Today I’m looking at the Sticky Institute. It is one of my favourite shops of all time. They specialise in zines. Those little booklets which are handmade by the author and can cover a range of topics. I have some which are transcripts of conversations, this seems mundane but I was totally fascinated. The Sticky Institute provide a space for the author to produce their work, they provide typewriters, staplers and possibly a photocopier. They then provide a space for the authors to sell their work. You might have to spend a bit of time staffing the shop but I reckon that’s a good thing.

You can see from these two photos that they are a very welcoming space. I love that table in the middle, it’s where all the magic happens.

This last photo illustrates some of the vast array of zines available. Every time I’m nearby I take a wander through and buy another couple. The prices are incredibly reasonable and for the price of a coffee I can get a couple of zines. This helps support and encourage people to keep producing.

You can find them in the Degraves Subway in Melbourne. If you come out of the middle of Flinder Street Station don’t go to the surface, instead head underground and take a wander through the Degraves Subway, divert through the Sticky Institute before emerging via the end stairs into Degraves Street for a coffee. You can find them online here. And some recent news is that the Sticky Institute has been granted funding for the next two years by the City of Melbourne to fund the Sticky shop space and the Festival of the Photocopier, it’s awesome news!

Thanks to the good people of the Sticky Institute for providing these lovely photos and the information about their funding.

Bookshop Spotlight – Whether you’re a bookseller or a reader I’m happy to feature your bookshop, or your favourite bookshop on Friday Photos. Please take a photo of the outside and three or four photos of displays within the shop. Go to the Submit Your Book page and email me the photos along with a few words about your shop. Answer a question to help me write a few words: What is your favourite thing about this shop?