By By Gal Tziperman Lotan, News Staff

Once a hub for international newspapers and now under new ownership, Out of Town News in Harvard Square has shifted focus from newspapers to international magazines.
Mike Patel, owner of Muckey’s Corp., a convenience store and supermarket company, bought the stand from the city of Cambridge in late January, after the previous tenant, Hudson News, announced it would no longer operate the stand because it was not profitable.
‘We like to keep the viable location as a landmark for the community,’ he said. ‘It’s really been known in Harvard Square for years.’
The stand is considered an icon in Harvard Square:’ It is a meeting place, tourist attraction and an instantly recognizable symbol.
Patel’s Pembroke-based Muckey’s Corp., which operates Boston-area newsstands under Patriot News Inc., paid $63,000 for the space, according to local media reports.
Patel said he bought the stand because he thought it would be a good business investment.
Though under new ownership, the stand has not changed significantly since Muckey’s Corp. signed a five-year lease for the space. There are more magazines than newspapers, but Patel said he does not intend to turn the 450 square foot hut into anything other than a newsstand.
When Sheldon Cohen founded Out of Town News in 1955, the stand was one of few sources of international news. Now, immigrants and current events enthusiasts can read papers and watch newscasts from nearly every country in the world online, which hurts business, Patel said.
‘Newspapers are getting harder to carry because they’re getting expensive,’ Patel said. ‘At the time [the stand opened], there wasn’t the Internet. People used to buy newspapers more often.’
Cohen opened the stand inside the Harvard Square T stop with his father, then moved to the stand’s current spot in 1984, according to local media reports. He sold the stand to East Rutherford, N.J.-based Hudson News in 1994.
Patel has shifted the stand’s focus to magazines from countries including France, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Mexico and across the United States.
‘We try to carry whatever sells,’ he said. ‘We keep asking people if they want something special, and we can order it for them.’
Newspapers, and print editions in particular, are far from thriving at the moment, Northeastern assistant professor of journalism Dan Kennedy said.
‘Obviously, newsstands are not doing very well at a time when people get a lot of their news on the Internet,’ he said.
Kennedy said he remembers visiting the stand many times during the years and seeing publications in an array of languages.
‘It used to be, years ago, that you would go in there and there would be papers from around the country and around the globe,’ he said. ‘Now, there’s really not an awful lot in there. It’s mostly magazines.’
Timeliness is also an issue:’ The Internet provides instant updates, while papers in Out of Town News were usually a few days old, Kennedy said.
‘There just isn’t any demand for it because you can read them online,’ he said. ‘There really isn’t a lot of incentive to get them at the newsstand.’
Though the economic odds are against the stand, Kennedy said the new, more local ownership could benefit it.
‘It may be moving in a better direction under the new owner because it’s more independent,’ he said. ‘It may be a better place how he is running it.’
Patel acknowledged his first months as owner have not been easy, but said he believes the business will eventually be successful again.
‘With the economy and everything, it’s going to be hard, but we will get through it,’ Patel said.
When Hudson News announced they would no longer operate the stand in November, some community members said they were sad about the possibility of loosing the landmark, according to local media reports.
Out of Town News is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
‘A lot of people come in from different parts of the country and know the landmark,’ Patel said.
Though the newspaper industry may be in the process of moving online, foregoing traditional print copies entirely may not be necessary, Kennedy said.
‘Newspapers are changing a great deal, but I’d like to think the print editions are still important,’ he said. ‘I’m glad Out of Town News is going to stick around; I would have been sad if it had to close.’