14 shops · 8 districts
The Record & Book Edit.
Fourteen shops for bookshops and record stores worth an afternoon, across 8 parts of New York: SoHo, Tribeca, West Village, Lower East Side and more. Picked from the 325 shops we list, one location each.
- 1Books · SoHoMcNally Jackson SoHoIndependent bookstore on Prince Street, the SoHo branch of the New York bookseller.
- 2Books · SoHoHousing Works Bookstore CafeTwo-level used bookstore and cafe selling secondhand books, vinyl, CDs, art books and decor, with coffee, wine and beer.
- 3Books · TribecaThe Mysterious BookshopMystery specialist open since 1979 with new hardcovers and paperbacks, rare signed first editions, Sherlockiana and its own exclusive novellas and limited editions.
- 4Books · TribecaWords on WarrenChildren's bookshop opened in fall 2025 by Tribeca resident Jean Maeng, with picture books, middle-grade and young adult titles, a New York City section and reading nooks.
- 5Books · West VillageThree Lives & CompanyCorner bookshop at W 10th Street and Waverly Place, open since 1978 behind red double doors.
- 6Books · Lower East SideSweet Pickle BooksSecondhand bookshop on Orchard Street that also sells jars of pickles, so you can leave with a used paperback and a jar of brine.
- 7Books · Lower East SideP&T KnitwearFamily-owned independent bookstore with a cafe, podcast studio and event space; despite the name it sells books, not knitwear.
- 8Books · FlatironStrand Book StoreUsed and new bookstore at Broadway and 12th Street, founded in 1927 and known for its '18 miles of books', with a separate Rare Book Room and a desk that buys used books.
- 9Books · FlatironBarnes & Noble Union SquareFour-floor bookstore on the north side of Union Square with toys and games, vinyl records, a café and print-on-demand, plus frequent author events and
- 10Records & music · Upper West SideSweet Peanut RecordsRecord shop between 82nd and 83rd Streets, listed by West Side Rag among the neighborhood's openings in the first half of 2026.
- 11Books · Upper West SideStrand Columbus AvenueColumbus Avenue branch of the Strand bookstore between West 81st and 82nd Streets, one of two on the Upper West Side, with children's story times on event days.
- 12Books · Upper West SideWhite Rabbit's BooksChildren's bookstore opened in January 2025 stocking titles in English, Russian, Ukrainian and Hebrew, with a Saturday painting class for young kids.
- 13Books · WilliamsburgSpoonbill & Sugartown BooksIndependent bookstore in the Mini Mall with new and used art, architecture and design titles plus coffee-table books.
- 14Books · DUMBOPOWERHOUSE ArenaDumbo bookstore of the POWERHOUSE publishing house, with sister stores in Industry City and Columbus Circle.
SoHo · Tribeca · West Village · Lower East Side · Flatiron · Upper West Side · Williamsburg · DUMBO
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