Archie comics, Italian Men’s Vogue, and POPEYE Magazine: These iconic print publications are woven into the “creative DNA” of TOMO Mags founder Vico Tadeo Puentes. The West Fifth store celebrated its opening on Jan. 22 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside the Downtown Austin Alliance and a warm reception of regulars who’ve followed the curated magazine stand from mobile bus to brick-and-mortar. With more rack space, increased browsing opportunities, and a partnership with Cielito Lindo coffee shop, Puentes hopes TOMO can introduce Austinites to styles and stories that’ll become a part of their own creative DNA.
“Magazines can shape that. And if you build your own library of that, you can reference them back, and it’s such a good time capsule that you can revisit,” the stylish shop owner says. When you’re turning to online resources, whether for design and style inspiration or for diverse storytelling and connection, Puentes knows half the effort becomes recognizing sponsored content and ignoring constant notifications.
“Whatever you’re doing, [it] is so easy to get interrupted. I feel print is essentially solving that,” he says. Having conversations with shoppers inside his magazine stand on wheels, a familiar refrain emerged from screen-burnt readers and disenchanted creatives. “People wanted to slow down. People wanted to read and recognize diverse voices. When you look through what we bring to the table, there are publications from all over the world with people that [readers] can see themselves in.”
These varied perspectives in print prove that slowing down and leaning into analog forms of storytelling hardly means sacrificing connection or exploration. Better yet, replacing doomscrolling with page flipping, even the most ardent technophile has to admit, paints a nostalgic picture of glamorous living.
“There’s something about day-to-day life to me that I really romanticized, even as a kid,” Puentes says, smiling. His royal blue magazine shop is an exaltation of curiosity-driven slow living. Growing up in Mexico, colorful everyday stories and fashion-forward silhouettes laid the groundwork for his trend-tracking eye.
Years later, in the now-shuttered Houston magazine shop ISSUES, his passion for print media introduced him to new genres in the medium. He points out Viscose Journal, whose latest issues have examined the role of text, scent, and sound in the fashion industry. On a neighboring shelf, newer entries into long-form journalism, Noēma Magazine and The Bitter Southerner, explore changing realities from different angles, and longstanding design rag Holiday, another of Puentes’ favorites, anchors these concept-rich missives in a legacy of renowned print publications.
“I love specificity now, all of those little niche things,” says Puentes. “These are my new DNA.”
This article appears in January 30 • 2026.