Grace Edmonds

Grace Edmonds has a diverse work experience spanning several industries. Grace is currently working as the Head Merchandise Buyer at Strand Book Store, where they are responsible for buying and sourcing non-book products for both the physical and online stores. Grace'srole includes driving category growth, tracking market trends, and expanding and strengthening the assortment.

Prior to this, Grace worked as a Buyer at Pearl River Mart, where they purchased books, jewelry, beauty products, and novelty items. Grace liaised with vendors to track orders and ensure timely arrivals, and they sourced new, on-brand products.

Grace also has experience at Posman Books, where they held multiple roles. As an Assistant Buyer, they achieved a 400% profit increase at the Chelsea Market location. Grace managed vendor relationships, monitored vendor performance, and controlled purchase orders. Additionally, as an Assistant Manager, they supervised a team, handled scheduling problems, mentored staff members, and trained new hires.

In addition to their retail experience, Grace has worked as a Literacy Tutor at the Center for Family Life, where they worked with middle school students to improve their reading and writing skills. Grace also collaborated with after-school arts instructors to create an arts-based literacy curriculum.

Grace has also been involved in various volunteer roles. Grace was a Leadership Council Member at Peer Health Exchange, where they taught health programs to ninth graders and trained other volunteers. Grace also served as a Co-Producer for V-Day, organizing and producing the Vagina Monologues show at Fordham University.

Prior to their professional career, Grace worked as a Camp Counselor at Girl Scouts of the USA, where they led a group of elementary school girls and planned weekly programs.

Overall, Grace Edmonds has a strong background in buying, sourcing, merchandising, and management roles, with experience in retail, education, and volunteer work.

Grace Edmonds completed their Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and German at Fordham University from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, they also studied Russian Language at Middlebury College. Later, from 2014 to 2015, they pursued a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Urban Policy at The New School.