A Vintage Crate   +  BOOKS

Please don't take away my magazines

At the moment, I receive approximately 10 magazine subscriptions. (Reality check: Half of them were free, okay?) This does not include the issues that I pick up at our local library which has a drop-off area where people are able to donate their used magazines and purchase additional ones for just 25 cents. Also, I have a good friend who's a hairdresser, and she's always giving me stacks of magazines from her salon. So, it's fair to say I have bit of a magazine addiction. I just love the feel of the glossy paper, the sound of the pages turning, and especially the scent of a brand new magazine.

Unfortunately, two of my favorite magazines have very recently ceased publishing. The first one, is hands-down my absolute favorite magazine. I have been a subscriber for over ten years, and have even collected back issues through eBay. To say that I'm a huge fan of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion would not be an exaggeration.

For those who are not familiar with this awesome publication, it's not filled with the black checkerboard, teapots and cherries designs that many associate with Mary Engelbreit. The styles that are shown in the magazine are quite varied. In each issue, artists and their studios are featured, as well as eclectic homes that exude warmth and creativity. Articles include many different subjects such as crafts, home decorating, flea markets, and even recipes.

I treasure every single issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion in my collection. Every few months, I will pull out all the Home Companion back issues that coincide with that season. (I store them by season, not chronologically.) I'll make myself a cup of tea and devour each issue.

The other magazine I'm sad to be losing is very different from the first. I've only subscribed to Radar for a year, but it has quickly become one of the few that actually I read from cover to cover. It's subject matter is "Pop, Politics, Scandal, and Style." Radar magazine features articles which are very current, entertaining, and most importantly, hilariously funny.

To make matters worse, is the fact that I just renewed both subscriptions. I signed up for two more years of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. (Oh yeah, I got a great deal on that, alright.) At MaryEngelbreit.com, there's just a simple statement about how "Home Companion is seeking a new publishing partner." Nothing about what subscribers can do to get their money back. I haven't received a reply from the email I sent over a month ago regarding a refund. As for Radar, even though they sent me a renewel request for a subscription they knew they had no intention of fulfilling, they have not offered me a refund. No, instead, I can choose to receive either Star, Men's Fitness, or Shape magazines. ...What?! This isn't the remainder of a subscription we're talking about, it's a whole year's subscription. If I wanted any of those other magazines, wouldn't I have signed up to get them in the first place? Duh!

This isn't the first time this has happened to me either. A few years ago, another favorite magazine of mine was Budget Living. It was stylish, environmentally green, and full of frugal living ideas. It was a really cool magazine that I expected would command a pretty strong following. But this publication has also gone to magazine heaven...

Is it just me? Do I have a penchant for selecting periodicals that are just about to be axed? Or is this happening to other magazine aficionados out there? It makes me especially mad that of all the magazines I receive, my two favorites are the ones being discontinued. I mean, if I could only choose two to keep receiving, Home Companion and Radar would be my choices.

...Well, of course, I do really like my Hallmark magazine. ...And, I love poring over the photos in Country Living. ...then, there's Martha Stewart's Everday Food magazine, which has recipes that are both delicious and easy...