Secret Stash

There aren’t many bookstores that can count Lil Uzi Vert and Mia Khalifa among their shopkeepers, and fewer still who consider rare Cosey Fanni Tutti VHS tapes and Yayoi Kusama periodicals among their greatest hits. But Climax Books isn’t like any other bookstore. In fact, walk into its space on East 4th Street and, instead of infinite stacks and sky-high shelves, what you’ll find is a tight curation of select publications and ephemera. “I wanted to subvert the idea of the traditional bookstore,” says Isabella Burley, whose lifelong obsession with collecting cultural artifacts alongside a career in magazine editing resulted in Climax’s mid-pandemic inception.

First launched online as a way to collate and share the curiosities its owner had amassed, Climax progressed into a pop-up at Sadie Coles HQ before assuming permanent form via London headquarters in Soho. Now across the Atlantic, in its newly opened New York flagship, sheets of stainless steel, mirrored walls, and padded latex seating all direct attention to the particularly refined edit on display. “I like it very pointed and focused,” Burley says. “A shelf of fucking amazing stock that might be different from one day to the next.” And, somehow, the perspective she’s honed over the past four years has emerged distinct enough to be encapsulated by a single shelving unit.

“I like the idea that all of these really different worlds can exist together—and it’s really about that intersection”
— Isabella Burley

At Climax, you’ll find anything from subcultural souvenirs to the works of current cult heroes. It’s in this way that the storefront captures a timeless mix of past and present, where obscure artists and legendary icons are united by a spirit of subversion. “I like the idea that all of these really different worlds can exist together—and it’s really about that intersection,” says Burley. Think: Wolfgang Tillmans, Liz Johnson Artur, and Cookie Mueller next to the first book published under the Climax imprint: an anthology of Sophy Rickett’s ’90s series “Pissing Women.” “It was a project she made right after art school, almost like a student project,” says Burley. “But it deserves its moment to be recognized as a full body of work.” Elsewhere, collaborations with Chopova Lowena, Heaven by Marc Jacobs, and Martine Syms—all friends of the store who offer contemporary context to archival materials—are celebrated with glee through artful presentations, always in good company.

This idea of shining a spotlight on the people Burley loves—and whom she discusses with infectious enthusiasm—is what Climax revolves around, both conceptually and physically. The store, she explains, is designed to invoke both community and curiosity. It operates as an inviting resource rather than just appearing intimidatingly cool (a feat made possible by its manager, Darcy, “the opposite of bookstore salespeople, who can either be mean or make you feel dumb”). So, whether you’re Tyler, the Creator or a 15-year-old Isabella Burley buying a $500 monograph or a $12 tchotchke, you’re welcomed with equal enthusiasm through the vinyl-lined doors. Whoever you are, you’ll struggle to leave empty-handed.