Posman Books Second Location Off to Busy Start

Posman Books, which opened its location at New York's Grand Central Terminal in September 1999, launched a new location at the Chelsea Market in New York City on September 3. Near the entrance of the bustling new High Line, a former elevated railroad repurposed as a greenway, the 800-square-foot general bookstore will have an extensive food and wine section and room for an events space.

Thanks to the store's excellent location in the Chelsea Market and its proximity to recently opened High Line, store manager Logan Fox reported that business is growing "busier every week" and is attracting both locals and tourists. "We've been here almost a month, and people are beginning to discover that we're here," said Fox. "People in the neighborhood are ecstatic, and word of mouth is spreading very quickly. This has become a destination point for a lot of locals. It really serves a need."

Fox, who owned Micawber's bookstore in Princeton, New Jersey, which he sold to Princeton University in 2007, said the new store's focus is being a good general store. "We have everything from fiction to gift books to current affairs to a very good children's section. Our backlist paperback fiction is terrific. There's something for everybody." To fit the market's focus on local and imported gourmet food, the bookstore has an extensive selection of cookbooks, said Fox.

The Chelsea Market is in the historic Nabisco building, and the bookstore has many interesting architectural details. "There are wonderful old wood floors, and interspersed with the wood are slabs of stone on which the furnaces sat. The front room has very high ceilings with old glass vents that could be opened to release the heat. It's got exposed brick walls, and the front of the store is entirely made up of glass panes. It's very visible from the hallway [of the market] and provides a wonderful display opportunity."

The back section of the store is open for events. "We hope to do kids readings on the weekend," said Fox. "This weekend we'll have our first event with local chefs here as part of the James Beard food celebration."

Although the store was just one month old, Fox thought the bookstore had bright prospects. "We're very excited about the possibilities. We have a great mix of local community shoppers, tourists, and office workers.... I feel we have a diverse customer base, and I'm optimistic." --Karen Schechner