The City Visible - A Look at Newsstands

The New York Times has a story and slide show about the disappearing newsstand.

From the story...

IN 2006, the photographer Rachel Barrett began documenting Manhattan’s newsstands, the makeshift sidewalk stores that sell candy, soda and lottery tickets, as well as newspapers and magazines. To date, she has photographed all 236 that she could find.

Ms. Barrett was drawn to the newsstands because they are ubiquitous and largely taken for granted, and because they forcefully demonstrate that New York, unlike cities whose streets have lost their vitality to car culture, still teems with on-the-run pedestrians.

For the photographer, these grass-roots businesses present variations on a theme. Each reflects the personality and business acumen of its owner as well as the needs and tastes of its neighborhood.