Fred Bass (businessman)
Fred Bass (born June 28, 1928) is an American businessman, best known as the current owner of New York City's Strand Bookstore.
Biography
Bass is the son of Esther and Benjamin Bass.[1][2] His father was an immigrant from Lithuania who founded the Strand Bookstore.[1] His mother was a bookkeeper who was active during the 1960s and 1970s with B'nai B'rith, the civil rights movement, and the Women's Strike for Peace.[2] He has two sisters: Dorothy Bass and Eleanor Bass Allen.[1] Fred joined the family business at the age of 13, working weekends with his father when Strand was located on 4th Avenue. In the early days, he spent most of his time shelving, sweeping, and tidying up. After completing a tour of duty in the Armed Forces, he returned to New York where he worked side-by-side with his father. In 1956, he took over the family business and moved the store to its present location at the corner of East 12th Street and Broadway. In 1957, he moved the store around the corner to their current location at 12th Street and Broadway. As the years went on, Fred came to spend most of his time at the buying desk, cultivating relationships with regulars.
Bass continues to work, and also travels to look at private libraries and estates.[3] His daughter Nancy is married to Oregon senator, Ron Wyden.[4]
In an article with New York's The Villager, he said: “You never know what someone is going to walk in with...[it's a] treasure hunt."[5]
References
- ^ a b c New York Times: "Benjamin Bass, 77, Was Founder Of the Strand Used‐Book Store" By Robert MCG. Thomas Jr. August 2, 1978
- ^ a b New York Times: "Paid Notice: Deaths BASS, ESTHER" June 4, 2006
- ^ "The Strand's Stand". NYMag.
- ^ The Daily Mail: "Oregon Senator's wife revealed as a multimillionaire thanks to her stake in a NYC bookshop" 27 May 2015
- ^ The Villager: "A Salute to Union Square - Family owners have always been hands-on at Strand" by Jane Flanagan Volume 79, Number 49 | May 12–18, 2010
External links
- Official website
- In Depth tour of Strand Bookstore, September 5, 2004
- "Fred Bass's Bookshelf"
- "The Books of New York Past," Feb. 20, 2012
- "At Home With Millions of Books," Jan. 18, 2013
- "How The Strand Survives in the Age of Amazon," Nov. 23, 2014
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