The New York Public Library Gift Shop

New York, United States

4.8

Closed now

6 reviews

Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 212-930-0641
Website:
www.thelibraryshop.org
Address:
5th Ave and 42nd St Stephen A Schwarzman Bldg, New York, NY, 10018
Midtown East, Midtown West
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
210 ftW 42 St / 5 Av
380 ft5th Avenue (7)
660 ftE 42 St / Madison Av
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Wi-Fi
Free

Today

Today 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (New York) 21:54 Thursday, 28 November 2024

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

A Library Gift Shop which carries unique gifts for lovers of books and New York City. The Shop has a wonderfully curated selection of stationery, fine writing instruments, NYC souvenirs, books and children’s educations toys and books.

History

Established in 1987.

Originally a small kiosk-​like shop located located under the stairs of Astor Hall, the original Library Shop was quite small — it primarily sold postcards. In 1982, taking a cue from a well-​known uptown cultural institution, it opened The New York Public Library-​Metropolitan Museum of Art Bookstore next to the main entrance of Mid-​Manhattan Library, located at Fifth Avenue and 40th Street. Later, this served as a second Library Shop in addition to the current one in the Schwarzman Building, and was then closed. The current Library Shop in the Schwarzman Building was opened in May 1987.

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6 reviews of The New York Public Library Gift Shop

No registration required
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
This gift shop has a terrific selection of (non-​junky) NYC souvenir items — such as beautifully-​illustrated journals — and lots of interesting books about NYC, plus many other interesting books & various other items. The sales staff is very pleasant, too.
Place rating: 5
PECK SLIP, NY
I went to the library today on a whim just to walk around and stumbled into this shop. I couldn’t believe all the great stuff they had in there. This is definitely a great place to shop if you are looking for an off beat gift for someone. It was also nice to feel that I had supported the library in some small way.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Best «hidden» gift shop in the city. Love love love this place. Lots of unique gift items that are reasonably priced without looking overly «gifty”/gimmicky. Usually I’m the type of person who skips museum gift shops and tourist gift shops however, this place is amazing! Lots of unique jewelry with great messages. Most of the items here are a lot cheaper than MOMA gift shop too.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Whoever buys the stock for this shop does a great job. Loads of nice NYC souvenirs, good gifts for friends and out-​of-​towners, and a nice kid selection. And of course they have books… but not the Harry Potter type best sellers, more interesting gift-​type books. All at fairly reasonable prices. Check it out of you are in the neighborhood.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Note to husband who doesn’t read my Unilocal reviews: I want the sterling silver «From my soul» ring for $ 65. It is beautiful with Art Nouveau Cyrillic text around the outside. Feel free, anyone, to clue him in.
This place is by far the best to buy gifts and New York crap. Please skip the Times Square souvenir shit holes and come here. Everything’s reasonably priced, too. I bought a pretty green blank journal (it was hard to decide between the pretty patterns). I might have bought more but we were running late to see Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Other highlights:
–License plate photo album
–Recycled woven bags
–Furochic gift wrap made of cloth (the same one a friend bought)
–Map coasters
–Vintage magnets
–Brooklyn bridge shower curtain
–Vintage map posters
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
If you live in the city, you gotta love the library system here. It is bloody wonderful. So wonderful that you don’t mind contributing some money to every now and then. Well, you can help the New York Public Library by buying from their bookshop; proceeds go to the library system. I don’t work for them… I sound like I do because I am seriously addicted to the New York libraries.
The bookshop is a great place to find gifts, like shot glasses, with writer’s faces on ‘em. And tons of NYPL memorabilia. Jewelry. Pens. Books. Notebooks. Etc.