Manhattan, NY Manhattan Skyline Management Corp. arranged a 4,950 s/f lease to bookstore Shakespeare & Co. at 450 Sixth Ave. in Greenwich Village. Located on Sixth Ave., between West 10th and West 11th Sts., the bookstore and café will sit at the base of The Villager, a distinctive pre-war residential building.

Shakespeare and Co.’s current  store at 939 Lexington Ave., has been a well-frequented fixture on the Upper East Side for over 20 years and this new lease marks the retailer’s fourth  location and first foray into downtown Manhattan. With 3,450 s/f on the ground floor and an additional 1,500 s/f in the basement, the space touts 24 ft. of frontage on Sixth Ave.and 13-ft. ceilings. The space was previously home to a portion of The Greenwich Lane sales office.

“We’re delighted to bring Shakespeare & Co. downtown, and this stretch of Sixth Ave. in the Village is a perfect space for their new location,” said Joshua Roth, VP, retail leasing for Manhattan Skyline, who handled the deal for the landlord in-house. “The area gets strong foot traffic from locals and tourists alike, and we believe this new shop and café will quickly develop a loyal following and become a favorite spot among booklovers.”

The bookstore will feature a thoughtfully curated book inventory, including a children’s book department, a literary café with Wi-Fi and the patented Espresso Book Machine, which can print a bookstore quality book in about three minutes. The Espresso has a catalogue of over seven million titles, including popular titles from major publishers and the classics, printed to the shelf or while the customer waits.

The Espresso also provides a community for self-expression where local authors can print, display and sell their titles in store, or customize and personalize their own books. Shakespeare & Co. recently launched a new personalized children’s book collection, where children can insert their name and picture in a book, and watch themselves become part of the story as the book is printed.

“We’re really looking forward to opening our new store in historic Greenwich Village, which has such a vibrant literary community,” said Dane Neller, Shakespeare’s CEO. “We’re thrilled to offer the neighborhood a beautiful and intimate bookstore where customers can get lost in a book while sipping on a cappuccino.”

Neighboring tenants include Village Vintner Wine & Liquor, Ansonia Pharmacy, Rosemary’s, Bluestone Lane, La Contenta Oeste, Starbucks, Urban Outfitters, Rite Aid, First Republic Bank, CVS, Wells Fargo, Citarella, Ricky’s, and The UPS Store. Manhattan Skyline Management Corp. is currently marketing the next-door unit at 450 Sixth Avenue, which features 4,395-square-feet on the ground floor and an additional 2,310-square-feet in the basement.