Newsbeat
514 3rd Street, Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-6247
Every town of readers should have a newsstand. In some cities, a large bookstore such as a Barnes and Noble, or, in Sacramento, an Avid Reader provides access to current magazines and journals. Today, because of the radical dwindling of print journalism, bookstores and newsstands are endangered. Walking among the rows and racks of magazines, beholding the covers and the seemingly obscure titles, one feels a sense of nostalgia.
Newsbeat on 3rd Street is one of my favorite retailers in Davis, if only for the optimistic compendium of words and images represented by all those magazines. Enthusiasts within every niche can find something of interest. And although such periodicals can be had less expensively through subscription, those who frequent a newsstand are not interested merely in the price. Most information found in such journals can also be found online, but magazines and newspapers offer myriad advantages over online reading: print doesn’t require a device, it is portable and transferable, and it gives one something to do at a local Davis café. And even today, writing in print is considered by some to be more credible than the constant stream of articles available online. Print is worth the investment.
And as successful retailers diversify their offerings, so has Newsbeat branched out beyond magazines. Many Davisites stop by this shop for cards, candy, soft drinks (including Jones sodas), packaged ice cream, and a number of knick-knacks. Sometimes one has to buy a small gift for an occasion, and the staff at Newsbeat make sure that you can find items you won’t see anywhere else (which is also true for the candy). Well-behaved dogs are welcome at the store, I hear, and some movie-goers, such as my wife, stop off here for supplies before heading to one of the nearby theatres. If you are looking for some local flavor amid the national and international magazines, check out the books by local authors that one can find amid the literary journals, such as recent publications by Davis poet Richard Alan Bunch, and buttons made by the nearby outfit Buttons and Bears.
One wishes that Newsbeat didn’t also have to count on expensive cigars and obscure brands of pipe and cigarette tobacco as another income stream. Davis is known as one of the first California cities to institute strict anti-smoking regulations, and to this day one may not smoke at outdoor concerts or outdoor eating areas in Davis, as well as within 20 feet of doorways, unless you are on the move. Newsbeat presents its tobacco products to appeal to smokers who are making a choice, rather than merely feeding a noisome addiction.
From a cultural point of view, in addition to learning about theatre, fiction, and poetry in Newsbeat’s literary journals, as well as the variety of magazines on topics artistic and musical, Newsbeat also provides an important public-facing billboard of upcoming events. On the eaternmost window, Newsbeat staff posts a wide variety of colorful fliers and posters for upcoming public lectures, civic events, and plays. Sometimes one finds couples standing outside of Newsbeat on a Friday afternoon, deciding together what play, concert, or other event they will attend that evening.
The locals love Newsbeat, and this favorite retailer is also a recommended stop for anyone visiting Davis.