New York City bookselling staple Three Lives & Company may be forced to relocate now that the building it has occupied since 1983 has been put up for sale. In preparation for the sale, the building's current owners did not renew the bookstore's lease, which is now on a month-to month basis. 
In a letter to customers, owner Toby Cox wrote: "Ideally, we would like to stay in our space, our address for thirty-three years, when a new owner for the building is found. 154 West Tenth Street has been a wonderful home for all of us, staff and customers alike, for all these many years. Jill, Jenny, and Helene, the founders and original owners of Three Lives, built an amazing bookshop and an incredible space in which to display books. We hope to work with the new owner when that time comes to keep this wonderful shop.
"Should a lease not be offered to Three Lives then we will look for a new space to build our home. The shop has moved once since it originally opened on the corner of West Tenth and Seventh Avenue, and there's always the possibility for a third life for Three Lives. It is our desire to stay in our neighborhood, the West Village, but we will need to find the right space at the right price, not an easy task considering the current commercial rental conditions in the area."
Describing Three Lives as "a thriving enterprise," Cox stressed that "this is not about a small, independent bookshop being battered by chain retailers, or online retail conglomerates, or new electronic devices on which to read a book." The bookstore has set sales records for the past three years "as the independent bookstore market in general has found its footing despite many challenges. A bookshop with an interesting selection of books and staffed by passionate, professional booksellers has a place in the book world."
Noting that "we will do all we can to ensure a long and vibrant future for Three Lives & Company," Cox observed: "Whether we continue to welcome you to our corner spot on West Tenth and Waverly or from a new location, we look forward to being your bookseller in the years ahead."
Reaction to the letter by friends and customers of the store was swift and deeply supportive. Last night Cox wrote to Shelf Awareness: "It has been a wonderful and intense day with so many sending along their good wishes and heartfelt love for the shop."
