THE NEWSSTAND CHOSE ME

And it was love at first sight

FEBRUARY 2024 - Talks

We are in Rome, holy and profane, in front of what appears to be a simple aedicule, a place that according to Greco-Roman tradition (from the Latin aedicula, from aedes, temple) has its roots in crossroads, meeting places, between streams and mountains, where prodigious events often took place. Thus, these were marked by small temples, the aedicules, and considered sacred places.

Time has transformed them into “small temples” of newspapers, weeklies and magazines. Every morning, after coffee and a maritozzo with cream, his faithful tried to wake up to fascinating stories and the smell of paper and ink.

We meet one of the founders of Erno, Andrea Mercuri, together with her sweet dachshund Minerva, the name of the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts. It could only be called that.

As if the newsstand had called me and chosen me As if the newsstand had called me and chosen me

He tells me that from a paper kiosk to an artistic and cultural hub, this project was born spontaneously, after a walk.

« My friend Valentina and I were walking through the streets of Prati, in Piazza Amerigo Capponi, and we were already planning to start a business together. We hadn’t figured out what yet, but to get inspired we wanted to be enchanted by the situation of the neighborhood and figure out what to open: a bar, a bookstore, a meeting place, where people could interact both socially and culturally.”

Imagine two girls wandering around the eternal city up and down among cobblestones. They see the newsstand and fall in love with it at first sight. It seems to him a unique form in the midst of a stimulating context as only that of the square can be. But the place is still rather abandoned and to improve it they begin to interface with the first town hall of Rome…

In this archetype of the hero’s story, Andrea and Valentina’s helper is another woman: the city councilor, who also helped them obtain the license to serve alcohol and beverages so that the newsstand could become a more concrete meeting place, where people could really get in tune and experience the newsstand, leaf through a magazine while sipping a glass of wine. The selection that can be found at Edicola Erno is both national and international such as Purple, Dust and Dazed.

At the base of the project there is also the desire to promote independent Italian publishing by collaborating with the main Roman schools of fashion and design. “Our goal is not to sell as many magazines as possible, but to create a place specialized in independent magazines where you can do research and that can also become a pop-up store for emerging brands. In this way, we can help them in visibility and build a network of strong and collaborative relationships.”

Publishing is not an industry, it is still a niche product. For this reason, the newsstand soon became associated with the concept of exhibition space. From Erno it is possible to organize photographic exhibitions and events. A chameleon-like place, which adapts to any artistic and cultural form. With the mere existence of printed paper, it remained a fleeting meeting place, but today a newsstand of this type works more, where events can prolong the occasion and opportunities for meeting.

And let’s get to the name… in my imagination Erno represents one of my childhood favorite places, a UNESCO heritage village on Lake Como. For Andrea and Valentina, on the other hand, Erno is a man who between 1951 and 1952 designed the first modern newsstand with external lights, an example of pure modern antiques at the Universal Exhibition in London. The name is small, catchy, sticks and represents a space like the newsstand well. Intimate, but at the same time a real magnet, as it is embraced by everything that is Rome. Alone, but central to the square, surrounded by buildings and noise. In addition, ERNO is the acronym for Edicola Romana Non Ordinaria, because it wants to stand out strongly from other existing spaces.

“Actually, I was already going to this newsstand. It had a life of its own before me, of course, then for ten years it was closed. I used to go there when I was ten years old and I came back when I was 27, because I lived here in the area. As if the newsstand had called me and chosen me.”

Thinking about Erno’s future, Andrea is optimistic and confident. There is no future, because there is a continuous present.

For Andrea, “wonder” is a constant word in communication.

We will return soon to find ourselves lingering in front of the marble shelves of Edicola Erno and chatting with Andrea, an accomplice of the best stories and wonders, who will always welcome us early in the morning in a rediscovered space suspended in time.

by Alessandra Busacca

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