Posted by Ben Lowry
 

Last Friday, we were fortunate to have Bob Martin introduce Susan Axelrod, managing editor of “Old Port” magazine”, a part of the successful Maine Media Collective, whose flagship publication, “Maine Home and Design”, has allowed for the offshoot of “Old Port” as well as the brand new “Ageless” publication, which hit stores just this year, targeting the 230,000 AARP members in Maine.

Susan, who grew up in New Jersey and comes from a background in the restaurant business, came to Maine in 2013 and began a new career in editing and writing, first with the Portland Press Herald and then, with “Old Port” as it began its run as a quarterly publication in 2014.  Now, four years later, the magazine puts out monthly editions, always with a theme (business, food, weddings, etc.) that tries to put a positive, yet not “pollyannaish” spin on certain aspects of Portland living.   With “Old Port” now distributed to stores, offices in libraries all around the Greater Portland area, Susan and her group of collaborators are focusing much of their attention on the “Ageless” endeavor, which, as a bi-monthly publication (editor’s note:  research shows that bi-monthly can mean twice a month OR every two months, in this case we are referencing the latter), features home, housing, food and health articles for those in the over-50 set.  This month’s “Ageless” features articles on Bethel and Hallowell, amongst other interesting stories.

With 226 print publications in Maine, the ability to draw attention from readers and get them to offline is becoming an ever-increasing challenge.  But, with the efforts of Susan Axelrod and the many folks at the Maine Media Collaborative, the days of the glossy magazines featuring fantastic articles and photography lives on.