Ask Our Newsstand Guy, Special Makeover Edition!

by Eddie Roche
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Photography by Zach Alston

Our long-term relationship with Manish Golchha from 37th Street’s Magazine Café needed a little fire, so with a little help from David Hart, we gave him a makeover! And asked him to judge you and your glossies, of course.

Thoughts on your new chic-over?
I love it. I hadn’t heard of David Hart before. He knows what he’s doing. I look good!

Were you offended or perhaps afraid that we wanted to switch up your look?
Knowing you, I wasn’t worried.

Aww, thanks. This is our seventh time interviewing you!
It’s the seven-year itch! We are spicing up our marriage with the makeover, which is exciting!

Let’s get to it! How’s business?
We’re doing very well with September. We sold out of Harper’s Bazaar. Elle was sold out and we restocked, and Marie Claire sold out.

How many copies did you order of Bazaar?
About 200, and we sold out in 10 days. Kim Kardashian is such a sensation. Everything she touches turns to gold. Look at her emoji app!

What else is doing well?
Kendall Jenner is on Vogue, and the cover is superhot.

Why do you say that?
For obvious reasons! She’s wearing nothing under the jacket.

Who has impressed you this month?
The W with Rihanna is very exotic. InStyle looks different. They look like they are going for a new audience. Porter has done very well for themselves. They’ve become a household name in the fashion industry.

Are magazines too expensive?
Absolutely. The prices should be much lower. Vogue is $9.99 now! Elle is $5.99, Cosmo is $3.99, and InStyle is $7.99.

What’s your sweet spot?
$3.99 is an awesome price for all magazines. People would buy more.

Do your customers ever complain about the prices?
They don’t. They know we have nothing to do with it. They swallow the pill.

Everybody in fashion buys from you, even Anna Wintour. How much of the business comes from the industry?
I’d say 50 percent of our business comes from expense accounts. [The editor of Fashion Avenue News walks in and compliments Manish on his new look.)

What do you think of Kaia Gerber on the cover of Pop?
It’s an amazing cover. Very girl-next-door. The cover line is “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”

Do you think she is?
That’s really tough. I’m married. My wife is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Do you know that’s Cindy Crawford’s daughter?
No way! I see the resemblance.

How’s the DuJour issue performing? Melania Trump is on the cover.
DuJour has never been an amazing seller. This issue has been doing fine, because Melania is in the news, for better or worse.

What else is impressing you?
The British edition of Esquire looks great. The girl [Cara Delevingne] has this sexy over-the-edge look.

How’s the Official Tribute to John Wayne issue doing? It looks a little dusty…
It’s been on the shelves for a few months. We’ve sold one or two copies. Maybe it would do better in Middle America or down South.

Maybe! Are there any magazines that you miss?
Domino was a great seller. We were surprised to see that go. We miss Zinc. Nylon Guys was another popular one that we lost. We’ve never seen so many magazines stop publishing.

How do you feel about that?
It’s not a very good sign. I’m scared. We’re a niche business and there are few stores like us that sell print magazines in such volume so it’s a little scary. We don’t worry about our customers’ loyalty, but we worry that we won’t have the right products to sell in our store.

It’s your livelihood!
Exactly!

Is it bad that we have to inform you that you can’t keep the suits?
Yes. I’m devastated!

Read the issue HERE.

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