Stores I frequent in Manhattan

by Melissa of Pressbound

A recent whirlwind trip to NYC inspired me to compile a list of some places I like to browse and occasionally shop at while in Manhattan. I didn’t get a chance to go to ALL of these in my last trip since I was only there for two days, but I got a chance to buy some paper at Paper Icon for a new project I hope to start soon. I’ve broken them down into three catagories: Paper, Books, and Other.

P A P E R

New York Central
63 Third Ave.
This is an art supply store but I love their selection of handmade papers. Many things I’ve only seen on line and never in person. Their prices are very reasonable as well.

Kate’s Paperie
SoHo
72 Spring Street
(between Crosby and Lafayette Streets)

or
West Village
8 West 13th Street
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)

or
Upper East Side
1282 Third Avenue
(at 74th Street)

or
Midtown
140 West 57th Street
(between 6th and 7th Avenues)
A rather high-end boutique for paper goods but an excellent selection of letterpress cards and stationery (ie: a great way to see what other studios have been up to and a good source for inspiration).

Sam Flax
Midtown
900 Third Avenue
(between 54th & 55th Streets)
or
Chelsea / Flatiron Store
3 West 20th Street
(between 5th & 6th Avenues)
A stationery and office supply store. A graphic designers dream and worst nightmare combined.

Paper Icon
7 West 18th Street
Paper and stationery supply store that also offers graphic design and printing services. I’ve also picked up some great handmade papers here.

Paper Presentation
23 West 18th Street
The NYC equivalent of Paper Source on steroids. Just down the street from Paper Icon.

B O O K S

Taschen Store
107 Greene Street
This is in the same neighborhood as the Phaidon store. It’s hard not to spend a week’s salary in the two stores combined.

Phaidon Store
100 Wooster Street
Who doesn’t love books that Phaidon publishes. Beware if you are not ready to spend money on some inspirition.

Strand
828 Broadway
Be prepared for 18 miles of books. You can find just about everything here.

O T H E R



Pearl River
477 Broadway
A plethora of Chinatown tchotchkies, clothes, food, housewares and whatever else you can think of all under one roof.

MoMA Design and Book Store
Street, NYC
Between 5th and 6th Avenues
Or
MoMA Design Store, Soho / MUJI at MoMA
81 Spring Street, NYC
Between Crosby and Broadway
Mostly fun to look but don’t touch. OK sometimes touch. But they also have the best selection of graphic design books I have ever seen. Keep me away!

Uniqlo
546 Broadway
The Japanese’s answer to American Apparel at half the cost and without the sleaze. By far, this is my favorite clothing store. And this is the only location in the US. No trip to NYC is complete without a stop at Uniqlo. Hint: best to go on a weeknight, Saturdays you are bound to hit an enormous line for the dressing room.

Note: I was going to include the bookbinding supply store Talas on this list but it seems that they are no longer in Manhattan and I haven’t been since they relocated to Brooklyn.