Reflection and anticipation

A memorable 2020 and a 2021 look forward to.

2020 is a year that most people won’t soon forget. For Seaside Retailer, it was the year we premiered our magazine for beach, coastal and nautical retailers. That in and of itself is memorable. Karen Carr and I embarked on this venture together after having spent the first 20+ years of our professional careers gaining valuable business-to-business magazine publishing experience.

In the months leading up to our January 2020 launch, we attended a stream of tradeshows in summer and fall 2019 getting the word out to vendors and readers about the first business magazine specifically dedicated to these niche retailers.

We forged partnerships with some of the industry’s most respected shows: Surf Expo, Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show, Smoky Mountain Gift Show, Ocean City Resort Gift Expo, Grand Strand Gift & Resort Merchandise Show, Philadelphia Gift Show, Panama City Beach Gift Show, and Fort Lauderdale Souvenir & Resort Show.

Our mission from the very beginning was to provide resources and insightful information to beach, coastal and nautical retailers to help them navigate purchasing decisions and manage their business. And in January, our Winter 2020 issue debuted at Surf Expo to a very receptive audience of retailers and vendors.
Not long after that warm Surf Expo welcome, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Through the next several difficult months that our readers and advertisers faced, Seaside Retailer remained committed to providing them with critical information on events, legislative updates and personal stories from retailers and wholesalers on how they were managing the situation.

The industry is persevering through the most challenging and unprecedented of times, and through it all, we are dedicated to serving you.

Our top priority was continuing to be a resource for the dynamic and resilient retail/wholesale community that we serve, and thanks to your support, we have. Based on the feedback we’ve received from our readers and advertisers, it seems we are accomplishing what we set out to do. You can read some of these reviews at www.seasideretailer.com/testimonials.

The industry is persevering through the most challenging and unprecedented of times, and through it all, we are dedicated to serving you as we navigate these unchartered waters together.

Capping off an extraordinary year was the news that Seaside Retailer was recognized by the publishing industry for its efforts with a first place and honorable mention from the Folio: Eddie and Ozzie Awards for new magazine launch and new magazine design.

Building on that success and commitment to the community we serve, we have decided to increase the frequency of our publication from quarterly to bimonthly in 2021. That means you’ll have more information more often to give you a competitive edge and help you stay at the forefront of brands and products that can enhance your business. We are looking forward to the coming year, a year of rebound and coming back stronger than ever together.