Tamizdat Book Corner will sell books that have been banned in Russia. Photo by Lisa Kava.

By Lisa Kava

Tamizdat Book Corner, which will carry books that have been banned in Russia, is opening on February 26th in a corner of White Rabbit Books, at 200 West 86th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue). There will be an opening celebration at 7 p.m. for the public. Tamizdat means “published out of Russia” or in English “self published,” White Rabbit Books co-owner Michael Epshteyn told West Side Rag during a visit to the store. Tamizdat Book Corner will carry an assortment of books published in Europe over 40 years ago, along with more current books by author Linor Goralik who supports Ukraine, Epshteyn said. White Rabbit Books, a multi-language bookstore for kids and teens, opened in January, 2025. (Thanks to Scott for the tip.)

Poppie Toys, a pop-up toy store, occupied this space till mid-December. See who’s there now in the photo below. Photo courtesy of the WSR archives.

Poppie Toys, a pop-up toy store on the corner of Broadway and West 83rd Street, closed in mid December. It sold toys and wooden children’s furniture, using the material rattan, a wooden weave. Owned and operated by Upper West Side mom Carlijn Joosten, Poppie Toys opened in November 2023, in a space vacated by a Bank of America branch. It had been operating on a month-to-month basis under an agreement with the landlord, while he searched for a permanent tenant. “It was such a fun adventure,” Joosten told West Side Rag. Upper West Siders will not have to travel far to find Poppie toys and furniture in the future. Jenn Mattie, who helped Joosten run the pop-up, is soon opening a new Upper West Side toy store which will sell the Poppie brand among others. “Since West Side Kids closed, I don’t think we have a dedicated toy store so I hope to remedy that,” she told the Rag.  We will update when we have the name of the store, confirmed address, and an opening date.

Sisu Clinic will move into the space most recently occupied by Poppie Toys. Photo by Lisa Kava.

Sisu Clinic, a skin care clinic has signage up on the corner of Broadway and West 83rd Street.  It is expected to open in May, CEO Pat Phelan wrote to West Side Rag in an email. “Sisu Clinic was founded to make high quality, doctor-led, aesthetic treatments accessible, ethical and results driven,” Phelan wrote.  “We combine medical expertise with a modern patient first approach to cosmetic treatments.”  The clinic specializes in non-surgical aesthetics such as botox, filler, brow lifts, and microneedling. Other NYC locations are on the Upper East Side, Flatiron, and SoHo. They also have locations in Houston and Miami. Poppie Toys, the pop-up, was previously in the space. (Thanks to Mia for the tip.)

The future home of Farmer’s Market Cafe. Photo by Lisa Kava.

Farmer’s Market Cafe has signage up at 700 Columbus Avenue (at West 95th Street). We will update when we have more information about the cafe and an expected opening date. Kumon, a math and reading tutoring center was formerly in the space. (Thanks to Gustavo and Mark for the tip.)

Photo by Scott.

THISBOWL, an Australian restaurant chain has signed a 10 year lease at 1880 Broadway (at West 62nd Street). THISBOWL was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2016 by three college students who wanted to “change the culture of fast food” and make it “fresh, tasty, and affordable.” Customers can create their own bowls, picking a base, protein, vegetables and extras. There are now over 50 locations in Australia and NYC locations  in NoMad, Rockefeller Plaza, and NoHo.

The Openings & Closings column wouldn’t be possible without our many tipsters: thank you! Anyone can send tips about openings and closings in the neighborhood to info@westsiderag.com.

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