Located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan's Upper East Side, The Corner Bookstore was established in 1978 by Lenny Golay and Ray Sherman. They set up shop on the ground floor of an 1890s brownstone, where Sherman—a craftsman by trade—personally restored the building's historic tin ceilings, terrazzo flooring, and original wood cabinetry.

The shop quickly became a community anchor, specifically catering to the dense population of private schools and young families in Carnegie Hill. The store is recognized for its robust children's section and unique programs, including offering specialized "charge accounts" for young readers and publishing a biannual review catalog titled The Corner Bookstore's Kids Newsletter, by Kids, for Kids. Curating a highly specific inventory of current fiction, history, travel, and poetry, the independent shop has remained open and active for over four decades.