WELCOME TO CCONVERSATIONS — PRESENTED BY THE CC EDIT

WHERE WE CONNECT WITH FELLOW CREATIVES AND INNOVATORS TO DISCUSS ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE PURSUIT OF CREATIVE ENDEVORS.
IN THIS CCONVERSATION WE CONNECT WITH NICOLA HAMILTON, FOUNDER OF ISSUES MAGAZINE SHOP.

In this exclusive CConversation, we sit down with Nicola Hamilton, the visionary behind Issues Magazine Shop, a haven of print media nestled in the streets of Toronto. In a world where content and narratives are often confined to the digital space, Issues stands as a testament to the enduring power of tangible storytelling. While the allure of digital convenience persists, Issues physical storefront offers a sanctuary where the tactile experience of flipping through pages and the feeling of combing through stacks to find a hidden gems.

As we dive into Nicola's journey, we uncover how her passion for print transformed into an expression of creativity and community. Through captivating anecdotes, explore the essence of creativity and create a digital space where print prevails. From her strong eye for detail to the curation of magazines in the shop to the fostering of an engaged and vibrant community within the walls of Issues. Join us in this conversation as we explore the world of both digital and physical, uncovering their nuances in an ever-evolving media landscape.

YOUR PASSION FOR MAGAZINES LED YOU TO OPEN ISSUES, AN INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE RETAILER. CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TO TAKE THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL LEAP AND WHAT CHALLENGES (IF ANY) YOU FACED IN BRINGING YOUR VISION TO LIFE?

I’ve always hoped that someone would open a proper magazine store in Toronto. The kind of shop that magazine lovers seek out when they find themselves in other cities. Place like Casa Magazines in New York, MagCulture in London, Do You Read Me in Berlin, or Under the Cover in Lisbon. A place I’d be able to pick up my favourite mainstream titles and discover interesting independent titles.

During the pandemic, like many, I was taking stock of what I wanted out of my professional life and when I pictured myself five years into the future, I saw myself surrounded by magazines. In 2021, I found myself with enough time, financial stability, and energy to really explore the possibility. I figured I’d bail if it got too hard and it just never did. It’s a weird thing to say, because I know retail is traditionally hard, but opening Issues has been such an organic process for me.

Don’t get me wrong: There are hard moments! I found myself having a little cry on more than one occasion. Those instances were usually aligned with real estate conundrums like potential landlords not just denying me but instead telling me my business would never succeed or sneaky lawyers raising the rent at every stage of the negotiations.

IN AN AGE OF DIGITAL DOMINANCE, SKEPTICS OFTEN CLAIM THAT PRINT MEDIA IS ON THE DECLINE, EVEN PRONOUNCING IT’S DEATH. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THOSE DOUBTING THE POWER OF PRINT, AND HOW DOES ISSUES CHALLENGE THIS NARRATIVE?

I bring out the cold, hard facts—and a Ghostbusters reference. The first time the phrase “print is dead” appears in pop culture was in the original Ghostbusters, which was released in 1984. Annie Potts’ character, Janine Melnitz, says something to Harold Ramis’ character, Egon Spengler, and to brush her off he responds: “print is dead.” He’s not talking about print vs. digital. Egon is referring to the rise of the television. By now—40 years later—I think it’s safe to say that TV didn’t kill print media or the book industry, so why do we accept that the Internet will?

Last year, I was invited to give a Creative Mornings Toronto talk on the persistence of print. As part of that research, I tracked down as much research and data on the print magazine industry as I could find. The results surprised me. I really did think they’d be slowly declining. In truth, the number of magazines in the United States has stayed relatively stable, hovering around 7,000, since 2004. There was a similar trend in the number of magazine readers, which has hovered above 210 million since 2012. And in Canada, 66% of our population is still accessing magazine content regularly, 29% of Canadians are accessing magazines in print, exclusively. Those are surprising numbers, especially in the context of the popular narrative.

I think Issues challenges this narrative just by existing. One of my early hypotheses was that it’s easy for consumers to believe print is dying when they’re not being exposed to it in engaging ways. I don’t know about you, but standing at line in the grocery store does not put me in the right mindset to engage with anyone’s content—I just want to get the hell out of there.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR ROLE AS AN EDITORIAL DESIGNER AND ART DIRECTOR INFORM THE CURATION AND PRESENTATION OF MAGAZINES AT ISSUES?

Issues exists because I am an editorial designer and art director. I became obsessed with independent magazines because I was looking for inspiration outside of the traditional newsstand. I was watching what the independent magazines were doing because it was smart, experimental and a world away from what would be appropriate at the magazines I was working at.

But my experience making magazines does impact my curation process and the way we present our titles. I only bring in magazines that are interesting to me. Sometimes they’re interesting because of the community they represent, or the niche they service. Sometimes it’s about the storytelling, and more often than not, it’s about the design. We display our magazines with the same kind of care and attention to detail that goes into making them. That’s important to me. A lot of people’s energy, time and money went in to processing an issue of any publication and they should be treated as such!

HOW DO YOU STAY INFORMED ABOUT EMERGING PUBLICATIONS AND INDUSTRY TRENDS TO ENSURE YOUR SELECTION REMAINS FRESH AND RELEVANT?

Like so many industries, the magazine publishing industry feels small. I’m connected to publishers, retailers and print lovers across the globe and that helps me stay on top of what’s being made, talked about and enjoyed. I’ve been watching and participating in this little realm before Issues became a reality, so it feels natural to keep it up.

IT’S CLEAR THAT ISSUES IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE MAGAZINES; IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE TOO. WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE YOU EMPLOYED TO FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND ENGAGEMENT AMONG MAGAZINE ENTHUSIASTS WHO VISIT YOUR PHYSICAL SPACE?

I love that that’s something that’s being noticed. Our mandate has always been to celebrate the people and projects keeping print alive—and the people really do come first.

It’s important to me that our space continue to be an open and welcoming environment. My team does so much of the heavy lifting there. They’re a small group who each come at magazines from their own perspective. They’re so willing to share their enthusiasm for the medium and that makes a world of difference when you’re not exactly sure what you’re looking for.

We’re also hosting a lot of events this year. Some are just to make art or gather community, but others are about sharing information amongst magazine makers. The more we can share about what has and has not worked, the more success we’ll see amongst our local indie publishers.