Dispatches: Montrose Newsstand Closed, Our Community Reacts

After 17 years serving the community,  is officially out of business.

The magazine and newspaper store was a local staple and steadfast example of Montrose's unique character--something people already say they will miss.

The decline of the Montrose Village Newsstand is easily attributable to the recession, which has affected many other businesses along Honolulu Avenue, who are hurting as well.

“Times are changing, and you have to just go with the flow. Just look at bookstores,” said Jade Houston, owner of , immediately next door to Montrose Newsstand. 

Houston’s point is well-taken, given the bankruptcy of Borders Bookstores in recent months. A severe recession coupled with the convenience and growing accessibility of online news sources were  strong enough to knock Borders of its heels, let alone mom and pop shops in Montrose.

Even amid technological advances and economic downturn, the newsstand’s decline was taken hard by the community.  

“It was a shock, and it’s very sad,” said Tammy Duffield, a server at

Many Residents Will Miss It

The newsstand’s demise affects many local residents, young and old.

“My 5-year-old loved going there for comic books, very sad,” said Melani Abarro Deyto via Montrose Patch’s public Facebook page.

The newsstand specialized in rare and obscure publications, typically difficult to purchase at gas stations or liquor stores.

“She had different magazines that you couldn’t get [anywhere else],” said Houston.

Joanne Lamore, former owner of Montrose Newsstand, endeavored for 17 years to provide both rare and mainstream publications to the Montrose and La Crescenta communities. Moore declined to comment on the closing of her business.

Local business owners maintain that Lamore was very silent about her welfare throughout the newsstand’s near 20-year run.

Some neighboring businesses claim that they had no idea Lamore was in financial trouble, while others admitted that the store’s closing was inevitable, however disheartening the news.  

A local resident who declined to be named claimed that she could, “quote, see [the decline of Montrose Newsstand] coming, given that people don’t read that much anymore.”

This story is part of Patch's nationwide series " Tell us what issues and what local stories go to the heart of your American Dream. Please contact editor Nicole Charky at nicole.charky@patch.com.