“I've been nurturing a vision of a magazine that showcases the Garden Route in all its glory for some time now,” explains Eugene, the younger of the two, who has a decade of experience in the publishing business. “We looked at the demographics quite carefully and it was clear there was a need for intelligent information on our mix of sport, travel, music and arts, property tips, finance and business news pertaining to the area, as well as interesting profiles of the people that make the Garden Route what it is.”
The initial idea for such a platform was reinforced by the tremendous influx of outsiders to the Garden Route over the past decade and much of the publication is geared towards telling new residents what to expect and how to cope with the loopholes.
“We knew there was a market for a discerning reader and we wanted to offer a slick package for them.” The magazine also had to be more than just a little different from the regular lifestyle magazine offerings, hence editor Peter Owen's striking choice of cover for the launch issue.
“When I saw the picture, I just knew we had to print,” Owen explains of the moody snapshot of a body-painted man lodged knee-deep in the Knysna lagoon. “We didn't have this massive marketing budget so we had to announce ‘We're here' through the cover.”
The second issue will be on the shelves soon.
