause has 2,000 square feet of space and in healthier times stocked more than 20,000 books.