• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, October 14, 2010

A fixture on Broadway with its art deco façade, the CBS Store in New York has closed after an apparent failure to agree on new lease terms. Located at the corner of West 53rd Street, CBS posters outside and "CSI:" merchandise have been replaced by a "Prime Retail Space Available" sign out front.

A broker trying to find a new tenant said CBS's lease expired at the beginning of September. But the network will retain a considerable presence on the block, as the company-owned Ed Sullivan Theater will still host the "Late Show with David Letterman."

CBS said it is focusing its efforts on growing its CBS store online "to reach a greater number of customers." But with a towering image of Letterman on top, the promotional opportunity -- rather than sales --- would seem to have been the location's principal benefit. The store itself was tiny.

CBS continues to have retail stores at its Television City in Hollywood and its MGM Grand presence in Las Vegas. The Broadway store opened sometime after 1993, when CBS bought the landmark Sullivan Theater as Letterman's home. (NBC maintains a large "Experience Store" a few blocks south in Rockefeller Center.)

While an "NCIS" energy drink may no longer be available, visitors to the New York site can still pick up Letterman paraphernalia. There's another sign on the window directing people several yards away: "'Late Show' merchandise on sale at Rupert's Hello Deli."

That's the cluttered sandwich shop owned by Rupert Jee, well-known for his many "Late Show" appearances. (Search for "David Letterman and Rupert Jee annoy people" on YouTube for a laugh). Behind a counter, Jee is selling the hats, mugs and Paul Shaffer autobiography formerly at the CBS Store. A sandwich is also named after "Late Show" executive producer Rob Burnett -- turkey and muenster on a hero.

For some time, Jee has done his best to capitalize on his Letterman-fueled fame. He has his own line of "Hello Deli" T-shirts.