On Tuesday, Davis and I spent the afternoon in the City. And because we were in the Meatpacking District, we went for a stroll on the High Line. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Simone Leigh’s installation at 30th street because you’re only allowed to go to 23rd Street due to the High Line’s pandemic safety procedures. Still, it was a perfect day to walk even those few blocks.
We made our way back down 10th Avenue, stopped at 192 Books, then continued further until we came to the High Line Hotel. It was around 5pm, so that meant cocktail hour!
Since we’d parked on Hudson near Jane, we had to head back that way. While considering spots for dinner, we made our way over to 8th Avenue and there it was: Casa Magazines!
It’s rare that I get over there, since I live and work in Brooklyn now. And, in this digital age, it’s almost unthinkable that a magazine mecca like this still exists. Yeah, there are spots like Hudson News, but they’ve survived based on location (Grand Central, Port Authority and the airports). Foot traffic is almost guaranteed, along with folks who are about to settle in for some kind of trip where they’ll have a modicum of downtime to read a magazine or newspaper.
But Casa is a standalone shop, and it’s still here. The shop was started in the mid 90s by Mohammed Ahmed, who immigrated from Hyderabad, India in the 1980s. Here’s a recent profile.
For me it’s a wonderful reminder of the New York that I first experienced over 30 years ago: A pre-digital world in which you waited for The Village Voice and the Sunday Times to come out so that you could go through the job or apartment listings. Add to that, i started my career in PR, so a magazine shop was a great way to see which journalists were writing for which publications, or to get clips of placements I’d made.
What’s more: I didn’t have a lot of money and didn’t feel like I could travel. So magazines where views into worlds that felt somewhat out of reach. You could “visit” other places and see how other people lived. You could learn. You could dream. Magazines were inspiration. I was never really one for fashion mags. I mean, I read GQ and Esquire, intermittently. But in the early- to mid-90s, I was in the music industry, so that was a lot of my reading. But going into a place like Casa was a reminder that there was a big world out there and there were a lot of things I could be interested in. And that’s still true today.
On one hand, with 2,500 titles, the selection is a bit overwhelming. However, if you take a moment and browse, you can find the old standbys. For me, that meant Fast Company and Vanity Fair. I also picked up a business pub out of the UK called Courier, which looks like a Fast Company for a younger generation.
Coolest thing I discovered was Love. First, this is hardbound book, a glossy four-color tome clocking at over 200 pages, and with a black & white insert of a different size! I assumed it would be around $40 or $50, but it turns out it was only $20! We were puzzled by the fact of the pricing. How could anyone afford to offer all of this at such a low price? Turns out this is a twice yearly publication from Conde Nast. Mohammed believes it’s underpriced and they’ll figure it out before the next issue comes out. In the meantime, you can cop this “compendium of inspiration,” as Conde Nast calls it, for a song.
If you look for a silver lining in the midst of this pandemic, one of the good things to come out of it is the fact that we’ve had to slow dow and reassess. There’s a case to be made for unplugging and having analog moments, such as reading a magazine and luxuriating in words and images on a physical page. It’s an opportunity to stimulate different parts of our brains, a different kind of experience than we get from engaging digital interfaces. The experience is physical and tactile. Sitting with a magazine is a more reflective experience. And because it’s analog, you won’t be interrupted by the magazine pinging you to say that another story has been published. Everything is there, in its entirety, in your hands.
Maybe that’s something we can all take more advantage of during this incredible reset: Opportunities to slow down and reflect. Magazines, like yoga, walks and conversation, may be just what we need as we navigate this historic moment of upheaval.
Tuesday’s trip to the City reminded me of why I love magazines. Of course, I also recognize that this may be an increasingly anachronistic sentiment. Kinda like walking around pointing out the businesses that used to exist in locations. “Hey, that Madewell store used to be Florent (one of the great NYC downtown restaurants).” Nostalgia, yo.
Last thing to note: No one’s been immune from the financial impact of COVID-19. In April a GoFundMe campaign launched to help Casa Magazines stay open and cover expenses. Please consider donating here.
Additional links:
- Casa Magazines on IG
- Casa Magazines’ GoFundMe
You must be logged in to post a comment.