Greetings! My apologies for having been out of touch, "undeliverable," and simply gone for the past several weeks. Months? I had a moment this evening to pop up here and reconnect with you folks and read some of what you've had to say about GSM, and garages in general, and appreciate all the feedback.
Our website is undergoing another redesign, and hopefully now, we'll be better able to keep it updated quarter to quarter. And, because quite a number of people are interested in seeing "regular Joe" garages and fewer showroom style garages, we're aiming to satisfy those requests. Issue Four is finishing up at the presses now, and is pretty slick, if I do say so myself. Issue Five will begin a return to normal, but will also mark our one-year anniversary, and feature a special cover and some interesting twists.
It's a funny thing publishing a quarterly magazine about garages. The breadth of the topic is overwhelming to say the least, and exciting beyond measure. I can honestly say that I've never been happier - the people I've met, the conversations held, and the garages seen are lifetime opportunities. The money is thin, but you know - it's not all about the money. We're working hard to find a balance between this and that and honor the requests we receive from those who enjoy the magazine. And, it's tough, because we span so many walks of life. Our goal is simple - show people what's been done, and what can be done through images, information, and products. I'm hoping it's something enjoyable, informative, and different. And remember - just because a garage is big, doesn't mean that look can't be done on a smaller scale.
As I said above, our fourth issue is nearly done at the printers (should be on stands somewhere around the 15th of February) and features a host of interesting spaces, including a small garage in New Jersey that's been well appointed, well maintained, and cherished for years. The owner keeps it nearly showroom, yet also rebuilds, restores, and maintains Volkswagens there. We've also had the joy of featuring a turn of the last century Buick showroom that's been restored and converted into a restaurant-night club. I hope you like it.
Distribution is a challenge. Subscriptions are easy - anyone who's had trouble subscribing, please visit the website and click in the subscribe link, which should take you to a page that will allow you to subscribe. If not, look for the 800 number. Again, my apologies to those who've had trouble with that link. Back to distribution. Two of the companies responsible for taking us to Borders, Hastings, and others have gone out of business, which will create a small, temporary complication in getting magazines to certain regional stores. I'm not exactly sure just yet which regions, but I have a feeling it's mostly the South Eastern part of the country. Again, this is temporary, and I'm sure the problem will be resolved quickly. There is little I can do about it as a publisher - I have to wait out the storm and see which distributors will take over the territories and begin working with them to get GSM to retailers in the area. Aside from this complication, we're working to expand our retail reach with a variety of stores around the nation, and beginning to look at distribution through Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, and military PXs.
If you need to get a hold of me for anything, and the mailboxes at the website are full, please email us on
[email protected] and I will respond in time. I'm sure you've already figured out, I'm slow to respond - don't take it personally, I certainly don't mean it that way - there are just a lot of irons on the fire right now, and I can only do so much. We're not only publishing a magazine that's battling a fleeting economy, failing distributors, and a growing subscriber list with false ZIP codes, wrong addresses, and bad checks, but we're also looking at opening a Garage Style store through which we can sell garage products, and opening the door to take the Garage Style concept to television. I hope you'll like it!
So, for now, that's my spiel. I hope you'll all still enjoy and discuss the magazine, and press your retailers to order it - we're distributed through Warner International Distribution Services, and our subscriptions are through National Subscription Fullfillment Services in Anaheim, California. And, again,
[email protected] can get me directly.
Thanks for being interested, and keeping in touch.
Don Weberg
Editor-Publisher
Garage Style Magazine