b'Matters heart of thematterFeaturing Local People, Places and Thingsthat Matter Since 1990 Three Decades in Print, PUBLISHER with No Reason to Stop& EDITOR IN CHIEFEllen DonkerASSOCIATE EDITOR Matters Magazine celebrates a milestoneCheryl SilverBY ELLEN DONKERADVERTISING CONSULTANTS 2 020 is a year of celebration for MattersRecently I spoke with Karen Duncan, the founder of Rene ConlonH. Leslie GilmanDina RoskinAudrey Schaefer Magazine: We have turned 30 years old.Matters Magazine, to chat about this 30-year milestone. She COPY EDITORS Thats a long time for a community life- shared with me how the magazine grew out of her discovery Nick Humez style publication to be in businessoldover time that our towns contained an endless supply of in-Tia Swanson enough for it to be deemed a fixture interesting stories. She thought wed all benefit from reading Maplewood and South Orange, so Imthem, and she was right. CONTRIBUTORS told.ImnotsurewhenAnd while that is a story unto itself (stay Reba Auslander-Stevens, onecrossesthatthreshold,butitsatuned!), Karen and I concluded that the Adrianna Donat, Ellen Dreyer, designation we take pride in.key to shaping this magazine is to be Scorey K. DuBose, Melanie Finnern,Idonttakeourlongevityunfailinglycurious,followourin-Donny Levit, Hank Wallhauser lightly. Keeping a print pub- stincts,and,perhaps,begood licationafloatinadigitaleavesdroppers.world takes diligence, dedi- Over the years, Matters has cationandcreativitytochanged with the times. What delivervalueforadvertis- started out in 1990 as a black-ersandreadersalike.Andand-whitenewslettercalled craftingthecontentforMaplewoodMatterseventu-each issue takes work but itsallyincludeddistributionto also something that unfoldsSouth Orange, a shift to print-naturally;weresurroundeding in color, and a name change Please address all correspondence to: in this community by so manyin 2001 to Matters Magazine. (You Visual Impact Advertising, Inc. engaging stories.can always spot the old-timers among P.O Box 198 Just the other day I assigned an ar- us who still call the magazine Maplewood Maplewood, NJ 07040 ticle about a world-famous musician whoMatters.) 973-763-4900mattersmagazine.comlives locally, and my writer responded, Wow,Although we make the magazine available in a info@mattersmagazine.com he lives in Maplewood/South Orange? Id be delighted todigital format and do our share of posting on social media, do the article. Such pieces are sure hitswho doesnt likereaders tell us that they like getting a print copy of Matters Matters Magazine is owned and publishedto read about the famous among us?but we take justdelivered to their doorstep and cherish setting aside time by Visual Impact Advertising, Inc., P.O. Box 198 Maplewood, NJ 07040. Mattersas much joy in covering lesser known subjects: seeminglyto relax and read it cover to cover. We couldnt agree more. Magazine is free, with editions direct mailedordinary people who have an interesting talent, places ofOur gratitude extends to the entire community. Matters seven times a year to the residents of Maple- significance that have been forgotten, residents who havehas employed many talented, creative and hard-working wood and South Orange and distributed to businesses and surrounding communitiesworked through difficult circumstances and have learned toresidents through the years: writers, editors, photographers, totaling 16,000. Subscriptions are availablevalue their new normal. Each story connects us to our placeandsalespeople.Weveforgedstrongrelationshipswith to non-residents for $30 (U.S.) $40 (Foreign) annually. No part of the publication may bein Maplewood and South Orange and reminds us that wethose who tell us their stories and with the many business reprinted or otherwise reproduced withoutbelong to a remarkable community of people. owners who advertise. And our readers keep us on track writtenpermissionfromVisualImpactIm grateful that these stories still matter to you, ourwith ideas and feedback.Advertising, Inc.readers, and that you continue to embrace the originalAs part of our celebration, were sharing on page 42 the CIRCULATION VERIFIED BY purpose of the magazine: to deliver good news narrativescomments that weve received from readers and advertisers. U.S. POSTAL RECEIPTS. that make us proud to live and work in these towns. LordThey flatter us, they validate our ethos, and they spur us to READ & RECYCLE knows we need positivity and words that spur us to carrycontinue sharing what matters. And that is a journey well light into all corners of our collective world. worth continuing. 10/ matters magazine / winter 2020'