A friend of mine dragged me into
Vin Mag a little while ago, and although I was reluctant at first, when we finally emerged later on I had realised how wrong I was to doubt the stopover. The store is a real gem, especially the downstairs area filled to the brim with
vintage magazines.
Vin Mag in Soho
With over 250,000 magazines in stock, Vin Mag is the place to go if you’re in the mood for some vintage reads. They have everything from 1960s fashion magazines to early editions of
Life Magazine and nineties versions of
Playboy and Rolling Stone. Venture into their Soho or Brighton stores and you’ll probably find yourself browsing the endless racks of magazines and comics until your eyes glaze over.
Although most of the magazines themselves are encased in plastic wrap, their covers will have you in fits of giggles (shoulder pads and other eighties fashion in full swing in
Vogue) or amazement (the naked, pregnant Demi Moore on the cover of a 1991
Vanity Fair never ceases to shock me just a little) or even just downright appreciation. However it’s not just the well-known magazines and editions that may flabbergast you and keep you incessantly perusing, but some of the beautiful and delicate editions of otherwise unheard of releases. I never knew that Jacqueline Wilson worked at a magazine called
Jackie before her rise to fame as a children’s author.
Monster Times, a horror and sci-fi newspaper from the seventies was also an entertaining surprise.
The magazines range from £2 to £200, so there's sure to be something to suit all budgets.
The magazines of the store are not the only treasures to be found, they also stock
vintage advertising posters, retro greeting cards and post cards, kitsch nick knacks and
cult t-shirts. They also have a website where you can find many of the products in their online store. But if possible, it’s always well worth the visit to the shop itself.
If they don’t have what you’re looking for in store or online, you can make use of their
Magazine Request service by telephoning or emailing.
Next time you’ve got time to kill in Soho, pop in to Vin Mag and have a look around. Or if you’re looking for a unique gift then why not pick up a magazine from the year that the recipient was born? You don’t need an excuse to buy, but a raunchy
Cosmopolitan from the seventies or a mint edition of
Empire from a few years ago will increase in value over time and be an out of the ordinary conversation starter for your bookshelf or coffee table. And make sure you drag your friends along, they’ll thank you later.
