There is something special about walking into a bookstore. The smell of pulp and the racks of releases inviting you to pick them up & flip through their enticing pages. The tactile quality of a magazine or art book is something that truly can’t be replaced. On a recent pilgrimage to Culver City we came across a store featuring magazines, underground zines and art books in such an inviting arrangement that it begged for more exploring. & Pens Press (and its affable owner Andrew Martin Scott) really made it feel like you could come in, browse through each and every piece and stay as long as you’d like. It’s also in the heart of a West Side arts district so thriving, that his small gallery in the back presents even more opportunities in the area for emerging artists to feature their work. We sat down with Andrew to find out more about his uniquely inspiring bookshop.
Knowing that you are originally from the Bay area, can you tell us a little bit about your original store Needles & Pens in San Francisco?
The Needles & Pens story began in 2002. Myself, and partner Breezy Culbertson, found a storefront in the Mission District of San Francisco to live in and decided to turn it into an art space. Within a year (2003 at that point), the storefront was transformed into a gallery and retail space. We sold zines, self-published items, hand made goods, jewelry, as well as hosted monthly exhibitions and music shows in a back gallery space. N&P grew from there, and over the last 11 years, has gone on to host over 90 gallery exhibitions (including one in London, England and another in Malmo, Sweden), and evolve into a hub of SF’s arts scene that attracts both a local and an international scope of artists.
Before Needles & Pens, what were you doing?
Before N&P, I worked doing graphic design/layout at a couple alternative weekly papers – The Chicago Reader, and then the SF Bay Guardian. I also spent a year as a coordinator/editor of the punk mag Maximum Rock’n’Roll in 2000. Besides that, I spent most of my time skateboarding, making zines, and going to punk shows.
When did you decide to head further south?
In 2013, Needles & Pens turned 10 years old and I had been living in the city for 13 years. I was feeling like it was a good time to change things up a bit and challenge myself in new ways. So, I moved down to Los Angeles and opened a new space – & Pens Press. Plus, LA isn’t really that far from SF, so I can still go back and forth between shops.
What was the draw to open in that part of town in particular?
Culver City has something like 35 galleries in one square mile, and they’re all pretty much within walking distance of & Pens. It just seemed like a good place to put a zine and art bookshop, as well as gallery programming. Also, Arcana is a block down from us, locating & Pens in proximity to them seemed like it would create an art book destination in LA.
Can you tell us how long have you been doing your own zines and what inspires you to create them?
I’ve been making zines since high school. I’d say it all started back in 1989 or 1990, some skate friends made a collaborative zine called S.O.S. (Save Our Skaters) and I wrote a scene report about skating in Hawaii. Then a year or so later I started my own zine called Kumquat, which morphed into my current zine moniker Sob Story. I’ve been doing Sob Story on and off for probably 15 years.
Zines are usually my go-to creative medium of choice. I feel comfortable expressing myself in zine format because it seems like a private conversation that you’re having with a reader, rather than a large scaled work on a gallery wall that everyone can stare at and comment on as a group. I like the intimacy, tangibility, and accessibility of price that zines offer folks.
Do you feel there is an emerging trend for independent booksellers? How difficult of a market is it to sustain?
Yes, there definitely seems to be a sort of renaissance for zines and artist produced publications. A visit to either the New York or LA Art Book Fair is evidence that self-publishing is really fashionable at the moment. Lucky for me, ha!
It is a difficult thing to sustain, as there’s not that much money to be made from zines. Unless you’re dealing with collectible titles that have bigger price tags, you’ve got to sell a lot of $5 to $15 dollar zines to make a living. Personally, I’ve gotten used to living a bit more of minimalist lifestyle, so I get by….
For someone who has never been to Needles and Pens or & Pens Press, how would you describe the vibe or philosophy of your stores?
The two stores have somewhat different personalities. N&P has an overwhelmingly scrappy and hand made feel to it. It oozes character and personality. Walking into N&P you can really get an idea of what the art scene in SF is like, it’s reflective of what’s culturally happening in SF.
& Pens is basically the same as N&P content wise, except that it’s visually super clean and pretty. It’s got incredible custom built plywood fixtures that neatly display all of the titles in a sparse and aesthetically pleasing manner. It’s also got a proper separate room for the gallery space.
Both stores have a different look and feel, but the content, vibe and philosophy remain the same between the two. Both shops have a do it yourself agenda. They’re meant to be places that inspire people and stoke them into turning around and creating their own zines to sell in the shop.
Do you feel as if the zine market is growing year to year? What are a few of your favorites?
There is a print renaissance happening, but I’m not sure if zines are actually selling more than before…. Maybe? But it’s hard to say. Running a zine shop is such a niche thing that people who like zines will search you out to get their zine fix, so zines have always sold well for me. But, maybe it’s becoming more mainstream now and that’s helping them sell more. Like I said it’s hard to say, I think interest has gone up and down over the years and now we’re in another high point in the bell curve.
Some of my favorite zines are classics like, Dishwasher, Cometbus, Burn Collector, Dream Whip, and SCAM. As far as more contemporary zines, I love anything Edie Fake puts out, and also I’ve been really enjoying Kevin Hooyman’s Conditions on The Ground.
What do you love most about running your own bookstore / gallery?
I love being in the center of a buzzing hive of creative energy, being surrounded by artists and bohemians. That are all making and doing their own projects. It’s a glorious thing to interact with creative minds on a daily basis. It feels really good. That’s what I love most about it.
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Photos by: Devin Sarno
