«My father was heavily involved in the meat and livestock industry» – Mr. Willem pivoting into cultivating creativity through the business of disseminating international magazine titles: IMS Antwerp was born
International Magazine Store, hosting a blend of magazines, periodicals, and coffee table books in the city of Antwerp, Belgium
Within the confines of this establishment, where magazines and coffee table books gather on shelves and display tables, there is a history. Passed down from kin to kin, the bookstore has remained, for the most part, enshroud from the online periphery. The lore of the organization is familiar to those in the area – the case of ‘if you know, you know’ has always applied. But today that is no longer its whole reality.
From once having a collection of ten thousand magazines sourced from across the globe residing in a single store, and additionally having seven locations to their name, International Magazine Store has since scaled itself down. Now, existing from a single location, the disseminator of recondite magazines operates from the confines of four walls – hosting a blend of magazines, periodicals, and coffee table books.
Having taken over the store from his father Dirk, the current owner of International Magazine Store (IMS), Mathias Willems sat in for an interview with Lampoon Magazine, perusing over the organization’s history and its long-standing pertinence to the city of Antwerp.
From father to son: when magazines, international newspapers, and periodicals became the beacon of information for the inhabitants of Belgium, Dirk Willems had the idea of opening a magazine store
Willems goes on to state that, «My father was heavily involved in the meat and livestock industry». One would not expect an individual involved in the business of rearing to pivot into cultivating creativity through the business of disseminating magazines.
The segue from working in the agricultural business to owning a business in the realm of creativity stemmed from bureaucratic hurdles that led to the meat-packing businesses that Willems’ father owned and worked at. «The reality of owning a business in that industry was that the laws and regulations put in place did not favor the businesses or the owners. It became too expensive to be a player in the game».
Willems’ father, Dirk, as he explains, did not see a future in the industry. It just so happened that during this time of upheaval in the agricultural industry in late ‘80s Belgium, the magazine industry was on the uptake. In its boom in the ’90s, when magazines, international newspapers, and periodicals became the beacon of information for the inhabitants of Belgium, Dirk toyed around with the idea of opening a magazine store.
The opportunity presented itself when Dirk came into acquaintance with a business owner of a magazine store. After some consideration and negotiations, Dirk attained ownership of the store and transitioned his career path. Once an employee of the meat-packing industry, Dirk Willems would now grow an empire of pages and words in Belgium.
Taking over a business – ‘International Magazine Store’ in Belgium
Taking over the business was a task that Willems’ father took on. When queried on the opportunity and how it presented itself, Willems explains, «Oddly enough, the opportunity presented itself as my father exited the meat-packing business that he was working with». Having struck up a conversation with a peer in town, one who was keen on abnegating his title and ownership of his magazine store, Dirk had proposed the idea of buying it over.
Prior to its change of hands to Willems’ father, the business went by another name altogether. When Dirk had taken over the reins, Willems explained that his father had chosen to use a straightforward name for the store. «If I remember correctly, the name that my father had chosen for the store was as unequivocal as it could get for a business such as ours. He named it ‘Magazine Store’». Later into the years, having accrued experience and an understanding of the wants and needs of the market around him, Dirk Willems resolved to relocate the business to the diamond area of Antwerp.
Relocating the bookstore – ‘International Papers’, Antwerp
It was here, after accreting newspapers into the business’ offerings that Dirk Willems decidedly named his business ‘International Papers’. «My father made a number of changes in the move to the diamond district. First in its name and the second was the addition of international newspapers in the inventory of the store».
Willems explains that the inhabitants who frequent and inhibit the diamond district area in Antwerp are diverse in background and beliefs. The added items to the inventory helped set the business apart from its contemporaries.
The journey and transition from being a newspaper and magazine seller to solely focusing its catalog on magazines began when Willems’ father began a collaboration with his peers. The year was 1995 when Dirk Willems began showing interest in magazines and periodicals. Assisted by two peers – both financially and with effort in sourcing distributors – Willems’ father alongside his peers urged ‘International Papers’ into its full bloom, where the cynosure was placed on English magazines and periodicals.
Mathias Willems: taking over a legacy family business at IMS Anterpen
«I think being the son of my father, an owner of a disseminator of magazines and periodicals in Antwerp, helped me land the job. There was also a direness in taking over the business. If it wasn’t for me, there would be no one else to do so», Willems explains. This was what the current owner and manager elucidated when asked about his position at the store.
Asked to peer a ways back into his past leading up to his succession to the role, Willems has this to say: «At my time in school, I pursued an education in business and accountancy». While he did pursue his education in these fields, Willems explains that he did not see it through to its completion. This was in part due to his venture in the music industry, a short stint career that he pursued with a compeer of his. Founding a two-man company that focused on DJ bookings for music creatives in the city.
This business venture went on for a number of years – an endeavor that would soon come to an end for Willems. Part of the reason is held in the responsibilities he held at International Magazine Store – a role he took on at the age of eighteen. A means to support himself and assist his father with the operation of the business, Willems juggled his managerial tasks at IMS during the day and maintained his own music business venture during the night.
From seven locations to a main store in Antwerp: International Magazine Store – IMS Kaasrui Tijdschriften
This would hinder his ability to make time for himself. He states that his time in the DJ booking business meant long, late hours at night – a task that grew heavy for Willems to continue doing. «In the beginning, I found it to be invigorating. Over time, however, it became tasking to keep up. I wasn’t getting any younger».
Happy with his role at IMS, Willems poured his efforts there, eventually taking on the reins of the magazine-selling business at twenty-eight from his father. At thirty-five now, Willems’ mariner-ship of the business was a decision that he has no qualms about. Citing his early education in business management and accountancy to helping him with the management and bookkeeping at IMS, Willems is en route to reopening another location for IMS to subsist in Belgium.
«International Magazine Store once lived across seven locations. Over time and more recently due to the pandemic, we were forced to shut down six of the locations. We now operate out of our current store. We just recently found ourselves in this new location as well due to rent being beyond our budget at our previous location».
International Magazine Store, a multilingual bookstore that used to host 10,000 titles of magazines, including periodicals, independent fashion magazines, photobooks, and coffee table books
In its infancy, and operating as a magazine store, the establishment carried a mix of periodicals and magazines from across locations. Over time, however, as Willems explains, his father began adding coffee table books to the inventory. These included photobooks on the subject of cars, fashion, home living, architecture, sports and lifestyle.
While boasting its inventory of ten thousand magazines in its start, Willems states that it no longer is a reality. «In 2005 we had a variety of ten thousand magazines that we were selling. Now, the intent has changed – mainly due to our customer wants and needs». Periodicals, Willems explains, is another segment of reads that customers have been flocking to. Lampoon Magazine is one periodical that customers seek out at IMS. Alongside that, there is a demand for AnOther Magazine, The Gentlewoman, and Fantastic Man.
In regard to the coffee table books, Willems explains that there are a number of pieces from Taschen that are due to be delivered in the coming weeks.
A glimpse into the future for IMS Tijdschriften
Situated in a store of two hundred square feet, International Magazine store is plastered with furniture from its previous home – a location that ceases to exist. Bare boning the shelves and tables from the previous locations, the store at hand, is a memorabilia of the past – where furniture and titles of magazines from its heydays have continued on under Willems’ care.
«I want to be able to spend more time with my daughter. While I am contemplating the possibility of opening a second location – a desire I have held onto deeply – that would take away time spent with my family. I don’t want my daughter to face a similar childhood as I did».
International Magazine Store (IMS), Antwerp
Kaasrui 11, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
A family business passed down from one generation to the other, International Magazine Store has made a name for itself in the greater Antwerp area. Selling a number of magazines and periodicals, IMS has also been disseminating a variety of coffee table books in the area for over twenty-eight years.
