Episode 044: Nancy Bass Wyden

Introduction:


 


I want to start out a bit differently today with a quote by the
great visionary, activist, poet and author, namely Maya Angelou,
who once said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but people will never
forget how you made them feel.” With that as the backdrop my
friends, we have with us Nancy Bass Wyden － who in addition to
being both one of my favorites as both a person and client － is
the 3rd generation owner of the legendary Strand Book Store on
12th Street and Broadway in New York City, which has been in
existence since 1927. When I walk into the Strand, it makes me
feel as if I am visiting a dear, warm and fuzzy, but still
totally cool and vibrant, childhood friend ... and I attribute
that feeling to both Nancy as well as her grandfather Ben, and
her father Fred. The sense of community one gets from being at
the Strand is something that, simply stated, is one that should
be bottled and marketed to the masses, because if it was, we
would all be better off for it. 


 


Episode Notes:


 


At 2:56, Nancy Bass Wyden describes what being “lost in the
stacks” at the Strand Book Store means to her. At 4:23, Nancy
highlights her family being in the book business for 92 years,
and discusses old, rare, and new books. At 6:04, Bass Wyden
informs that she is in the process of writing a memoir – stay
tuned! At 6:33, she makes note of how short life is, and shares
that she is one who wakes up in the morning with an optimistic
and “kick ass” mindset. At 7:09, Nancy speaks about the
accumulation of knowledge and her ability in noticing patterns in
businesses and people. At 8:24, Bass Wyden touches upon open
mindedness and always keeping your curiosity up. At 9:58, she
dives into the government’s overreach in landmarking the building
that the Strand is located. At 13:22, Nancy points out the
reality of the Strand operating on thin margins in a fragile
environment, as well as the extra operational costs due to the
Strand’s building being landmarked. At 15:23, Bass Wyden
discusses her grandfather, as well as her father saving up to buy
the building. At 17:40, Nancy mentions her responsibility to the
Strand’s employees, and touches upon the retail landscape and
Amazon. At 21:51, Nancy talks about the Strand’s knowledgeable
employees and their customer’s insatiable curiosity. At 23:29,
Bass Wyden discusses forming long term relationships with her
tenants. At 24:47, she shares that as she has gotten older, she
has become a bit more anti-establishment. At 28:21, Nancy dishes
on how the Strand has changed the culture of book stores by
hiring “extroverts.” At 29:11, Bass Wyden informs us about the
Strand’s 400 annual events schedule. At 30:09, she speaks about
the impact her father Fred has had on her. At 31:40, Nancy talks
about doing the right thing and your reputation. At 32:38, Bass
Wyden points out her love for nature, sea air, diving into a good
read, and the opportunity to write and ponder. At 33:37, Nancy
Bass Wyden closes out the podcast with a message on keeping with
the family mission of putting good books in the hands of young
and old readers.