Kafka's Coffee free newsstand

The Non-Traditional Newsstands Project

The Non-Traditional Newsstands Project (NTN) at MagsBC seeks out new, unconventional spaces in the Lower Mainland of BC and beyond to distribute our diverse collection of member magazines.

Our goal is simple: get copies of our member magazines into the hands of a diverse range of people in our community. We do this at a scale that is a burden for small teams to manage—in just the first half of 2026, we distributed more than 4000 copies of various participating magazines across 16 venues in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. We want to help magazines reach more people in places where we usually don’t see them, or that we used to but no longer do as often: think museums, cafés, performing arts venues, and public spaces in colleges and universities, and increase the potential for new, engaged readership and subscriptions.

The initial pilot ran from May 2024 to March 2025. At 16 venues, 21 participating members, and counting, we’re looking forward to spreading the reach of BC’s rich magazine publishing sector even further.

Want to get involved? Get in touch!

Current Venues

Latest News

Newsstand in the UBC AMS Nest. Photo by Sun Woo Baik.

Huge Expansion for Non-Traditional Newsstands!

6 more venues join NTN project, expanding venues, and restocking existing ones: Douglas College, UBC AMS Nest, North Island College, Kafka's Coffee, Jack’s Spot.

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Photo of newsstand against large windows at University Canada West, Vancouver, BC, featuring a variety of BC magazines. Photo by Sun Woo Baik.

Non-Traditional Newsstands: More Venues Join

Update to the Non-Traditional Newsstands Project, three more newsstands set up around the Lower Mainland and more locations to be announced soon.

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Interior view of the Student Union Building at Simon Fraser University, showing a display of MagsBC member magazines beside a post and above a staircase.

Non-Traditional Newsstands: Pilot 2, 2026

New year, new participating magazines, 2026 starts off by welcoming new members to the Non-Traditional Newsstands Project, promote & sell at limited pop-up shops

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Non-Traditional Newsstands: Pilot 2, So Far

We're expanding the Free Newsstands initiative of the Non-Traditional Newsstands project, calling on publishers to join: free promotion, expand distribution, new readers

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Sun Woo Baik sitting at a table at Evergreen Cultural Centre Coquitlam displaying MagsBC member magazines including a rack of magazines to his right and a banner to his left, reading: "Discover BC magazines today. Scan the QR code and see all the magazines that are waiting for you. Also, at front of table: There's a world of locally made stories waiting for you.

Non-Traditional Newsstands: Wrapping Up Pilot 1

First edition of non-traditional newsstands project wrapped: 15 print magazines, nine digital magazines, free giveaways, new issues for sale in pop-up shops

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Non-Traditional Newsstands: Holiday Sale Pop-Ups

Holiday sale pop-ups non-traditional newsstands, distribution channels for BC magazines in theatres, performing arts venues and festivals, Metro Vancouver.

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Non-Traditional Newsstands Pilot Project

Aim is to test out alternative distribution channels for BC magazines, initial focus on theatres, performing arts venues and festivals in Metro Vancouver.

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Testimonials