Objectify, New York City
Located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan is newly opened Objectify, a store that sells art books, prints, t-shirts and of course a selection of independent magazines. The space is dedicated to showcasing the work of local burgeoning artists and craft-makers: every few months a new artist will curate the selection, so you’ll always find something different lining the white washed walls. We spoke with owner Maria Candanoza to find out what magazines have been selling in her store.
When and why did you set up Objectify?
We opened October 30th 2014. I saw the need for more alternative art spaces in the city and in the neighbourhood. Objectify is an art object and book store that offers artists of all sorts opportunities to showcase their new work and the public the chance to see it.
How do you lay out the magazines around the shop and how did you decide on that set up?
I wanted to have a variety of books and magazines but also have it be extremely curated. A lot of times I go to magazines and books stores and there’s so much to pick from I don’t know where to start!
At Objectify we have three shelves, giving people a more selected group of things to focus on. We also invite different curators and artists to do selections every two months, most of the times they have themes they centre around but it could also just be their “picks”. This keeps our stock different and introduces our costumers to new artists and magazines.
Who are your customers?
A lot of local kids and artists, also because of our location a lot of tourists stop by.
What’s your best-seller this month?
We have events every month, a lot of times they are book releases, this month we had the release of June a new book by Chad Moore, that one has been our best seller for sure.
As far as magazines, Bad Day is doing really well, it has Kim Gordon on the cover this issue.
Do you have a favourite local magazine?
I really enjoyed the last issue of Out of Order.
What has the biggest challenge been?
Finding time to do my own work and manage the store.
What changes have you seen in the magazines since you opened?
We’ve only been open for 8 months so nothing really!