UNITOM will also stock indie mags, arty gifts and self-published zines
The Magma-shaped hole in the Northern Quarter has been filled this week as new indie bookshop UNITOM opens its doors.
The store, which sits alongside the likes of Flok and Eastern Bloc on Stevenson Square, will be a destination for independent magazine and coffee table book lovers, stocking the latest titles as well as a choice selection of lifestyle wares.
With UNITOM our goal is to ignite conversation and culture through creativity and craftsmanship
Run by Manchester-based arts consultancy and curator Universal Tomorrow, the store’s selection of books and magazines will be rooted in the worlds of art, design, fashion, photography and counterculture with publications sourced from household names like Phaidon and Taschen as well as smaller, harder to find publishers.
Books, umbrellas and filter coffee
Opening just in time for cool Christmas shopping requirements (if you’re in need of a Keith Haring skateboard deck from cult Brussels deck designers The Skateroom, you’re in luck), alongside its main publication offering, UNITOM will stock a variety of curated lifestyle products including stationery, coffee accessories and umbrellas.
Shoppers can expect popular titles including the likes of Kinfolk, The Gentlewoman, gal-dem, Delayed Gratification, Bloom, Good Place and Creative Review as well as niche imports like Brand Balance. UNITOM will also be championing locally sourced self-published art zines.
Much of the lifestyle product offering will include items that are unavailable anywhere else in the city. London Undercover luxury umbrellas (sensible), Swiss sustainable accessories brand Freitag, TWEMCO automatic flip clocks, Kinto coffee accessories and quality stationary from the likes of Pith, Kaweco and Penco.
Exclusive prints and artists editions including pieces by Mateus Bailon, Snik, Conor Harrington, Ben Levy and Ian H. Williams will also be available to buy, as will fresh filter coffee from Atkinson’s Coffee, Dark Arts Coffee and Unorthodox Roasters.
New spaces and familiar faces
The long space, which has an airy gallery gift shop vibe to it, will also host future events ranging from book launches and signings to art print releases with the address books of co-directors Matthew Palentine and Wini Tse coming in handy.
Co-director of UNITOM Matthew Palentine said:
“With UNITOM our goal is to ignite conversation and culture through creativity and craftsmanship, that’s why we’ve spent a lot of time curating what brands, art, authors and magazines will sit on our shelves. We pride ourselves on showcasing local publishers, underground artists, one-of-a-kind items that you wouldn’t come across every day, and with that, we aspire to create shared experiences and discussions in-store and online.”
Co-director of UNITOM Wini Tse added:
“We also want to offer a unique retail voice within Manchester and provide an international destination for people who love and collect art, are mad about books and magazines, appreciate artistry and skill and a good filter coffee. I hope UNITOM will be a hub for creatives in the city, not just a store but somewhere to learn something new, appreciate something beautiful and have a good old chat.”
The UNITOM team will make use of Manchester magazine wisdom too. Former manager of Magma, Tim Bell, will manage the new store bringing with him fifteen plus years of magazine smarts, having left Magma when it closed in November last year.
UNITOM, 1A Stevenson Square, Manchester, M1 1DN
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