BY BRIA SCHIRRIPA

In late January, Whalebone Magazine, a Montauk-born publication set up shop on the coveted corner of Bleecker and Christopher Streets in the heart of the West Village.

I had the pleasure of kicking back with Whalebone’s co-founder and self-described janitor, Eddie Berrang, at the magazine’s new Library On Bleecker.

Whalebone’s journey dates back about a decade, when founder Jesse Joeckel began making t-shirts and printing them out of an old ice house out East. Shortly thereafter Berrang and Joeckel ventured out to create what was to be a “simple, summertime print magazine”, they would call it Whalebone after Jesse’s grandfather’s dog. 

The publication, initially intended for Montauk locals, went to print and the demand went beyond state lines and exceeded expectations. “We were starting to get e-mails and phone calls saying ‘Hey, I picked up your magazine in Montauk, where can I get a copy in the city?’”and ‘Where can I get a copy in Austin or Nashville or Chicago?’ at the end of that summer, we had a really bad idea and said let’s keep doing print magazines.”

Berrang describes print as being an antiquated idea, particularly in the age of technology, “there’s not a lot to it besides romance, in terms of business model.”

Their first issue, centered around New York City, was a success. The positive response from readers and partners gave Berrang and Joeckel the confidence to push out more issues. “We said ‘okay, you know what?’ we’re going to publish a print issue all about New York City, who knows? Let’s see how it goes. A couple of people liked it, enough people to give us the drive to churn out more issues and we got the sense that we could do this a little bit more. From there, we started to get picked up with some some other partners which led us here.”

In an era when the world has gone digital, Eddie attributes Whalebone’s success to those who have an appreciation for process. “Just creating a magazine in the format that traditional print media was made you might as well throw your money out the window. The big differentiator is how the print was done”. Each issue is thematic, both in style and approach. “We have to communicate in a visually compelling way. Communication technology has changed how we consume media. So you have to make a publication that is up with how people are engaging with it [media]. The need comes from the fact that we spend a lot of time on our phones."

Aside from its print publication, weekly newsletter, and apparel, Whalebone’s latest endeavor is a bit different. The Library On Bleecker, a pop-up shop that opened earlier this year, is the first of its kind. The space, built upon a “what can we do for you” mantra, offers its visitors books from an independent store shipped in from Sag Harbor, drinks, a fireplace, old school movies — on this particular morning, talks of loading up the Karate Kid were buzzing — a pool table, and much more.

Caddis, a modern eyewear company, is Whalebone’s most recent partner to set up shop in the Library. Berrang emphasizes that the vitality of the space is not dependent upon Whalebone alone, but rather upon the concept of community. With partners like Yeti, Allbirds, Montauk Brewing Company, and Shinola — each of which recognizes the “all ships rise with the rising tide”, mentality — Whalebone is confident that they’ve got the right companies beside them. 

The Library is designed to be transformative, a reflection of the print issue’s ever changing theme. Where a pool table sits today, will be a small stage to host comedians for Whalebone's upcoming comedy issue.

Though West Village locals (a friendly neighbor delivers batches of homemade cookies to the Library every Saturday morning, an older couple comes in to shoot pool together) and tourists are responding well to the space, every so often a visitor comes in, unable to wrap their head around the concept, or is “delightfully disoriented” upon entering, in the words of Berrang. The space is one of a kind, so much that it’s caught the eye of an international audience, most of whom have found their way to the Library through Instagram. Just the week before our conversation, Whalebone did a collaboration with @AccidentallyWesAnderson — an Instagram account dedicated to featuring design and architecture that could easily fit into the background of a Wes Anderson film — that took over the Library for four days and as a result brought several thousand people through the doors.

Despite being headquartered in Tribeca, landing on the corner of Bleecker and Christopher was a happy accident and fortunately for the West Village, the Library has big plans and will be open until the end of 2020.

As the interview is winding down, a passerby knocks on the door asking if this was the same Whalebone out in Montauk, he had helped package their t-shirts many years ago. When BSB asks Berrang if this is an isolated occurrence, he quickly responds “no, it happens all the time”.

In the weeks following our chat with Eddie, the world has become more chaotic as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads through New York. It’s no surprise that Whalebone has quickly come up with a way to do some good during this time of uncertainty. “There’s so many people helping and doing creative things to lift the spirits of the world”, says Berrang.  Whalebone has begun distributing a daily, pop-up newsletter, “Afternoon Delight” (sign up here) with the purpose of keeping readers connected and smiling during this time of social distancing. “We feel honored that on a daily basis we’re able to help aggregate and share some of our own initiatives along with those of others through our newsletter that goes out each afternoon. We’re super fortunate to be able to partner with amazing brands like Montauk Brewing Co., HillCity, Shinola, Ansea, OTIS Eyewear, JUST Water, and Sir Kensington who all believe that supporting through positivity and adding delight into the world are making a difference. These brands simply ‘get it’ and for that we’re beyond thankful.”