rowing up, did you have a favorite hangout? Was it the garage? Was it the treehouse made from scrap wood? Was it your buddy’s house? In my case this was true because his mom made great chocolate chip cookies and I could always mooch an extra lunch or dinner. But then there was the local newsstand. Of course, I might have to include the local record shop, which near me was also the newsstand.

Why am I asking? Well, a longtime friend and one of the great all-around hot rodders Mike Chiavetta sent me a note:

“So, as a lifetime participant in buying, reading, and dog earing over 50-plus years of car magazines I consider your latest ‘Mt. Everest’ challenge a winner. Good job to the magazine dimensions and especially the font size, format, car choices, staff, and persistent determination to do what you personally do monthly. Long live MR.”

It is humbling to get “high praise” from a friend, someone you respect, but also from someone who gets this hot rod “thing” and is a true aficionado of our hobby. For those who don’t know Mike he can be seen at Donut Derelicts every Saturday morning. He is one of the original “Derelicts” and builds and drives his own efforts. He is everything you would want in a friend, regardless of how your paths crossed.

That got me thinking about newsstands. I was a paperboy for the L.A. Times during a good portion of my preteen years. The newsstand was more than a place to buy all sorts of candy and printed material, it was also a place to dream. Just looking at covers projecting a multitude of topics from all over the world would get my brain imagining all manners of life’s adventures. But there was always the good ol’ standby. It was where you and your buddies would gather to see what car magazine had just come in. When I was reading car magazines there were maybe a dozen or so books, a far cry from the zenith of car magazines when there were upwards of three dozen—and they were monthly!

I was looking for the latest issue of Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, Road & Track, Car & Driver, and the occasional Sports Car Graphic or Motor Trend In the meantime, I and my fellow preteen pain-in-the-backside buds would grab a copy, sit down, and read the magazines. It hadn’t really sunk in that we should be purchasing the magazines and then could sit anywhere our scrawny backsides desired. It wouldn’t be long before the newsstand manager would remind us to, “Pick up the magazine, buy it, and then read it.” As opposed to us picking up the magazine, reading it, and then putting it back, thereby skipping the purchasing part. Life was great. Nowadays all-encompassing newsstands aren’t so commonplace; rarely, if ever, do I see a youngin’ browsing the racks and reading car mags. Times have changed but there is some hope on the horizon.

Nowadays things have changed but not completely. For instance, Pasteiner’s Collectibles and Hobbies in Birmingham, Michigan, Reader’s World in Holland, Michigan, and Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, are great bookstores where you can find every manner of car title (and that includes our three titles). There are the vintage magazine recyclers who sell the likes of old-timey magazines, freshly minted vintage T-shirts, water, or vinyl decals of period heroes, drag racing photos, car stuff, and so on who have painstakingly collected, repackaged, and now offer their wares to rodders like us. If you are in Ontario, Canada, Horton Hot Rod Parts sells our three titles. And then one of my favorite places to find hot rod apparel and vintage magazines is nitroactive.net. (Full disclosure, it’s managed by fellow editor Nick Licata who manages All Chevy Performance a sister publication to Modern Rodding.)

According to the latest statistics regarding magazine readership there is some reason to be optimistic. When researching “who still reads magazines?” I found the following:

• The youth of America are coming to our rescue, as 25- to 34-year-olds make up the largest proportion of magazine readers, followed by 18- to 24-year-olds and 35- to 44-year-olds. Looks like there is still hope for guys and gals who like magazines.
• Do magazines sell? I have heard this for the past five years or so and I keep telling anyone who listens that our industry likes and will support publications. Despite all the doom and gloom, magazines continue to perform comparatively well and in this competitive climate I’ll take that.
• I’ve heard magazines are dying out. I have found current research that shows that magazines are here for the long haul. Our industry is evolving as we are doing, with print, digital, web, social media, as well as a robust video department. The bottom line is there are literally millions who still enjoy the tactile feeling of picking up a print publication. It should be noted that in time magazines will eventually become an electronic media. Such as our monthly digital versions that we currently have.

It all boils down to “adapt or die.” Given we car guys are a stubborn lot you can rest assured we will be around for some time to come. You can also figure on us evolving and bringing the car gospel to future rodders in a way that they can best relate to but in the meantime enjoy your printed copy of Modern Rodding. I think I will drive by the old newsstand and see what’s come in.