Guaranteed this is the present that will keep on giving in value throughout the year
If you're looking for a unique present, I would take a look at the range of indpendent magazines out there, and see if they offer a subscription. Below I've shared a few resources on where you'll be able to do this.
The independent publishing market is teeming with unique and considered editorial publications. Within independent magazines' pages you'll find creativity, abundance of information, in depth knowledge of niche sub genres, variation in perspectives, trends before they are trends, hard facts, ideas and real life stories and tips. Good magazines still give you that feeling that makes you lose yourself in the words, be completely absorbed by the quality of the story telling and feel as if time has slowed down. So give someone a subscription to a beautiful magazine, that will speak to them. There are so many niche publications, I'm confident you'll be able to find a thoughfully considered one for whoever you're looking to treat. It will show how much you know that person, and show how much you care about supporting them in their interests. A magazine and an accompanying subscription can say a lot about your listening skills, and your wish to encourage this person in a positive way.
"Good magazines still give you that feeling that makes you lose yourself in the words, be completely absorbed by the quality of the story telling and feel as if time has slowed down."
Magazines give the gift of time. I would advocate for print especailly over digital and here is why: The intimacy of reading interviews with people, captures their voice in our imagination far better than reading on a screen. We slow down when we read of a physical product, and have unconsciously become used to typically skim reading online - sometimes we don't even know we are doing it. When we use so much screen time for work things, and then on our phones for collectively hours in a day, we've get into this habit of reading quickly, in the hopes of saving a few precious minutes, often leaving little time to fully comprehend or absorb what the words are saying. We are trained to be efficient, quick, and pride ourselves on getting on with tasks fast, in the hopes of impressing colleagues. Ironically magazines work to deadlines, but that is to deliver you and I, the readers a wonderful experience that we can read in our own time, with no weird self imposed expectation of getting through it as fast as possible.
"Magazines give the gift of time."
I whole hearted recommend buying someone a print subscription of a niche independent magazine as a gift. Whatever someone's interest is, be it diving, bathing or knitting, there are publications dedicated to these specific past times, and I'm sure, after a little reserach, you'll find something to suit. Subscriptions mean that you'll add a little value to someone's reading life throughout the year, with each issue bringing new ideas and inspiration.
"I whole hearted recommend buying someone a print subscription of a niche independent magazine as a gift."
Websites like Stack Magazines and magCulture in London offer loads of magazine news and are good places to start if you know nothing and need to do a little research. Stack also offers a subscription where receivers get a different, surprise issue every month, if you know they are interested in reading, but you can't pin down an interest. They are all excellent publications, with quality editorial and are unique in some way.
Magazine shops around the UK include:
Magma, London
MagCulture, London
Ripe Studio, Glasgow
Rare Mags, Stockport
Libreria, Shoreditch
Magalleria, Bath
Magazine Brighton, Brighton
Village, Leeds
Paned o Gê, Cardiff
If you can't get to any of this physical stores, there are other online magazine retailers who showcase alternative interesting and niche titles. Some of my favourites include Unique Magazines, Boutique Mags, and Pics and Ink. There is also Prime Impact Mags who publish four specific titles on conscious living. Luckily, there a fair few more in London, bookshops with extensive collections included, but I cannot remember the names of them all!
"If you can't get to any of this physical stores, there are other online magazine retailers who showcase alternative interesting and niche titles."
I would implore anyone that can to first look at supporting local, physical bookshops that have a space dedicated to independent magazines as well as specific magazine retailers. Independent businesses make our streets come alive with character, variation and vitality, encourage atmosphere through tourism and people looking for special items from shops that don't exist anywhere else. Independents bring beauty, interest, creativity and ethical trading (in a lot of cases) to the forefront, supporting local artists and creators, and many of us love them dearly, but many of us also choose to shop in chain stores or corporates because of time, convenience and cost. While all of these reasons are valid, if we continue to support big brands over smaller ones, they will continue to struggle. Our town high streets will become ghost towns (if they haven't already) and homogenous stores will cause every town to look as mundane as the next. We will lose much of the vibrancy and quirkiness, and instead have to look at another bland Waterstones, Pret a Manger and Costa Coffee who already take up more than enough retail space.
Unfortunately some magazine stores have already have to close due to the dead high streets this year, and due to a lack of support generally in recent years. Only of the ones I personally know of, these include:
Magma, Manchester - Manchester Evening News wrote a piece on Magma in Nov 2020.
Wardour News, Soho, London - Vogue wrote an article about Wardour News in 2018.
Paper Smiths, Bristol - Bristol Post posted the news on Paper Smiths' closure in Aug 2020.
Tip Pi Tin, London - I can't find news of this anywhere, but the social accounts are inactive, the website has gone offline and the physical shop is 100% not there anymore, another one for 2020.
I'm sure there are any more, but we cannot let this keep happening. So support these wonderful shops, and cherish them with your pennies every time you feel you need to purchase new reading material. There are incredible magazines out there, ones for parents, for children, for plant lovers, for swimmers, for foodies, for designers, for politics, for veganism, for crocheters, yogis, digital marketers, story lovers, poets, whomever you're buying for, the list is endless.
So I'll end with a summary of the reasons I have laid out:
Give the gift of time
Buy something thoughful that shows your care
Buy a present that shows off your knowledge of the person you are buying for
Share inspiration, ideas, creativity
Support independent, local retailers
Support small time creators, artists and editors
Keep our retail environment from becoming a homogenous factory
Fight for character and life in our towns
Encourage reading
Gift a gift that relights it's value throughout the year with new issues
I hope you've enjoyed this shout out for independent magazines. If you want to see more magazines I love and have on my shelves, go to the magazine section of The Independent Lifestye.
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