John DeMarco, who had owned and operated Lyrical Ballad Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., since 1971 with his wife, Janice, died March 26. He was 70. The Daily Gazette reported that "the shop was a favorite spot for fans of old, used and rare books, with just a limited selection of new books of local interest.... DeMarco carved a niche for Lyrical Ballad that allowed it to survive the competition of large corporate retailers like Borders and the advent of digital media but still welcome the arrival of another independent bookseller, Northshire. The two had different markets, and would refer customers to each other."
Northshire Bookstore owner Chris Morrow recalled that he met DeMarco in 2012 when the Northshire, based in Manchester Center, Vt., was considering adding a second location, in Saratoga Springs. DeMarco served as a consultant to Northshire, which eventually opened a successful location on Broadway.
"He was incredibly gracious and helpful," Morrow said. "He was a true book person. It was his life and he was very good at it. Most importantly, he was a great human being."
Mayor Meg Kelly observed: "It's a sad day for Saratoga Springs. Lyrical Ballad outlived most of the big box stores and really was the foundation for much of the revitalization of Saratoga Springs. His store survived it all due to the strength of his personality."
Yaddo, the renowned artists' colony, posted on its Facebook page: "We were saddened to hear about the loss of our friend John DeMarco, who passed away yesterday. He and his wife, Jan, owners of Lyrical Ballad Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, have been great supporters of Yaddo. In 1971, they started Lyrical Ballad and have since built it up to be 4,800 sq. ft. of bibliophile heaven. John often helped us with books and was always kind and generous with Yaddo artists. He will be missed!"