Photo from the chesternewsies Instagram
Ever been stuck waiting for the subway and wished you had a place to browse your favorite zines, artbooks and indie mags, eat locally-sourced snacks and ogle cute crafts? Look no further – the Chester Newsstand (at the TTC Chester Station in Toronto) is open to serve all your needs!
The brainchild of Toronto artist Jess Dobkin, the newsstand – once vacant – has been repurposed into a cute little pop-up and art venue. When we went to visit the newsstand last Friday, Dobkin and co-worker Mo were happily chatting up friends and passers-by, answering questions and selling snacks, mags and other goodies. You can buy everything from copies of Elisha Lim’s “Life and Times of Butch Dykes” series to delicious cookies with TTC icing patterns to little buttons that read “Print is Dead/Long Live Print.” In the corner, a woman was stretching out a drop sheet and paints for an evening art opening at the newsstand.
This is a gamechanging thing for Toronto and other cities in Canada! But the proprietors need your help to keep going. Consider swinging by the kiosk and buying something to support its existence, and consider submitting your zines and artbooks to be sold! Email [email protected] for more info!