The pop-up store might be the new model for today's flailing economy. With plenty of retail space going empty, why not try out something new for a set period of time? For example - and the only one I can think of right now - Artbook@X, on the ground floor of the former Dia Center for the Arts, on West 22^nd Street in Chelsea. Described as a "highly flexible and ideosyncratically intellectual event-oriented" bookstore, it opened in May and will remain open for exactly one year.

Vinyl loves vinyl at Artbook@X, in the former Dia Center for the Arts building.

A collaboration between D.A.P, a top distributor of art books in the U.S., and X Initiative, a year-long nonprofit global exhibition program founded by Chelsea gallerist Elizabeth Dee, the store features books, DVDs and music - on vinyl and on CD. Upstairs, three floors of galleries, unchanged since Dia decamped in 2004, present a revolving menu of exhibitions of art, performance, film, and installation by a roster of international artists, many of whom are seen in biennales and triennales around the globe. For a genuine blast from the past, though, skip the elevator for the stairs, where Dan Flavin's last neon sculpture, a site-specific 1996 piece, sheds its luminous light through the stairwell.

Speaking of blasts from the past, this Friday night Artbook@X is hosting an appearance by designer/photographer/filmmaker Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis, the guru of vinyl cover design. This is a must for graphic designers who yearn for the 12-inch-square mecca that has virtually disappeared in the age of downloads. Forgive me if I mention Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, or Led Zeppelin, but these best selling bands are, in fact, one of the reasons for the fame - or notoriety - of HIpgnosis.

Making a rare appearance, Powell will introduce his book, For the Love of Vinyl, published by PictureBox, and talk about the formation of Hipgnosis. More than 60 different album projects are featured in the book, showcasing the hyper-real brand of Surrealism they created, and how its designers developed practices around collage, montage, and retouching that became precursors of Photoshop. Extended captions, with quotes from the designers, underscore the no holds barred approach they took to camerawork and to the use of their post-psychedelic photography in the service of music.

Aubrey Powell at Artbook@X, featuring For the Love of Vinyl: the Album Art of Hipgnosis. Friday, July 17, 6-8 pm. 548 West 22^nd Street, New York, NY. Please check the PictureBox website for information, or email Dan Nadel.