I’ve had the remarkable pleasure of editing Atlanta Intown for 22 of its 30 years. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: I am stunned and grateful to still have a job in print journalism nearly 40 years into my career.
I came to Atlanta Intown in 2002 in a time of transition for the publication. Nonami Enterprises had assumed ownership and there were four publications to contend with: Intown, Atlanta Buckhead, Atlanta North, and our entertainment publication, The Studio. My instruction from interim publisher Joe Hiett was to revitalize the titles, and he gave me free rein to do so.
I had been reading Intown since it first hit the streets in 1994 under the name Atlanta 30306, the Morningside zip code of founding publisher Chris Schroder. I had watched over the years as 30306 added more publications: Atlanta 30305, Atlanta Downtown and Atlanta Real Estate.
Those newspapers would eventually morph or combine into the line-up I was facing on my first day on the job. Just like I did with our 20th and 25th anniversary issues, I went to the archive and pulled out the first edition of Atlanta 30306 to look back at where we’ve been.
Flipping through that faded 30306, it’s a snapshot of a community on the cusp of amazing change. In 1994, people were just starting to figure out how the Internet worked, most people didn’t have cell phones, and the source for neighborhood news was publications like this one.
Trendy coffee houses were a new thing then, and the cover of the first 30306 led with a big feature on a dozen that were open in the community. Out of the 12, only three remain: San Francisco Coffee, Aurora, and Caribou.
Everyone was excited that a new grocery store called Harris Teeter was opening in Sage Hill shopping center and that a new branch of the post office was opening on North Highland. The hip place to buy clothes was Bill Hallman’s shop.
Cool Joe and The Funky Soul Symbols were playing at The Dark Horse Tavern and REM had a big hit record called “Monster.” Art galleries were all the rage, too, with features on Aliya Gallery, koolhipfunkystuff, Modern Primitive Gallery and Form & Function Gallery, owned by Flournoy Holmes (creator of iconic album and poster art for the Allman Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, and Carole King) and Michelle Klein.
There were also a handful of advertisers willing to take a chance on a new publication. Since Intown remains advertising driven, the relationships we established with local businesses then remain vital to this day. Without the support of our loyal, local businesses, Intown wouldn’t exist.
Atlanta’s place on the international stage began with the 1996 Summer Olympics and took off like a rocket: the transformation of Downtown, the revitalization of historic neighborhoods, the creation of the Atlanta Beltline, the boom and bust and boom again of the real estate market, the citywide embrace of sustainability, the growth of the film industry, the tech industry and a world-class art, music and dining scene.
The spirit of 30306 and the communities we cover is still embodied in Atlanta Intown. Our mission to publish hyperlocal news that helps foster a sense of community continues. Under the ownership of Keith Pepper, Intown has become a part of the Rough Draft family of publications, including the Reporter Newspapers and our award-winning daily newsletter.
It continues to be my honor to helm Intown and to bring you stories you won’t find anywhere else – whether you’re getting Intown in your mailbox, at a local retailer, online, or through the newsletter. There are so many more stories to tell, so let’s keep it going for 30 more!
INTOWN @ 30: Read more features from our 30th anniversary issue at this link.