Needles and Pens

Needles & Pens is an emporium of zines, d.i.y. goods, and an art gallery. Located in San Francisco's Mission district, the space aims to provide an affordable place where like minded people from the community can display and sell their own home-made goods, home-published zines, and art work. The items we stock are predominately recycled, silk screened, cut-up, re-sewn, photocopied, hand-made, and hand-published.

History
Needles & Pens was a wouldn't it be great if... idea. The type of dreamy fantasy scenario that two friends discuss over coffee or beers in the park - the type that rarely goes further than conversation. However, Needles & Pens was one rare pipe dream that actually came to fruition. It all began in October of 2002, shortly after completing a year of coordinating Maximum RocknRoll, fanzine enthusiast Andrew Scott (editor of sobstory? zine) joined forces with thrift store junky, seamstress, and Strandid Clothing designer Breezy Culbertson to form a new type of retail space. Their idea was to create a space that embodied both the ethos of the punk do it yourself spirit and the creative aesthetic of SF's art scene. Six months down the roads worth of building and painting, Needles & Pens (a moniker inspired by a Ramones song - pens not pins!) took form in an old store front on 14th Street. Today, N&P remains strong as ever at our current location of 3253 16th Street and plans to continue it's tradition of monthly art shows/events indefinitely into the future.