It’s the art of saving a Long Island bookstore.
Beloved East Hampton bookshop BookHampton has a new chapter — thanks to Larry Gagosian, Page Six has learned.
Last fall, Carolyn Brody, the owner of the Main Street book store, told residents that she planned to sell the shop.
Locals fretted over losing the institution, and a source told Page Six, “There was concern in the community about the fate of the store — and the potential for another luxury retail shop to take its place.”
Enter top gallerist Gagosian, 80, an Amagansett resident and BookHampton regular.
The source said that the art whiz, “sees the shop as an important part of the community, and he felt it was important that it was preserved.”
We hear he’s already taken over the space and plans for it to remain a general interest bookstore, with some expanded art and design offerings.
(His gallery has also published books, including recent tomes from artists Richard Prince and Tom Wesselmann.)
Gagosian told us when we reached out: “I have lived in Amagansett for 35 years and always loved the fact that Main Street in East Hampton had a wonderful independent bookstore. BookHampton is an important part of the community, and I felt it was crucial that it was preserved.”
Brody, a chairman emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, bought the shop in 2016.
Hillary Clinton and Ali Wentworth are among the many star authors known to have promoted their tomes at the shop over the years.
