If you regularly walk down the stretch of Lorimer Street across from McCarren Park, you might not realize that you’re passing a two-story treasure trove of books, magazines, and other literary paraphernalia.
High Valley Books, an appointment-only bookstore on 882 Lorimer Street, is the perfect place to spend an afternoon browsing for old gems and new favorites alike.
Bill, who owns and operates the store, speaks highly of the customers who visit, admiring the creative spirit that they bring to High Valley. He sees a lot of stylists, interior designers, and fashion designers who come to plumb the depths of the store’s offerings, which include decades-old issues of Vogue (domestic and international), design monographs, and cookbooks.
High Valley Books saw a boost in business through its Instagram presence, which is slightly ironic, considering Bill admitted to me that he doesn’t own a cell phone (he runs it from an iPad).
You enter the store by buzzing the intercom outside. You first see the bright and inviting showroom space, before eventually making your way down to the basement, which houses a huge collection of magazines. I picked up a Seventeen magazine from 1983 and somehow magically found a cherished July 2009 issue of NYLON, which my mom purged during my parents’ Great Downsize of 2021.
High Valley also stocks fiction. There’s a section of paperbacks wrapped in plastic with a bookmark that reads “for emergency use” – it’s always good to carry a book with you wherever you go.
I also got to see some rarities, like a signed Man Ray catalog and Civil War-era newspapers.
Whatever you’re in the market for, High Valley likely has it. Or better yet, something you didn’t even know you were looking for.