Blueprint

Just west of Morningside Heights, a tidy footnote to Columbus Avenue offers a quiet point of reference in the steady hum of the neighborhood’s retail corridor. At number 784 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10025, you’ll find Blueprint; its brief listing remains something of a blank slate to most passersby, which only sharpens curiosity about what it might actually become. Countless storefronts promise novelty here, but few do it with this little fuss. To test the waters of whatever Blueprint turns out to be, dial (212) 665-8873; someone inside may at least point you toward the shelf where its identity is still assembling. The block itself stretches between 125th and 110th Streets, where brownstones meet bodega staples and the local population includes Columbia students browsing the sidewalk book buckets. You’ll hear a textbook uptown bicultural blend of English and Spanish drifting from open doors throughout the afternoon—just the kind of sonic background that makes a small neighborhood business an unforced part of daily life. Finding the front door is effortless once you’ve settled on directions: follow the seamless blue path to this map link to set your route. A trio of cabs or a slow stroll from the 1 train at 116th Street puts you a block west of the cathedral of Morningside Park, and suddenly the red-brick towers of the university hulk silently behind you, framing a stretch of sidewalk where anything could appear next.