Homage to The Newstand International

Peter Gunn is a native New Yorker and has lived in Bellingham since 1996. He has previously written articles for the Cascadia Weekly, performed stand up at The UpFront Theatre and has both written and performed on KVOS’s Experience NorthWest with Deb Slater.

by Peter Gunn

Just a few of the publications that graced the shelves of The Newstand International during its nearly twenty year history in Downtown Bellingham. I had the pleasure of working there for exactly three years. The populace that walked through its door was as diverse as the 3,500 plus magazines and journals that comprised our inventory. Old School and Hip Hop devotees looking for the latest Wax Poetics. Survivalists hunkered down checking the most recent issue from The Backwoodsman. Twentysomething outdoor types perusing Rock and Ice. A nervous type with his back turned looking at a Hustler for a half an hour. “Hey Mac. We’re closing in five minutes. Pick one out. It’s porn. It’s not like you’re mapping the Human Genome.”

I started at The Newstand International on Sept 1, 2005. Ira Stohl was my boss and mentor. I had known him for a few years prior to my employment. To our surprise we had much in common. We were the same age and grew up within a mile of each other in the suburbs of New York city on Long Island. Our paths never knowingly crossed while growing up. My three years spent at The Newstand International were serendipitous. If you wanted to know the latest recipe for spring pasta there was Cooking with Paula Deen. Need the latest on how to field dress a white tail deer? There’s Traditional Bowhunter. What’s the latest haute couture to grace the Milan runways? You’ll find it in Vouge Italia. Mixed martial arts? Try Tap Out. It was almost eerie realizing the scope of the magazine industry. I remember one evening just as I was about to close, absently gazing straight ahead at the section that contained all of our prominent weeklies. Newsweek, People, The Nation and The New Republic and their covers staring back at me were, in order, Angela Merkel, Kim Kardashian, Noam Chomsky and Glen Beck…. I’ll take Potpourri for 200 Alex.

I wasn’t present at The Newstand International for the birth and was absent for its well documented mid-life crisis concerning the sale of a publication called Answer Me. A distressed English major at WWU took umbrage with the subject matter in a particular issue. Answer Me was a “Zine” published out of Portland Oregon. Its topics frequently touched on themes both difficult and controversial including murder, suicide and rape. The subsequent odyssey included the zealous director of a women’s crisis center, an ambitious DA, and an obscenity trial. Citing the First Amendment Ira and his then business partner Kristina Hjelsand, facing prison time and fines, fought the charges and eventually won the case.

The hemorrhaging that occurred as a result of the trial caused a loss of business. The store’s popular espresso stand shut down and some customers, previously unaware of the existence of the zine in question, stopped coming in altogether. Conversely, many in the community stepped up and rallied to support The Newstand International and its defense of free speech. Apparently some government officials in Whatcom County thought it was worth over a million dollars to go to battle over freedom of speech. “The Pen is mightier than Sword?” That’s Old School. “The Tweet is stronger than the Gun.” “Paper Smothers Glock.” Game Set Match.

In his book “Print is Dead: Books in our Digital Age,” author Jeff Gomez compares the dilemma of the print media to that of the candle at the dawn of artificial lighting. He suggests that the role of books will be ceremonial. We see that happening now with newspapers folding and magazine circulation declining. Some still cling to the notion of page turning. I include myself with those thoughts. The mere fact that these words are being read in pulp warms what is left of my auricles and ventricles. If I want to catch a review of a CD, it won’t be done by scanning the SCROLLING Stone. Ouch!

When Ira first opened for business the magazine industry was eighty percent local and twenty percent chain driven. By the time The Newstand International shut its doors those figures were reversed. Its demise was a reflection of the shortsightedness of the culture of corporate America and the callous attitude towards the small business owner. In July of 2008, Ira received a form letter from one of our distributors Source/Interlink. “Dear Sir/Madam” was the greeting that was used to inform us that they would no longer be doing business with The Newstand International. After a history of generating revenue and providing a welcome source of the printed word for our town Source/Interlink bid adieu with a salutation that was both cold and a bit androgynous.

In the end The Newstand International was done in by the myopic vision that continues to drown the local paradigms that many small cities depend on. A small bit of culture in Bellingham died when The Newstand International’s subscription expired. Many of its loyal customers came in to pay their respects. The response to our announcement was moving. I remember Ira telling me after we got the letter “Pete. I could have done this till I was ninety.” Me too.