I first began working as a contributing editor with Country Living Magazine in 2004, shortly after the Editor-In-Chief at the time, Nancy Soriano, visited my Farm Chicks Antiques Show. It was a really exciting time, and such an honor for me. The first story was all about how to bake a pie. In the ten years I've been working with the magazine, the headquarters moved its offices within New York City to the Hearst Tower, Nancy Soriano left the magazine to pursue other ventures, a new Editor-In-Chief, Sara Gray Miller, was at the helm for a few years, and then last fall, some new changes were announced. The magazine was moving to a new location in Birmingham, Alabama, and a new Editor-In-Chief, Rachel Hardage Barrett, had been appointed. Earlier this summer, I visited the new editorial headquarters in Birmingham to meet Rachel and the new editorial staff. The offices are located in an area known as Pepper Place. Formerly the Dr. Pepper Syrup Plant and Bottling Company, the Pepper Place Complex is a group of seven extensively renovated buildings, including the old Martin Biscuit Building, spearheaded by Cathy Sloss Jones - a descendant of the nearby Sloss Furnaces Factory family. In addition to Country Living, there are restaurants, antiques shops, a garden market, and a weekly farmer's market located here. Rachel has a long background in the editorial world including Glamour, Real Simple, and most recently, Southern Living Magazine. When I asked her about the decision for the magazine's move to Alabama, she explained that Hearst was looking to find a location more fitting to the Country Living brand. The September issue of Country Living will be the first issue with all of the content compiled under the direction of Rachel, and will also be the issue in which she is first introduced to the readers, via the Editor's Journal in the magazine.
Editor-In-Chief Rachel Hardage Barrett (far left) and editorial staff .
The space is just beginning to take shape as office furniture arrives. Most of the editorial staff's desks are located in the center of the building, with the executive offices along the front wall, a conference room on the left, and project work stations on the right. On the day I was visiting, they were unpacking boxes of paint for an upcoming story.
The entrance to the offices. The Country Living logo will be placed here soon.
As a teenage reader of Country Living, I always looked forward to the Real Estate Sampler and the monthly recipes. Now, I love seeing the homes that are featured and reading about other women in creative businesses. Are you a subscriber to Country Living Magazine? What have your favorite features or stories been in the past? Do you have a favorite column? I'd love to hear!
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Next up, I'll be sharing one of the many ways a story in the magazine comes to life.
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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
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