“While being a researcher and archivist usually means that there is no shortage of exciting and novel things to discover,” says Sanam Sindhi, “if you’re as obsessive about your niche interests as I am, there are moments when you can find yourself seemingly at the edge of all there is to know.” New York, for her, is the cure to this feeling, “with its excess of bookstores, libraries, and a recent renaissance of independent, new spaces for print lovers.” As the founder of South Asia Archive – a research initiative, consultancy, and preservation platform that uncovers alternative visual histories, sartorial politics, and counter-narratives of the subcontinent and its diaspora – Sindhi’s work is defined by a devotion to the overlooked and the ephemeral. This guide extends that impulse into the city she calls her “favorite place to research” – an intellectual capital where “nothing is sexier than being smart,” and where the New York Public Library stands as a temple to print, surrounded by an abundance of smaller spots that keep its spirit alive. It’s these smaller spaces that Sindhi’s guide focuses on.

Library180

There couldn’t be a more exquisitely curated repository for image lovers than Library180. Newly founded by SN37’s Steven Chaiken and Pat McGrath’s very own Director of Image Research and Archive, Nikki Ogol – the appointment-only free library is a culmination of Ogol’s vast personal collection along with a generous donation from the archives of illustrious agency and publisher Visionaire. Then came a full run of cheeky American tabloid People donated by the original publisher’s son. On the 26th floor of WSA in the Financial District, with sweeping views of the East River, everything in Library180 oozes a sort of 1980s studious sexiness. From the color palette of lipstick red and glossy black to the kinky backroom full of rare erotica, it felt like the kind of space in which I would ideally wear a Mugler skirt suit while thumbing through the Pater Sato issue of Parco View (which I was absolutely ecstatic to see as a collector of this vintage Japanese magazine). While the cyclical nature of the internet often makes it feel like everything has already been found, diluted, and rehashed beyond recognition, Library180 rightfully touts itself as the antidote to doomscroll fatigue.

180 Maiden Lane, Floor 26, New York, NY 10038

Climax Books

In the one short year since it opened its New York location, my beloved Climax Books has become a staple hangout for the city’s chicest bookworms. Sophia Coppola, Tyler the Creator, and Simone Rocha are just a few of the icons that you might spot at Isabella Burley’s stainless steel and bubblegum pink paradise. The store is a haven for lovers of Japanese film and visual culture, 90s fashion tomes, and feminist classics from Bell Hooks to Mindy Seu. Climax also has the best merch you’ve ever seen at a bookstore – clothing and jewelry designed in collaboration with Chopova Lowena, Plushie Love keychains, and latex shopping bags. As if that wasn’t enough, the events calendar is packed with fun book signings and they also hosted the inaugural edition of my ongoing library program, which I’m proud to say influenced the addition of some heavy hitting South Asian titles to their shelves.

56 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003

Casa Magazines

I refuse to succumb to the sentiment that print is dead, but one of the ways it’s definitely suffered is the disappearance of great newsstands and magazine sellers. Casa is a perfect, no-frills magazine Mecca that carries any title you can think of, no matter how niche or obscure – all sitting in waist-high stacks and lining the walls of a little West Village corner shop (now accompanied by their very own cafe and fine arts bookstore next door). Originally owned by the “last king of print” Mohammed Ahmed, he passed it over to Hemal Sheth of the aptly named Iconic Magazines chain upon his retirement. Now run by Karachi-born Ali Wasim, Casa is where everyone from Chanel to Edward Enninful debut their glossies. The sweet men who steward both Casa and Iconic are fashion’s unsung Brown heroes keeping its print media alive and well. And the real Casa lovers know to never miss one of Ayan’s Weekly Roundup videos.

22 8th Ave, New York, NY 10014

High Valley Books

Over the last couple of years, appointment-only High Valley Books has gone from well-kept secret to bibliophiles’ favorite hangout. Inside Bill Hall’s home are such vast mountains of printed matter, it feels like a miracle that the floors haven’t collapsed. Entire runs of Vogue international editions, Jil Sander floppy disc (not for sale unfortunately), volumes on art, architecture, typography, cooking – even though its renowned for its incredible fashion titles, there really is no telling what you’ll discover here between the parlor upstairs, the dimly lit hallway, and the preeminent basement. Perfect place to peruse alone or take someone you really, really like.

882 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Vowels Research Library

Part clothing store, part reading room, part research library – Vowels on Bowery is a specific kind of heaven for those with a special interest in menswear and design. Creative director Yuki Yagi’s curated collection of vintage Japanese magazines and tomes rotate often and hang elegantly on a custom fabricated 60 foot bookcase replete with moving book table to stack your favorites and a white-gloved scanning station. The selection on display, though deceptively modest at first glance, is substantial enough to keep you there for hours – comfortably, of course, in the beautiful reading space where no shoes are allowed (as it should always be around such rare and special books).

76 Bowery, Ground Floor, New York, NY 10013

Asia Art Archive

Tucked away on a quiet residential street near Brooklyn Bridge Park, Asia Art Archive houses an expansive collection of digital and printed matter. With its home in Hong Kong and satellite locations in Brooklyn and New Delhi, AAA is a crucial resource for anyone interested in Asian arts. Beyond the sheer breadth of rare exhibition catalogs, photo books, artist archives and more, what makes AAA so indispensable for research is its focus on preserving and cataloging things that might otherwise slip through the cracks. There are very few archives dedicated to conserving contemporary Asian work, and even fewer with contemporary South Asian collections. AAA is the only place you’ll see Jyoti Bhatt’s impossible-to-find photographs of rural India, Pakistani painter Salima Hashmi’s personal papers, and exhibition catalogues from Maldives’ National Art Gallery all in one room.

23 Cranberry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201



Feature image: Sanam Sindhi at Library180. Photography by Thomas McCarty for Something Curated