Forty years is a long time for one career. So I have been told, and so I now tell myself as I prepare to retire. I've loved my business since day one, and have never regretted founding it, growing it, and loving all of it.
Not every day has been perfect, but not one day was bad enough to make me regret my choice of careers. I wanted it to last forever, but there's a season for everything in life. So, going forward, I will find joy in my memories of an utterly fulfilling career.
I will, of course, miss my long-time team who made The Shopper what it is today. They have all been with me from six to thirty-three years. We have celebrated weddings, births, graduations, divorces, deaths, camaraderie, sorrow, joy. We became family.
The clients and readers who, over the years, have gifted The Shopper with their devotion continue to encourage us as we go forward. For this I am eternally grateful.
Come June, after 40 years in business,
I will be ready to enjoy vacations,
finish my book, and love my new life.
Stay tuned.
I will be ready to enjoy vacations,
finish my book, and love my new life.
Stay tuned.
I am in conversation with others who value The Shopper and are exploring the path to shepherding it into the next 40 years. These include individuals, publishers, and entrepreneurs- some of whom are excellent fits for the magazine we have nurtured. At this point, I am just weeks into ongoing discussions regarding this important decision and, yes, I will take serious inquiries until we have inked an arrangement that we believe is beneficial for all concerned.
Those of you who know me know that I value our magazines and want the next generation to serve you as we always have. By summer, I expect The Shopper will have embarked on the next 40 years. It will deserve a great party!
Please accept my heartfelt appreciation to all our dedicated clients, readers, and team members who have made the past 40 years so meaningful. What a grand life you have given me. What glorious memories I will take into the future.
I may stick around part-time for a bit if needed to help launch the next chapter in the story of our hometown magazines, including our continued online presence at TheShopper.com. Then, come June, after 40 years in business, I will be ready to enjoy vacations, finish my book, and love my new life. Stay tuned.
Jean Loxley-Barnard has been a writer all her life and studied both sociology and psychology at George Washington University where she earned a B.A. Her company, The Shopper, Inc., encompasses all the Loxley-Barnard family publications - The Shopper Magazines and Doctor to Doctor Magazine. She has been in the advertising, consulting and publishing business for 39 years.