New York City’s Strand Book Store operates used book stalls along Central Park, but its contract with the Parks Department is due to expire in May 2013.

The Parks Department is currently looking for bids for the site. The Strand will participate in the process. The bookstalls are located along the wall outside of Central Park on Fifth Avenue between East 60th and 61st Street. The site is a heavy with foot traffic.

The New York World has the story: “Because the bids are submitted in a sealed process, [Eddie] Sutton said Strand, whose main outlet on Broadway and 12th Street claims to carry ’18 miles of books’ simply tries to offer what it thinks it can afford. Sutton said he doesn’t worry about whether a competitor might come along and take over the tourist-attracting stalls. In fact, it has happened before.”