Blair Burgess was a community newspaper reporter before he found himself in a different kind of pressroom, working for a St. Catharines-based dry cleaners. But now he has plans to revisit his roots with the fourth estate, restarting an arts and life publication – Homegrown Niagara Arts and Culture Magazine – which he first published quarterly from 1994 to 1997.
Back then, he utilized his skills honed as a reporter in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Grimsby with Rannie Publications, the community newspaper arm of the St. Catharines Standard back in the '80s when the papers were owned by the Burgoyne family.
But when family and his new career with Manor Cleaners began to take up more of his time, he ended the magazine’s run.
“I always regretted that I couldn’t carry it on,” Burgess said. “And it was always in the back of my mind that it’s got to come full circle.”
So now, almost three decades after the last issue, he’s bringing Homegrown Niagara back.
“I’m going to shoot for twice a year, spring-summer, fall-winter, but once I retire … in just less than two years, I’ll shoot for quarterly,” he said. “What I want is for it to be every season, but I only have so much spare time.”
As it was back in the '90s, the focus will be on the artists, authors, actors and musicians who call Niagara home or who have a strong connection to the region. One big difference, however, is this time around the magazine will be in full colour.
What will remain the same, he said, is the focus on everyday people involved in the arts locally, not those who have gained notoriety outside Niagara.
“What got me started on this whole thing was I have always been intrigued by just what the average person is producing art-wise,” he said. “And they’re never going to be in a National Gallery. There’s been so many cool things that I’ve seen over the years, and I think they need a place that’s their moment in the sunshine.”
He is targeting for a May launch and has turned his efforts to seek out support from the business community through advertising.
“I need some funding, so as the advertising comes in, what could be a 24-page magazine could end up going to 28 or 32 or more,” Burgess said. “My aim is to break even on it but any net profit will be driven straight back into the magazine in increased page size, maybe even a better quality paper.”
