Bygone Magazines Isn’t Trying To Go Viral

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As audiobooks, digital magazines, streaming services, and now AI begin to take over the entertainment landscape, a growing number of people are returning to physical media. CDs, DVDs, and even Walkmans are making a comeback. Against the prevailing sentiment that print is dead, a physical media renaissance is upon us in the literary world, too—one that Bygone Magazines is taking in stride. 

Located between Chimera Café and Tulsa Violin Shop, Bygone Magazines is a new store specializing in vintage magazines and local literature. Browsing the small space, one can find a decades-old issue of Time next to the newest edition of Pokeweed. The inventory is niche and expertly curated, though not vast. Like an indie bookstore, Bygone focuses on quality over quantity. 

You might be wondering how such a concept will turn a profit, but according to co-owner Micah Cash, that’s not really the point. Bygone has even opted out of using social media to promote the store. 

“We’ve been very clear from the beginning that this whole thing [i.e., opening a magazine shop] is a dumb idea,” Cash says. “So, we figured, what’s dumber than starting a pop-up in 2025 without social media? The benefit of word-of-mouth is that people will find us anyway. Plus, everything is better in print.” Cash made sure to note that the shop does, however, have a Hinge profile. 

The presence of a print magazine shop makes a lot of sense in a place like Tulsa. Our literary history is rich and complex, with writers like S.E. Hinton and Joy Harjo immortalizing the city in their work. The famed poets Joe Brainard, Ron Padgett, and Ted Berrigan grew up right down the street from Bygone, starting their literary careers while still students at Central High School. 

“Tulsa has an iconic print history with publications like The Oklahoma Eagle and This Land, not to mention great local mags like Greenwood Ave and Pokeweed, which we’re proud to carry at the store,” Cash says. But there are no spaces dedicated to selling those magazines, not since Steve’s Sundry closed down, taking their iconic print collection with them. Bygone Magazines fills that niche, and does so proudly. 

“Flipping through a quality print product is a basic, bygone joy,” Cash says. “A magazine isn’t collecting data on how you read it. We wanted to remind people of that joy.” Print is dead! Long live print!

Bygone Magazines (216 N. Main) is open Thursdays and Fridays from 5:30pm to 9:00pm, and Saturdays from 11am to 9pm. 

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