STILL HERE

The places that are left.

There used to be a physical infrastructure for finding independent creative work. Record stores. Bookshops. Galleries. Zine libraries. Most of it is gone. But not all of it. These are the people keeping directories of what is still standing. Find something through Reel, then go get it from a real place.

5 resources
Record Store DaySTORE FINDER

The original. Find RSD-participating indie record stores across the US. Also runs RSD MRKT, where you buy direct from indie stores online.

Record Store DirectorySTATE BY STATE

Every brick-and-mortar record store in the US. Comprehensive. Clean. The most useful list that exists.

Discogs Record StoresMAP + MARKETPLACE

Independent record store directory with a Certified badge program. Physical shops connected to online storefronts.

recordstores.love

Global interactive map. Good for finding stores when you are traveling.

Vinyl World

By state and country. Descriptions and links for each store.

5 resources
IndieBoundABA

American Booksellers Association. Store finder. Bestseller lists from indie stores, not Amazon. The standard.

Bookshop.orgBUY HERE

Buy books online and choose which indie store gets the full profit. Every purchase supports a real place. Use this instead of Amazon.

iheartbookstores4,900+ STORES

Map of independent bookstores across the US. The most comprehensive one out there.

NewPages

State-by-state directory. US and Canada. Also covers literary magazines and small presses.

The Independent BooksellerMAP

Every indie bookstore in the US, mapped and color-coded by regional association.

4 resources
Art-Collecting.comALL 50 STATES

Gallery guides for every state and 37 major art cities. The most comprehensive gallery directory online.

Art in America GuideSINCE 1982

Galleries, dealers, museums, and nonprofit art spaces. The industry reference.

Free Little Art GalleriesGRASSROOTS

Community art installations in public spaces. Take art, leave art, love art. DIY at its purest.

GalleriesNow

Exhibition listings. What is showing right now, where.

5 resources
ZineMapMAPPED

Where to drop off, sell, and find zines. Shops, distros, libraries, consignment info. The one map you need.

Broken Pencil Distro Directory

Zine distros organized by region. US, Canada, international. The go-to resource.

Barnard Zine Library Directory

Zine libraries worldwide. University collections, community libraries, independent archives.

Printed MatterNYC

Nonprofit for artists’ books and independent publications. Bookshop, gallery, distribution. The institution.

Wasted Ink Zine DistroPHOENIX

Storefront, print studio, zine library, workshop spaces. A model for what a zine hub looks like.

3 resources
Art House ConvergenceMAP

The coalition. Comprehensive map of independent art house cinemas across North America. The closest thing to a record store directory for movie theaters.

Film Comment Art-House VenuesSTATE BY STATE

Every art house, repertory, and indie cinema in the US. Listed by state and city. Nonprofits marked. Actively updated.

Art House Theater DayJULY 30

National celebration of independent cinemas. Find a participating theater and show up.

6 resources
UbuWebFILM + SOUND + TEXT

The largest free archive of avant-garde film, sound art, experimental video, and concrete poetry online. Kenneth Goldsmith built it by hand starting in 1996. Nothing like it exists anywhere else.

Open Culture1,150+ FILMS

Free movies, audiobooks, ebooks, courses. Classic and rare films from Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Hitchcock, and hundreds more. Curated since 2006.

PennSoundPOETRY

Free archive of recorded poetry. Readings, performances, lectures. Over 60,000 recordings. Run out of the University of Pennsylvania.

MonoskopMEDIA ART

Wiki-based archive of media art, culture, and the avant-garde. Texts, artist pages, bibliographies. Deep European and global focus.

Folklore and Mythology TextsPUBLIC DOMAIN

D.L. Ashliman’s collection of folktales, fairy tales, and mythology organized by theme. Academic, free, deep. University of Pittsburgh.

Internet ArchiveEVERYTHING

The library of the internet. Books, films, audio, software. The Wayback Machine. Constantly under threat and still standing.

Found something through Reel? Go to one of these places. Or find the artist directly. Either way, leave the screen.

ANALOG OBSCURE // STILL HERE