diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 2819f2bacd0..63a608277d3 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -11034,6 +11034,13 @@ dependencies = [
  "vortex-tui",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "vortex-row"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "vortex-session",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "vortex-runend"
 version = "0.1.0"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index fb87a953154..9fae5b564bf 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ members = [
     "vortex-mask",
     "vortex-utils",
     "vortex-session",
+    "vortex-row",
     "vortex-flatbuffers",
     "vortex-metrics",
     "vortex-io",
@@ -291,6 +292,7 @@ vortex-mask = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./vortex-mask", default-features = fa
 vortex-metrics = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./vortex-metrics", default-features = false }
 vortex-pco = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./encodings/pco", default-features = false }
 vortex-proto = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./vortex-proto", default-features = false }
+vortex-row = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./vortex-row", default-features = false }
 vortex-runend = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./encodings/runend", default-features = false }
 vortex-scan = { version = "0.1.0", path = "./vortex-scan", default-features = false }
 vortex-sequence = { version = "0.1.0", path = "encodings/sequence", default-features = false }
diff --git a/vortex-row/Cargo.toml b/vortex-row/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7515715392c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vortex-row/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+[package]
+name = "vortex-row"
+authors = { workspace = true }
+categories = { workspace = true }
+description = "Row-oriented byte encoder for Vortex arrays, analogous to arrow-row."
+edition = { workspace = true }
+homepage = { workspace = true }
+include = { workspace = true }
+keywords = { workspace = true }
+license = { workspace = true }
+readme = { workspace = true }
+repository = { workspace = true }
+rust-version = { workspace = true }
+version = { workspace = true }
+
+[lints]
+workspace = true
+
+[dependencies]
+vortex-session = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/vortex-row/public-api.lock b/vortex-row/public-api.lock
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d507aa46a00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vortex-row/public-api.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+pub mod vortex_row
+
+pub fn vortex_row::initialize(&vortex_session::VortexSession)
diff --git a/vortex-row/src/lib.rs b/vortex-row/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f675ca12f4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vortex-row/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright the Vortex contributors
+
+//! Row-oriented byte encoder, analogous to Apache Arrow's `arrow-row` crate.
+//!
+//! Subsequent commits add the encoder, decoder helpers, and per-encoding fast paths.
+//! This commit only establishes the crate skeleton and an `initialize` stub.
+
+use vortex_session::VortexSession;
+
+/// Register the row-encoding scalar functions on the given session.
+///
+/// Currently a stub: subsequent commits register `RowSize` and `RowEncode` here.
+pub fn initialize(_session: &VortexSession) {}