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R.I.P House & Garden

November 9, 2007
I was shocked to read that House & Garden’s December issue will be its last.  The magazine began publication 106 years ago.


 
The magazine’s singlecopy sales have been steadily declining over the past few years, from 84,558 in 2002 to 50,909 last year, Through June, 2007, single copy sales (48,732) were down 4.3 percent for the period and 42 percent since 2002, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The company now says it will focus on its other home and lifestyle titles, including Architectural Digest, Domino—a magazine that was seen, at least internally, as a threat to House & Garden since its 2004 launch—and Vogue Living, which will increase its frequency in 2008.

Grace Bonney, who wrote for H & G, is now out of a job, but you can still read her words at her blog



We get so many magazines.  Almost every day there is another in the mail.  It has to be hard to make a magazine relevant. 
 
Newspaper circulation is also down.  Circulation at 814 of the nation's largest daily newspapers declined 1.9 percent over the six months ended March 31 compared with the same period last year, an industry trade group reported yesterday. The decline continued a 20-year trend in the newspaper industry as people increasingly turn to other media such as the Internet and 24-hour cable news networks for information.

Is publishing a dinosaur or is a new paradigm unfolding.  Home Accents Today is doing the smart thing, IMO, by combining print with the web.  Recently all of the Reed Business Information publications have added blogs to their online presence and just since High Point Market , Reed has added






"…designed to allow the home furnishings community to present highly focused video content. Initially HAT tube will feature showroom tours from a number of key suppliers exhibiting at the recent High Point Market."

Magazine Death Pool writes, “The Reaper knew this (magazine) category (and H & G in particular) was in trouble, with a shrinking housing market, some titles losing traction, and hipper competitors entering the fray.

Maybe!  But there is always change in any type of economy.  The furniture manufacturers have experienced profound change not just in foreign competition, but in styles and customer attitudes.   In the retail industry, companies start up with new ideas and others drop by the wayside.  In the last thirty days we’ve lost Bombay and now Levitz has filed chapter 11 for the third time.  Here in Portland, a new furniture store just opened 11 blocks away and IKEA opened this summer.

We continue to focus on the question of relevancy.   Ivan Cutler writing at Inside Furniture wrote “your customers,” respond well to credible stories about how furniture makes their lives better. That works better than concentrating on how much money they can save or how they’ll pay for it." 

We want a visit to the Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery showroom to be easy, fun, useful and our staff helpful. 

Thoughts about what makes a magazine relevant;  what we can do better; new magazines you like?  Email them to me at landfair3554@comcast.net

Posted by Mike Landfair on November 9, 2007 | Comments (1)