L.A. Newsstands Seek to Extend Shelf Life

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L.A. Newsstands Seek to Extend Shelf Life
Los Feliz Newsstand’s Robert Kelly.

As sales of newspapers and magazines dwindle, the newsstands that still dot L.A.’s sidewalks are trying to keep from going the way of the hot-lead Linotype machine.

In a move to bolster his business, Los Feliz Newsstand owner Robert Kelly wants to sell greeting cards, candy, gum and other sundries, like competing newsstands in shopping centers. But because his sidewalk stand sits on the public right-of-way, an old city code prevents him from selling anything other than print publications.

“The amount of people coming to newsstands is constantly shrinking,” said Kelly, who has owned and operated his stand for 10 years. “If I can only sell newspapers and magazines, it’s going to be hard to stay open.”

So, he sought help from City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who this month proposed changing the city code to allow newsstands like Kelly’s to sell some nonprint goods. Tobacco products would remain off-limits, however.

The Bureau of Street Services shows permits for 85 sidewalk newsstands throughout the city of Los Angeles. Gerardo Rodriguez, a bureau inspector, said some of those may have closed since the last counting.

LaBonge said he wants to do what he can for a struggling businessman in his district. Beyond that, he loves newspapers and magazines and doesn’t want to see newsstands disappear.

“I want to keep these newsstands open and make sure the fourth estate survives,” LaBonge said. “These newsstands are part of the fabric of the neighborhood.”

LaBonge’s proposal is expected to come to a council vote this summer.

Of course, even if they win this battle, LaBonge and Kelly may one day lose the war. Newsstands that were once fixtures in nearly every city neighborhood have been closing up by the dozens as readers increasingly turned to computers, and more recently to handsets and tablets.

“We’ve been here for 31 years and this is the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Mwari Vanmaurik, owner of the Robertson Newsstand near Pico and Robertson boulevards.

Vanmaurik said that in the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, people still flocked to her newsstand, even if they weren’t as free spending as during boom times. Many bought papers and trade magazines looking for employment ads.

Even during those downturns, newsstands looked for additional revenue streams. Many expanded their selection of pornographic magazines, according to Marc Cooper, associate professor at the Annenberg School for Communications at USC and a former writer and editor at L.A. Weekly.

But, Cooper said, over the last 10 years, every major print product from the serious publications to adults only has been diminished as readership moves online. And there’s no need to buy foreign newspapers; they’re mostly available via the Internet. That’s more bad news for newsstands.

“The circulation of every major pornographic magazine is now only a fraction of what it was 10 years ago as that content has migrated to the web,” Cooper said. “The only thing left now is some general circulation magazines, and people can get those at the supermarket. It really raises the question of what function newsstands are now fulfilling in the marketplace.”

‘Truly horrific’

Vanmaurik used to see some high-dollar sales. Designers from downtown Los Angeles purchased trade magazines that retailed for up to $100. Executives in the entertainment industry opened accounts for specialty publications.

“It was common to have someone come in and spend up to $200 in one visit,” she said. “Now, I’m lucky if they spend $10.”

Vanmaurik said sales of sundry items could keep her going for a limited time.

“It would help me stay in business longer,” she said. “Our business started to tumble in 2008 when the recession hit. But last year was truly horrific. And this year, so far, isn’t looking much better.”

Even Kelly, the newsstand owner who worked with LaBonge to craft the proposal to allow streetside newsstands to sell sundry items, said the ordinance likely would benefit him only a little.

“It wouldn’t bring in a ton of extra money, but it would help meet the rent,” he said.

Cooper was skeptical that newsstands can be saved at all.

“Newsstands don’t have much of an economic future,” he said. “The technology has changed, much like the automobile drove the horse and buggy to extinction. This step is like whistling into a hurricane.”

LaBonge said that if the code change doesn’t stop the slide of newsstands, he would be open to considering granting them some breaks on their city business taxes.

“I hope the world does not erase this type of business,” he said.

But that raises the issue of the city stepping in to help a dying industry, one that Cooper noted doesn’t have a lot of jobs. Sidewalk newsstands typically employ two or three people at fairly low wages.

“There’s no harm in changing the city code to give newsstands the ability to sell other items,” Cooper said. “But tax breaks are another matter. That’s stepping in with city subsidies and it won’t do much to prevent the inevitable anyway.”

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Howard Fine
Howard Fine is a 23-year veteran of the Los Angeles Business Journal. He covers stories pertaining to healthcare, biomedicine, energy, engineering, construction, and infrastructure. He has won several awards, including Best Body of Work for a single reporter from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and Distinguished Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists.

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