Like An Ephemera Collector In A Vintage Magazine Store

It could just be my perception that ephemera is vanishing from antique stores and antique malls (sometimes not finding what you seek makes your perception a bit jaded) — but I don’t think so.

I can hardly remember the last time I saw a booth at an antique shop that was all vintage magazines &/or ephemera. Sure, maybe there’s a shoe box of postcards, a little wicker basket of antique photographs, some single page ads carefully shorn from old magazines and then placed in plastic sleeves, you can find vintage cook booklets and some other advertising pieces scattered here and there… And of course, there’s the obligatory stack of vintage Life and Popular Mechanics magazines. But it’s pretty rare when you find a whole booth devoted entirely to vintage magazines and ephemera — I know, I look! I long to sit my butt down on the floor and spend as long as it takes to tenderly page through old paper, looking for treasures to take home.

In fact, the old paper pickin’s are slim everywhere. Thrift shops, rummage sales, flea markets barely have token offerings. It’s like the whole world believes what the auctioneer and appraisal folks say, that old paper has no value. *snort*

There are plenty of ephemera collectors and ephemera obsessives who will tell you differently.

CW Magazines Storefront, Fargo, ND

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that there’s an honest-to-goodness brick and mortar shop dedicated to vintage magazines right here in Fargo, North Dakota! No, wait; you don’t need to imagine — I’m only too happy to tell you.

I. Am. Thrilled.

(I know you expect multiple exclamation points to punctuate my giddiness; but actually, I’m quite seriously delirious when it comes to collecting my vintage magazines and ephemera.)

About three months ago, Troy Pedersen, an eBay PowerSeller with an online eBay store, Collectors World Magazines, opened CW Magazines at 1200 1st Avenue N. here in Fargo. (Locals will also rejoice that CW Magazines is right next to where B.D.S. Books, the long-time old downtown classic used bookstore, has relocated; you need not waste anytime traveling to explore the two places.) CW Magazines has other ephemera, but, as the tagline on his business cards say, it’s primarily “Your Vintage Magazine Store.” (I may take that to heart too much, believing it’s mine, all mine; but then again, I am sharing its location and secrets with you.)

Inside CW Magazines, Vintage Magazine Shop

At first glance, the store may not look like much, if you’re into fancy boutique displays; it may not look as pretty as the magazine racks at Barnes & Nobel’s. But this is vintage paper. It doesn’t lend itself to the same neat displays. It doesn’t even lend itself to organization — but Pedersen’s done a fine job. Most boxes and stacks have been sorted by title and arranged by date. This, one presumes, helps those who know what issues they are after. Me? I just want to browse through it; I rarely know what I want until I see it.

And that’s the most beautiful thing about CW Magazines: You can take your time and browse.

If you’re not a vintage magazine collector or ephemera nut, you might not understand…

But let’s imagine you’ve been feeling for quite some time now, that if only you could still remember the 10 ways to Andy Gibb’s heart, your romantic life wouldn’t be the mess it is — but you can’t remember what issue of Tiger Beat that was in! Well, now you can browse through the stacks at CW Magazines and find out if any of those issues hold that article — and the clues to restoring your love life.

Or maybe you don’t know what the difference between Rouge and Cavalier — hey, not all men’s mags are the same you know. Need a little design inspiration? Flipping through the pages is the only way you can ascertain if a magazine issue is the right one for you.

In all these scenarios, what you are looking for is either too subjective or too obscure (maybe both?) for even the best of dealers to be able to present for you online. Let’s be fair; as much as we wish sellers would retype the entire text online so that we could read it and spiders could spider it (thus allowing search engines to produce it for us), and that all the images would be scanned for us to see and judge them ourselves, it’s too much to ask. (Plus, the prices would increase as sellers should be compensated for their time.) So the best option is the delicious opportunity to pour through the old paper yourself. And you can — and should — do this at CW Magazines.

Troy Pedersen Inside CW Magazines, Photo By David Samson, The Fargo Forum

On one hand, I’m a bit jealous of Pedersen; he gets to sit all day, pouring through vintage magazines and ephemera, using the internet to research and sell, his day punctuated by visits with other collectors who stop by. What a dream!

But honestly, I don’t want to sell mountains of old paper… I want to keep it all. So all that really matters is that he and his shop are near me — and that it stays open. Because now that I have such pleasures, I don’t think I could take the withdrawal.

If you do know what you are looking for in terms of vintage magazines, back issues, &/or ephemera, feel free to ask him. You can contact Troy Pedersen via email at collectorsworld@cableone.net; or you can call him at the store at 701.799.3493 (Monday through Friday, 9-5 and Saturday, 9-noon).

Photo of Troy Pedersen inside his store taken by David Samson for The Fargo Forum; other photos by CQ’s Derek Dahlsad.