ALEXANDRIA, VA – When I was a kid, my grandfather had a mimeograph machine—remember those? That was long before Xerox. The intoxicating smell of the cool paper blotted with purple ink is one of those forever memories all of us who went to school in the 60s and 70s will never forget.
That’s how I started my first “news” paper. Grandpa let me play around with his typewriter and make a mimeograph stencil and at near seven or eight years old, I heralded my child-like version of the neighborhood’s hot topics. He helped me run off editions of “The Country Club Acres Courier” right there in his garage, and out I went to pass out copies, door to door to all 30 or 40 of our neighbors.
I had forgotten I even did it until recently when my dad reminded me. We were talking about the future of print and how it can sustain itself especially during these trying times. Most people don’t know how a publication like ours operates – how it funds itself, how it pays its writers and designers and carriers, not to mention its almighty printer. It all comes from advertising. Every last penny.
And that is why we treasure our advertisers, who feed our engines so we can keep doing our job to bring you the good news in Alexandria. Please join me and commit to the SHOP LOCAL mantra now more than ever as our retail and restaurant-owning neighbors dig in to adapt to the curbside economy. If you like Zebra, you have to love our advertisers. Start mentioning you saw their ads when you patronize them—it will mean the world to them, and to us.
And if you use Facebook, check out the new Alexandria Small Business and Alexandria Curbside Dining group pages that Zebra has established. Both are great resources to find out what is happening and where and they are available to ALL Alexandria businesses and residents for free.
Now on to the September issue—wow, what an edition you have in your hands. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!!
P.S. For extra day to day good news, follow us online at thezebra.org and on social media, sign up for our twice weekly newsletters and get your own copy in the U.S. mail—just click on SUBSCRIBE!!
