J. Levine Books and Judaica is an independent bookstore located in Midtown Manhattan. J. Levine is a fifth-generation family business and one of the oldest standing Judaica stores in United States since it opened in 1905.
 | |
 5 West 30th Street headquarters. | |
| Founded | Vilkomir, Lithuania (1890) New York City (1905) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Hirsch Landy |
| Headquarters | 5 West 30th Street, New York, New York , |
| Products | Judaica, books |
| Owner | Daniel Levine |
| Website | levinejudaica |
History
editThe business was founded in 1890 in Vilkomir, Lithuania,[1] where sofer Hirsch Landy began selling the Torah scrolls he produced. In 1905, he immigrated to the United States and continued the business as a pushcart on the Lower East Side. In 1920, his son-in-law Joseph Levine incorporated and expanded the business to selling synagogue vestments, and his sons Harold, Melvin and Seymour Levine continued the business.[2]
J. Levine expanded to its current location in Midtown Manhattan, where it offers books, menorahs, and various Judaica,[3] including gifts and children's games and toys that are popular during Hanukkah.[4]
Like many traditional booksellers, the store saw a decrease in sales in the first few years of the 2000s, as Amazon.com surged in popularity. Seymour's son Daniel Levine, the fourth-generation owner, said business dropped 18 percent from 2000 to 2005. However, the store expanded its own business online in order to compete, and sales rose 20 percent, Levine said.[5]
In 2019 after 130 years operating a Judaica store, the J Levine Manhattan store closed its brick and mortar store. It retains its online store and continues a Torah rental business and a retail Ketubah store in Manhattan by appointment.
References
edit- ^ Greenberg, Zoe (September 30, 2016). "From Torahs to Tchotchkes, J. Levine Books & Judaica Is a Go-To Store". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- ^ Lipman, Steve (November 15, 2011). "Seymour Levine, 90, Owned Famed Bookstore". The Jewish Week. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Religious Bookstores Thrive As They Move to Diversify". The New York Times. November 25, 1991. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ "CNN Hanukkah gifts feature". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Sales, Ben (May 22, 2012). "Jewish bookstores writing new chapters in competition with Internet". Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
External links
editBibliography
edit- Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300055366.