Indulge in your fetish for mags

Indulge in your fetish for mags
Deccan Herald

We’ve all gone to bookstores, browsed through endless racks of books and picked what we wanted. Bookstores have become glitzier and present a whole new experience for readers. Now, imagine a similar experience for magazines.

One normally looks out for the corner magazine store, which is a small set-up outside a restaurant, at a street corner, at bus-stands/ railway stations, even airport lounges. You ask for a magazine of your choice, pay for it and go on. But now, there’s an entire store dedicated only to magazines.

Situated in the heart of the City on Church Street, ‘Magazines’ is spread across 2,000 sq ft and boasts of several hundred titles, from India and abroad, including the UK, USA and Dubai. The expanse of never ending racks of magazines catches you off guard. With well-lit interiors and pleasing music in the background, choosing a magazine promises to become a new experience.

Asian editions

‘Magazines’ stocks Asian editions of leading newspapers like International Herald Tribune, New York Times and Khaleej Times, apart from prominent national dailies (Mumbai and Delhi editions) and local newspapers, magazines, including Kannada and Hindi. The range of magazines and comics for children is one of the largest.

And those who like collecting comic books of their favourite super heroes, the entire top rack in the store is stacked with Gotham comic titles. There is the MAD series and India’s first interactive magazine for study abroad Ready To Go? as are the best-selling magazines including New Yorker, Scientific American, National Geographic, BBC Good Food, Classic Bikes, Road & Track, Family Circle, Rolling Stone, Robb Report (lifestyle), FlyPast, Airports, Practical Fishkeeping, Your Cat, Elle Decor, Verve, and more.

Magazine stand

Store owner Yahya Sait (whose father Mohd Hussain Sait started the little magazine stand outside KC Das on Church Street 38 years ago), beams with pride saying, “I’m proud of the fact that ours is the biggest such facility in India. We have made foreign magazines available to Indians through an international experience. Magazines never had this kind of treatment before.”

Yahya’s friend Amjad who helps at the store said, “We started sale of foreign magazines eight months ago and came up with the idea of the store. The biggest attraction here is the sale of back dated issues of several UK and US titles spanning a range of topics. We offer between 80-90 per cent discount.”

Sample these prices: ‘Guitar & Bass’ - Rs 578 (original price), Rs 100 (sale price); L’Officiel - Rs 1,950 (original), Rs 250 (sale); Gardens Illustrated - Rs 636 (original), Rs 50 (sale); books on cars and bikes priced above Rs 500, going for Rs 60 - Rs 80. Quite a steal!

Said Mr Yahya, “We owe a lot to Mr Farook of Sapphire Toys who inspired us. Our main aim is to make foreign magazines affordable to all.” Magazines is at B-04 (basement), Prestige RR Building, Church Street (Brigade Rd end). Ph: 51325879/ 51142351.