Name it intuition, or second sight: Graydon Carter claims he is aware of a reader when he sees one. As Mr. Carter toured the streets of Manhattan’s West Village this week, he pointedly mentioned, “On this a part of town, there are going to be much more readers than non-readers.”

That is maybe why he selected a piece of Hudson Road close to Perry Road within the Village as the placement for a brand new retail enterprise, the Air Mail Kiosk, an extension of the digital communications “Air Mail.” Beginning in 2019 With Alexandra Stanley.

The shop arrived in Manhattan after Air Mail opened different shops in London and Milan. Its merchandise, just like the e-newsletter it is named after, is designed to attraction to a genteel crowd.

A fastidiously edited choice of books and high-end magazines corresponding to Inside Design World, Kinfolk and Magnificence Papers are complemented by quite a lot of standing novelties that may solely be discovered right here.For instance, a curly brass shoehorn ($145); a palm-tree patterned Chez Dede lampshade ($345); classic typewriter paper ($15); or a baseball cap with an Airmail brand ($30), Identical to the one above Larry David wears In latest episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Has Mr. Carter, the previous editor-in-chief of Self-importance Honest, adopted a brand new identification as a retailer proprietor? Not fully. However “there is a businessman in everybody,” he says calmly.

He sees retail as an inevitable adjunct to publications, a symbiotic relationship that can be supported by e.g. monoclethere’s a retailer within the West Village, noblea sneaker weblog that has since grown to incorporate a web based retailer and a biannual publication that this 12 months received a Nationwide Journal Award for general excellence.

“You possibly can’t simply promote concepts in {a magazine},” Mr. Carter, 74, mentioned. “Should you advocate a e book, you need to assist readers discover that e book. Should you’re writing a couple of TV present, inform readers the place the present airs.

The Air Mail newsstand is housed in a 1905 townhouse, with honey oak flooring, brass accents, a mirrored bar and oddly wealthy espresso. Magazines are displayed on the entrance of the shop, with a rotating choice of books on the again; at present, 100 books are gathered below the heading “Girls Writers Previous and Current,” a sublime grouping that features Jane Smiley, Zadie ·Arts by Smith, Hilary Mantel and Daphne Du Maurier.

The shop was designed by architect Basil Walter, who developed it in partnership with Mr Carter Waverly Innhis restaurant within the West Village and the area the place Mr. Carter hosted get together As editor of Self-importance Honest journal.

Like essentially the most astute businessmen, Mr. Carter himself is a well-informed and unabashedly enthusiastic shopper. He mentioned Air Mail Newsstand’s choice of CBD-infused elixirs, lapel pins and different merchandise — like lots of the gadgets really useful by Air Provide, the e-newsletter’s e-commerce arm — is “primarily based on what we have tried and appreciated. factor”.

On Tuesday, Carter sat at a desk at the back of the shop and pulled out a flat, neat object like a bank card. “It is a tremendous recorder,” he mentioned candidly, with the enjoyment of a boy discovering his first setup equipment. The system, which prices $159 and is obtainable at airmail kiosks, connects to a smartphone, Mr. Carter defined.

He acknowledged that it could appear counterintuitive for digital publications to open newsstand-style shops, particularly as each print magazines and conventional newsstands are in decline. However Mr. Carter was undaunted. “Clearly, we love print,” he mentioned.

Airmail often publishes a print model of its e-newsletter, in addition to an annual or bi-annual print version. no daydreaming. “We’ll print it in some unspecified time in the future,” Mr. Carter mentioned.

“However we solely have so many hours in a day, and I am retired—however probably not retired,” he admits, with a touch of mock remorse on his face. “I ought to go play golf now.”