With Oxford Street’s Ariel streamlining the magazine titles it stocks I’ve had to sate my print addiction in the most dreaded of magazine purveyors – the news agency. The dance of doom goes something like this. Me, sheepishly thumbing an unnamed culture rag which I slowly pick up and read. They, double-taking as they shell cigarettes and lotto tickets to actual paying customers. Me, engrossed in an article concerning the death of print publishing. They, slowly death-staring and shaming me into submission. Me empty handed, leaving as sheepishly as I entered and feeling slightly guilty.
Why does it have to be like this? I understand that a news agency is not a library but I’d be far more willing to part with my hard earned cash if I didn’t feel like browsing was illegal. Well my fellow Sydney dwelling magazine lovers have I got news for you…
The Australian reports:
MagNation co-founders Sahil Merchant and Ravi Pathare are banking on the resilience of specialist titles, with plans to open a second Australian outlet, in Sydney’s Newtown, in October.
Like the existing MagNations in Melbourne and Auckland, the Sydney store will carry about 4000 titles over the course of a year, as well as designer stationery and T-shirts.
“I’m not worried about the economic climate at all and I’m definitely not worried about … magazine circulations dropping,” says Merchant, who with Pathare (his uncle) shares the title of MagNation’s managing director and “chief magazineologist”.
“Circulation figures talk about the mainstream. We specialise in architecture and design and fashion and culture (magazines) — the thousands of niche topics that people get passionate about.
“Advertisers don’t care about them but these magazines, the long tail of the market, make up quite a large percentage. And that’s where the really explosive growth is.”
