Jenny Feder, the artist who cofounded the beloved Greenwich Village bookstore Three Lives & Company Bookstore in 1978, died on August 12 in Sarasota, Fla., after a brief illness. She was 73.

Feder studied art in New York City and Mexico and became known for her intimate, small-scale sculptures. A review by Helen Harrison in the New York Times described her work as reminiscent of Joseph Cornell’s boxes. “Ms. Feder's tiny buildings are like repositories for memories-little refuges for the imagination after it has tired itself in flights of fancy,” Harrison wrote. “Travel, romance, game-playing and role-playing are all alluded to, as is the sometimes-disquieting sense of vulnerability that one feels when away from a safe haven.”

In 1978, Feder joined with Helene Webb and Jill Dunbar to design, open, and operate Three Lives & Company Bookstore. Its first location was on 7th Avenue and later moved to its present corner of West 10th Street at Waverly Place. The bookstore was originally located across the street from Julius, one of the oldest gay bars in New York. The fixtures in both stores were designed and built by Feder.

Under Feder and Dunbar, Three Lives & Company became known for its handpicked inventory and knowledgeable staff. The store has attracted writers, editors, and readers from all over the world including Laurie Colwin, Michael Cunningham, Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Strout, and Edmund White. For 23 years, Feder saw the shop as a work in progress and often said that it was her biggest art project.

In 2001, Feder and Dunbar sold the store to fellow bookseller Toby Cox. The store endured an existential crisis in 2016 when the building where it is housed was sold. After a period of uncertainty, Cox was able to reach a new deal in late 2016.

Under Cox's leadership, Three Lives continues as a hub of downtown literary life. “Since the news of Jenny’s passing, we’ve been saying that Jenny was the visionary for the shop,” Cox said. “She designed and hand-built the space. She was also the master of the display, always at work beautifully presenting the books and making the shop come alive. It is a joy and honor to work in the space that Jenny created.”

Prior to her passing, Feder lived in Greenport, N.Y. with Dunbar, her wife of 50 years.