Dále Zine Moves Again, This Time to Design District

Dále Zine is back on the move. The much-loved local art bookstore, which New Times declared Miami's Best Bookstore in 2023, announced just before the new year that it would be leaving its home in Little River.

But art-book fans in Miami won't have to wait long for Dále's return. Last week, the shop announced it would be moving to some swanky new digs in the Design District at 50 NE 40th St. The grand opening of the "new new Dále Zine shop" is set for Thursday, January 25. The new shop will be open seven days a week with longer opening hours — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Little River location closes on Saturday, January 13.

But how did the quirky purveyors of DIY zines, exhibition catalogues, and other ephemera end up down the street from Saint Laurent and Maison Margiela? Apparently, the Design District approached them.

"We were obviously shocked," says Lilian Banderas, co-owner of the store with her partner, Steve Saiz. The pair had been searching for a new location for most of last year after their landlords in Little River had informed them the building, which they shared with the Fountainhead Art Studios, would be torn down to make way for redevelopment.

Though Dále had wanted to stay in Little River, Banderas and Saiz couldn't find a space that suited their needs — in addition to selling books, the shop also regularly puts on art shows. That's when the Design District came calling. During their search, another locally owned retailer who will also be moving to the Design District let its landlord know that Dále was also looking for a new space.

"We just never thought it was gonna be a possibility," Saiz continues. "There are so many big brand stores there, obviously, but they've been awesome, and they showed us that they really do want something like what we do there."

In a way, the move to the Design District makes sense. Art lovers frequent the neighborhood for its museums, such as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, and the de la Cruz Collection, galleries such as David Castillo, and public artworks by the likes of Virgil Abloh, JR, and Buckminster Fuller. Craig Robins, the main force behind the area's development, has historically supported art spaces in the area, renting to organizations such as Locust Projects and Bas Fisher Invitational and artists such as Harmony Korine. Saiz and Banderas are fond of Swampspace, the alternative arts venue on North Miami Avenue.

For Dále, the motto of "We're always on the move" is somewhat tongue-in-cheek considering its nomadic history. Originally a small press that operated solely online and at zine fairs, the shop had held down storefronts in downtown Miami, first at the now-defunct 777 International Mall and later at 76 E. Flagler St. It was suddenly forced to vacate its second location when the building was condemned, after which they moved uptown.

The Design District is larger than any of Dále's previous locations, and Banderas and Saiz have lots planned for the new space. There will be more room for books — the owners are exploring adding additional genres such as fiction to their existing stock of art and design-focused titles — but also community events. The pair hopes the new shop will become a place where people can read, socialize, and hang out.

Art shows will also continue, but instead of art being hung on the back wall, there's a dedicated gallery space. The first show will come from local artist Gabriel Alcala, the illustrator of movie studio A24's guidebook Florida! His show, "Look Out of Any Window," will debut when the shop opens on January 25.

Though the outcome has been positive for Dále, the case highlights the continued precarity faced by artists and small business owners in Miami's treacherous local real estate market. The building they shared with Fountainhead is being demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development. Many Fountainhead artists who rented out affordable studio space for only $600 per month had previously been gentrified out of neighborhoods like Wynwood. Fountainhead founder Kathryn Mikesell negotiated a one-year, rent-free period for the artists to give them time to source new studio space.

Dále, meanwhile, says their departure was ultimately delayed by permitting issues and that they were notified 2.5 weeks before Miami Art Week that they would need to be out by the end of December. However, Banderas and Saiz don't feel slighted by their landlords, who they say have been communicative throughout the process, and thankfully, there are no sudden evictions or evacuations.

"We always knew that the space we were currently in was temporary," Banderas says. "Little River was just able to keep that going for longer than any of us had planned, and they have bigger plans that we hope to be part of."

The building was sold in 2021 to Nashville-based "counter-culture investors" AJ Capital Partners by the previous owner, Matthew Vanderwerff, whose firm MVW Partners has attempted to market Little River as a community-focused neighborhood full of creative small businesses. Other businesses in the area include motorcycle-themed café Imperial Moto, streetwear shop Lower East Coast, and the latest addition, the $300-per-person omakase sushi restaurant Ogawa.

Art spaces are also moving to the area. Locust Projects opened a new, larger art center there last year, and Oolite Arts will debut its new campus in the neighborhood in 2025.

Saiz and Banderas say they don't plan to leave behind Little River altogether, however. They'll continue activating in the neighborhood and around the city with Dále's mobile bookstore, which debuted last month at NADA Miami. Look out for the bright yellow minitruck, emblazoned with the bookstore's mascot, Perríto, around town.

Dále Zine. 50 NE 40th St., Miami; dalezineshop.com. Daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Opens Thursday, January 25.