Newsstand is still a place which even with technological evolution still continue

With a warm spring afternoon, among cars passing by and customers coming to look for something, with a lot of friendliness and their own opinion, the owner of the stall located on Rua Doutor Orêncio Vidigal, in front of the Penha Metro exit, has been working for 15 years selling newspapers and magazines to the neighborhood community.

In 1808, with the arrival of Dom João VI to Brazil, the first printed newspapers began to circulate. But, it was only in 1860 that newsstands arrived in Tupiniquin lands. Placing newspapers for display in wooden crates, Italian immigrant Carmino La Banca brought the idea to Rio de Janeiro.

Beginning of the 20th Century. The Metálica Newsstand appears. Penha de França. October 2020. 3:20 pm.

Sitting on two wooden stools, among newspapers, magazines, books, among others, the owner details, among other topics, how the newspaper is still delivered for sale. 5 in the morning. Before the sun rises. Through the little iron door, the delivery man holds the key and leaves the day's newspapers fresh.

22 years ago, after leaving the job market, the newspaper boy, who also has a degree in Journalism – says that this is his routine. In this way, he started helping his mother, who also owns another stall on Rua Alvinópolis, and is able to support himself.

Engaged and committed to local political discussions, Melo is the owner of one of the six newsstands, in the region between Metrô Penha and the Largo do Rosário Church, in the central region of the neighborhood.

Spiritist and self-help books, among others, range between R$3 and R$45. Printed newspapers cost between R$ 6 and R$ 7. Among other useful items, magazines in the windows share space with old music CDs that can be purchased for between R$ 5 and R$ 10.

Débora Bezerra, 58 years old, is an animal bather, resident of the neighborhood for 24 years, she is one of the customers at Kleber's stall. An animal activist, the owner of six dogs, she rescues street animals and puts them up for adoption, and says she always goes to the newsstand to buy newspapers for dogs.

“I believe that the purchase of printed newspapers may reduce because of the internet, but the newsstand may not, as today they have everything. Snacks, photocopying, ice cream. They still have a lot of variety,” said Bezerra.

2020, the end of print?

Smelling a new book or leafing through a printed newspaper are fundamental activities for reading lovers. Second. data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in Brazil, 25% of the population does not have access to the internet, that is, 1 in every 5 people, 46 million Brazilians.

“I believe in a recovery in the printed market,  and I observe that older people, and for those who really like reading books, this should continue, as there are many people who still like physical things”, said the newspaper seller.

Between conversations and laughter, sometimes one or the other, a customer arrives to be served at the aluminum stand. “As it is a place for older people, the neighborhood should follow the trend of cultural reference, as we have a lot of diversity for leisure and tourism, but not everyone knows about this”, he highlighted.

Remembering the musician and composer Itamar Assumpção, who died in 2013, aged 54, victim of bowel cancer and a long-time resident of the neighborhood, the micro-entrepreneur still remembers that cultural information should always be present in discussions and in the choices of nomenclatures and public spaces in the city. Penha de França.

Original article was published on 10/27/2020 at 2:02 pm but has been posted in the 'Bairro News' section of Portal Penha News SP since that date. Click here to read the original version.

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