Bad news for Broadway News: Paper and magazine shop closing at end of month

As much as the national -- and the local -- media landscape has changed in the past eight years, it was a wonder that it lasted this long. Add changes to the economy and the people living in the area and you're left with another business that could no longer make ends meet on north Broadway. Owner John Hamel tells CHS that he's closing Broadway News at the end of the month.

"There just isn't enough business, not enough foot traffic on north Broadway, to support this business to make it work," Hamel said.

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Hamel tells CHS that Broadway News will continue its online business component http://www.mymagstore.com/ but not on Capitol Hill. Hamel said he will renting space in the U District and working out of Bulldog News. Hamel and his wife Sally's online business supplies copies of magazines to people they might not be able to find in their hometown or helps acquire multiple copies if there's an edition that features somebody's business or home or favorite actress, for example.

Hamel said he's not planning a party to shut the store down. "I guess I'm not the partying sort," Hamel said. "It's a sad day for everybody. It's a sad day for employees." The good news is not all of Broadway News' employees will lose their jobs as the online component continues. But Hamel said some of his employees will be without jobs come July 31.

The replacement of a generation of independent businesses on Broadway continues. This past fall, Bailey Coy Books announced it would be going out of business. That space remains empty. Others include Harem and the recent abrupt closure of Bliss Soaps. Meanwhile, the longtime north Broadway tenant Seattle Museum of the Mysteries was forced to pull up stakes and move its act to E Union to make room for the expansion of Metrix: Create Space. Across the street, crews are working to overhaul the old Jade Pagoda building into a new retail and restaurant space. Bank of America will soon move in for a temporary stay on north Broadway as the 230 Broadway project is completed. Nearby, Poppy seems to be thriving as a pioneer of the "new" north Broadway and Roy Street Coffee has defied SBUX naysayers to become a busy hangout.

Hamel said he has owned Broadway News for eight years and that it had been in business for about 16 years before that. Its not the only newsstand Hamel has had to shut down. He closed his Fremont location way back in 2002. Broadway News has spent about three years at its current location at 605 Broadway E Before that, it was located on Broadway near John. Soon, its only address will be a URL.