What began as a small experiment inside an Upper East Side clothing store has now settled in for the long haul. Zibby’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore created by author and media entrepreneur Zibby Owens, is now a permanent fixture at Minnie Rose — the cashmere boutique that opened about a year ago at 1019 Lexington Avenue at East 73rd Street.
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Owens, whose Zibby Media umbrella includes a daily author-interview podcast, a boutique publishing house, and a Santa Monica bookstore, originally launched the pop-up in October inside a section of the store’s retail space. It was scheduled to wrap up in January, but steady enthusiasm convinced both sides to keep it going.
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The compact storefront nook carries about 175 contemporary titles chosen by Owens and her team, with an emphasis on current fiction, memoirs, and conversation-sparking nonfiction. Minnie Rose created a special “Totally Booked” sweater to mark the collaboration, named for Owens’ podcast.Programming is a major part of the draw. The shop regularly doubles as a miniature recording space, with Owens taping episodes of “Totally Booked” in front of a live audience. Authors frequently visit to discuss their newest work, giving locals a chance to hear directly from writers without leaving the neighborhood.
Upcoming sessions include appearances by Julie Doar, Jennifer Wallace, Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, Marisa Kashino, Meghan Riordan Jarvis, Jennifer Niven, and Emma Tourtelot. A separate event will spotlight 100 Years of Appetizing, the new Russ & Daughters cookbook, Time Out New York reports.
Owens has often described her goal as building community through books, and this newly permanent shop — tucked inside Minnie Rose’s Lexington Avenue boutique — now offers another local space for readers to gather.
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