Doors Closed and Opened
For years—decades, in fact—I operated as an independent publisher, because no one told me how crazy that was…
For years—decades, in fact—I operated as an independent publisher, because no one told me how crazy that was. Although we were non-profit without the benefits (artisans out there, you can relate!), everybody in our shop enjoyed doing custom-quality work, and remarkably, the bills got paid...for a long, long time.
Media and publishing are changing, rapidly and unpredictably.
We’ve seen direct-mail fail (making new readers difficult and expensive to reach) and advertiser dollars migrate towards greater presence on the web. Meanwhile, paper and USPS postage (and staff health-care benefits) go up faster than inflation. The time has come when publishers have to join forces, looking for economies of scale, depending on growth to provide in-house expertise in the new marketing climate.
Which is to say, Arts & Crafts Homes is among the lucky publications to find a superb partner. The magazine is now part of Home Buyer Publications and Active Interest Media. Despite continued challenges for print and the ongoing housing slump, this magazine is alive and well, now part of a dynamic group with smart ideas for the future of publishing. I remain as editor-in-chief. Innovative work and dedicated craftspeople will continue to appear in these pages.
We have not had the reach we might have in recent years. That’s going to change, to the benefit of readers looking for us at the newsstand and companies seeking astute customers. The print magazines will thrive, given the great staff and resources at Active Interest Media.
Look too for exciting new features coming soon on the website. (Old-House Interiors and Early Homes are also part of this new deal, along with our Design Center Sourcebook.) I am blessed to be in the wonderful company of those who are part of the A&C Revival. I look forward to all sorts of new adventures!
Patricia Poore, Editor
ppoore@homebuyerpubs.com
10 Harbor Rd., Gloucester, MA 01930
Patricia Poore is Editor-in-chief of Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes, as well as editorial director at Active Interest Media’s Home Group, overseeing New Old House, Traditional Building, and special-interest publications.
Poore joined Old House Journal when it was a Brooklyn-brownstoner newsletter in the late 1970s. She became owner and publisher and, except for the years 2002–2013, has been its editor. Poore founded the magazines Old-House Interiors (1995–2013) and Early Homes (2004–2017); their content is now available online and folded into Old-House Journal’s wider coverage. Poore also created GARBAGE magazine (1989–1994), the first unaffiliated environmental consumer magazine.
Poore has participated, hands-on, in several restorations, including her own homes: a 1911 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a 1904 Tudor–Shingle Style house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she brought up her boys and their wonderful dogs.
