Shop Talk: Joseph Niforos of Kosmos Book Shop

Joseph "Jos" Niforos is so busy putting the finishing touches on his new bookstore that we haven't been able to meet him in person. So, being the word lover that he is, he supplied his own Q&A for our benefit, questions and all. 

And yes, you heard right, Tarrytown is going to have its very own bookstore very soon. Kosmos is slated to open at 29 Central Avenue on April 3, the day Washington Irving was born, selling new and used books and related items like stationery, writing instruments and notebooks. In a cozy 500-square foot there will be neatly arranged books floor to ceiling ranging from a 1952 pocket paperback edition of Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis for $3 to Brundibar; to a children's book by Maurice Sendak and Tony Kuschner, hand-signed by them both for $95; and the true first German edition of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, price on request.

Some people have wished for such a store right here on Patch in our comments, but never did we think we'd get not one but two shops in short succession.

In addition to Niforos' Kosmos coming in a matter of weeks, there's Believe! Juice and Books repurposing the old Lollipop shop on Main. We are still trying to track down the people behind that venture, the same folks behind the "10 Mountains, 10 Years" project, hiking the world's tallest peaks on behalf of Alzheimer's and Parkison's disease. We think they must be on a mountain at the moment...we'll keep looking.

Don't the villages just get better and better?

So buy local and go say hello (when he opens) to:

Joseph Niforos, owner of Kosmos Books

1. What is the overall philosophy behind store merchandise?

JN: Good books don't go out of style. Browsing a well-curated shop for books is a joy.

2. What kind of books?

JN: You'll be able to come in for a $3 paperback classic, a beautiful vintage children's book for $20, or a first edition of Kafka's Metamorphosis in its original German (POA, for the deep pocketed!).

3. How do you find/where do you find the books?

JN: All the places most people have no desire to go! Old attics and musty basements in haunted old Westchester mansions. In seriousness, we have bought much of our best book stock from private individual collections.

4. What is your professional and relevant educational/training background?

JN: I studied art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. I'm fairly well read and travelled. I love books and love selling books. It's a passion that will hopefully be evident within the shop.

5. Why did you open the store and what makes it special?

JN: To provide a place where people can come physically browse books. I still believe it's the best way, the most humane way to buy a book... That it's real not virtual! There will be a real person in it that can hopefully be of service to the customer, turn them on to new things or just chat for a while.

For more information: contact Jos Niforos, Kosmos Book Shop: Fine books bought & sold, jos@kosmosbookshop.com, www.kosmosbookshop.com, 914-564-6527