New Shopping Magazine Covers L.A. Boutique Scene

Henry M. Shea Jr. is one of the many publishers who have bet that Americans will never get tired of shopping.

His latest career move is a gamble that hip consumers will gobble up a magazine devoted exclusively to the high-end boutiques and trendy retailers sprinkled throughout Los Angeles.

In early February, the veteran publisher launched the first issue of Shop Lift, a bimonthly glossy consumer publication that is as much handbook as it is magazine.

With a circulation of 50,000, a tongue-in-cheek editorial policy and an eye-catching pint-size publication that can fit easily into a purse, Shea is zeroing in on the local shopping scene. The approach is similar to that of national publications but with an “all-L.A.” perspective.

“There’s a lot of shopping magazines out there,” said the 43-year-old entrepreneur, who has started other publications. “But this one will give a shortcut to local shopping and take the angst out of it.”

Shop Lift’s debut issue has 82 color pages packed with bite-size articles profiling boutiques such as Trina Turk on West Third Street; the latest fashions, such as Eva Fortune’s “Paulina” pants; and a host of other subjects, from accessories and shoes to hotels and home deacute;cor. It is sold at World Book & News at the corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood boulevards.

If business goes well this year, Shea plans to make the magazine a monthly and publish regular editions next year in New York and San Francisco. He is sure that America is ready for his brand of local shopping.

“Shopping is the drug of the new millennium,” Shea said. “People use it as an escape.”

But the field of shopping magazines is getting more crowded. Lucky is devoting more pages to boutique hopping in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Hearst Corp. is considering publishing a magazine called Shop. And store catalogs are looking slicker every season.

However, magazine expert Samir A. Husni, dean of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi and publisher of Mr. Magazine, an annual guide to start-up magazines, said there’s always room for another publication obsessed with shopping.

“We know we are becoming a society of consumer addicts,” Husni said. “The messages we are getting are shop, shop, shop. The short answer is that there is room for another publication, but only if it is exciting in a new way.”