Boystown Newsstand Starts New Chapter

There is a new post in Boystown. From dog treats and magazines to cigarettes and condoms, Daily Dose Newsstand on Santa Monica Boulevard at Hancock Avenue, beside the , is determined to fill every local's need.

Daily Dose opened Wednesday, taking over the space where West Hollywood News had been for 17 years. Signs were posted announcing West Hollywood News' move to Sunset Boulevard several months before.

“As soon as we signed the lease, the old newsstand went out. They closed that day,” said Daily Dose owner Brian Morris. “A week later, after we repainted everything, we opened.”

Daily Dose is the first retail venture for Morris, who previously sold medical equipment to San Francisco-area hospitals. When his partner, restaurateur Tim Cochrane, got a job to launch Misfit, a new American-cuisine restaurant set to open in late May in Santa Monica, Morris took it as an opportunity to “start fresh in a new city and get out of corporate America.”

At the moment, the magazine selection is not as extensive as the previous stand. Morris said he has not gotten all of his shipments in, but intends to carry as much as the former owners, plus a larger selection of international magazines.

Among magazines, the Vanity Fair with a shirtless Rob Lowe on the cover is the top seller. “I’ve had to order more copies every day,” Morris said. Among newspapers, The New York Times is far outselling the Los Angeles Times, he reports.

So far, the best-selling item is not a periodical at all. It is cigarettes. “The closest places to get cigarettes are the or the liquor store up at La Cienega,” he said.  

Morris plans to carry a full line of soft drinks and candy once a refrigerator and candy racks come in. He will also have various sundries such as aspirin, condoms and lube.

Daily Dose also carries a line of doggie treats made by friends in San Francisco. “We’ve already sold two cases,” Morris said with a smile. The proud parent to two Kerry terriers named Louis and Stella, Morris intends his stand to be dog friendly. He already has a doggie water bowl set out beside the magazines.

Two other nontraditional newsstand items he plans to carry are fresh flowers and bags of ice. “People in the neighborhood said they want ice and flowers, so we’ll carry them,” Morris said. “We’re here to serve our customers.”

Daily Dose Newsstand is open 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday - Thursday, and 7 a.m. - midnight Friday - Saturday.