Hemal Sheth has owned Iconic Magazines since 1995, when he opened the original shop on the corner of Spring and Lafayette Streets in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, an area whose renaissance sprang up around Iconic. “Back when we opened, pre-Internet, there was nothing other than print magazines,” Sheth tells us, “so business was very good.” Getting in on the ground floor of the magazine boom of the ‘90s, Iconic has enjoyed decades of success, which have followed through to today.

“There were so many domestic U.S. titles back then, plus all the local weeklies and the international editions,” Sheth relates. “Over the years we’ve had many great people come through the store to pick up magazines…Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell. Times have definitely changed, and digital has taken over a lot of media. But, I think people get bored looking at screens. They want something to hold, they want something with more of an experience to it, something special.”

Now a three-strong fleet of stores, Sheth recently eschewed industry trends and expanded his flagship location at 188 Mulberry Street by double, with even more space for the towers of stacked print magazines, as well as a beautiful, cozy cafe area with large sliding windows for fairer weather. “I’ve noticed how many new, independent print titles we’ve been getting in, and how many more young people are coming in to pick those up. I would say things are definitely looking good]!”

Sheth has also been a supporter of V since its inception. “We’ve actually been stocking V since it started,” he tells us with a grin. “I’ve always been a huge fan of the magazine, and an admirer of what Stephen Gan has done for the industry. V is really the quintessential cool American fashion publication and a true leader in the field. Even through 2020, V kept on creating and publishing, which helped shops, like mine, who deal in in-person materials. Plus, a new issue of V is always a big deal that gets a lot of attention…I mean, Madonna on the cover of V133, and now Gigi Hadid on the cover of V134! I remember the last time Gigi was on your cover in 2018, everybody came in to get a copy, they were so excited by the shots. So I love that we’re in her follow-up issue!”

In celebration of this fearless American small business’s expansion and accomplishments, we brought supermodel Yasmin Wijnaldum to the Iconic Magazines flagship and outfitted her in the latest Thom Browne couture, to pose amongst the magazines on offer. “The fact that your team put together a shoot here with Yasmin wearing the great Thom Browne, one of the best American designers, is very supportive,” says Sheth. “And very V.”