PEI Living magazine celebrates Island lifestyle, food and entrepreneurs
A new magazine has hit newsstands: PEI Living is a glossy celebration of life on the little East Coast island, especially small business.
Its publisher started the publication recently after moving to P.E.I. from Ontario to be closer to her first grandchild.
"I looked into the viability of doing a magazine on the Island, and decided it would work," said the magazine's publisher and graphic designer, Jacqui Lysko.
Paid for by advertisers, businesses profiled
The magazine is free — advertisers and the businesses that are being profiled pay for the printing, Lysko said.
"I won't get rich doing this, but I love doing it so I'm quite satisfied with the income that I get," Lysko said.
The publication celebrates small, independent Island businesses — its premiere edition profiles the Humble Barber, Butcher & Butcher, Kate The Spice Lady, Upstreet Craft Brewing and more.
"It's a little bit different, the way we do it," admitted Lysko. "A lot of magazines don't allow businesses to do that type of marketing without writing that it is a marketing piece."
'Come support me'
"There's really no rules about that. People are under the impression that if it's advertising, you have to mark it. You don't," said Lysko. "It's a given standard in the industry, but that's changing because the industry is changing."
The inaugural run of PEI Living is 10,000 copies, and the magazine is being distributed at liquor stores, small businesses and tourism information kiosks.
"I'm very passionate about small business … it's very frustrating to me to see a small business suffer because a large big-box store comes into the community and they can literally wipe out five businesses within the first month," she said.
"I hope that with the magazine, it will make it easier for businesses to say 'Here I am, I'm your neighbour, I'm going to be spending my money in your store — come support me,'" Lysko said.
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