What is it?
Unitom isn’t your average bookshop. It’s a visual arts destination that feels part gallery, part creative retreat where every magazine, print or journal on the shelf is chosen to inspire, provoke or delight. Whether you’re a designer, photographer or just drawn to beautiful things, this is a space where curiosity is rewarded.
Focused on independent publishing, Unitom brings together everything from cult art titles and hard-to-find zines to glossy photography journals and fashion-forward editions. You won’t find bestseller racks here but you might stumble upon your new favourite magazine.
Where is it?
Tucked into Stevenson Square in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Unitom is a few minutes’ stroll from Native Manchester. This corner of the city is known for its indie coffee spots, creative energy, and street art-covered walls, a fitting backdrop for a shop that champions counterculture and visual storytelling.
It’s one of those places you’ll want to wander into with no agenda and leave with a tote full of unexpected finds.
What you’ll find
Inside, Unitom’s shelves are clean-lined and colour-popped, a visual feast even before you start leafing through anything. You’ll find sections on contemporary art, graphic design, architecture, gender, music, and fashion. The shop stocks independent titles from all over the world, many of which you won’t spot anywhere else in Manchester.
They’re also known for their limited-run prints and collaborations with local and international artists, adding a gallery-like layer to the browsing experience. One minute you’re flicking through a rare edition of Apartamento, the next you’re falling for a screenprint by an up-and-coming illustrator.
There’s no pressure to buy, but the odds of leaving empty-handed are low.
One-liner
A bookshop for the visually obsessed and creatively inclined.
Our top buy
Grab a copy of AGENDA, a genre-blending magazine with poetry, short stories, photography, and interviews that feels more like an art object than a publication.
Address: 1a Stevenson Square, Manchester, M1 1DN
More info: unitom.co.uk
