As some New York city and state politicians courted Jeff Bezos, others were deciding it would be OK to
add to my expenses by requiring my Manhattan bookstore -- the third-generation-owned, 91-year-old Strand -- to be designated as a landmark building.
This alleged honorific would present me with a
regulatory nightmare: When any building is designated a landmark, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission henceforth must approve all building changes -- from window repair and signage adjustment to the type of mortar used to repair a crack in the walls. The labyrinthine process for such approval
places a burden that would cost us time and money -- as it does every other small business that is so designated. Maintaining the building would require hiring landmarking experts, architects and lawyers. This
additional cost, on top of our already
thin margins,
could very well grind the Strand into bankruptcy.