Hello dear reader!

You are holding the debut issue of Vinton Magazine! The very first one! How exciting! The mission of Vinton Magazine is to celebrate the people and businesses of Vinton, Virginia. Vinton Magazine is free to the public and will be published twice a year, featuring a Spring/Summer issue and a Fall/Winter issue. The magazine will be sharing the stories of small business owners, organizations, events, festivals, art, theater, wine, beer, and more!
In this issue we begin by visiting the bastion of the past that is the Vinton History Museum, the downtown mainstay that is Citizens Upholstery, the old-turned-new that is Dogwood Restaurant, the healing hands of Vinton Veterinary Hospital, and the triumphant Pawsh Salon for Dogs.

The Vinton Magazine Team:
My name is John Brill, and I am the publisher of Floyd Virginia Magazine, Radford Magazine, and now Vinton Magazine. I have been associated with Floyd Virginia Magazine since 2013; first, as the graphic designer. I have been the publisher, however, since 2018. In 2021, I launched Radford Magazine.
Now, I will be bringing that publishing experience to Vinton. As it happens, this will actually be the second time I have been behind the layout and design of a Vinton publication. From 2015 to 2018, I was one of the layout graphic designers on the Vinton Messenger. It’s funny how things work out. With Vinton Magazine, I plan to use the same formula that has made Floyd Virginia Magazine a success for these past fifteen years.
Our sales representative is Gloria Daly. After a varied career that included small business endeavors like interior design, painting and wallpapering, photography, and finally employment with Lowe’s Home Improvement, Gloria was finally able to retire. Not being the kind to sit around on her laurels, however, Gloria took a part time position as an independent delivery driver.
Gloria and I had been friends several years and she knew that I was publishing Floyd Magazine. After I showed her Radford Magazine at a social event, Gloria became determined that Vinton should be the next area to be celebrated in a publication from my growing portfolio! The only problem was that I didn’t have a salesperson. Gloria was quick to step up! “I can do that!” she said.
As Gloria tells us, “In a million years, I never would have believed that I would become an ad salesperson. But I’ve always liked John‘s magazine, and I thought it would be really good for Vinton. It gave me the ability to work on my time and still maintain independence. I believe Vinton is just about to become a great destination town and this is the right time for Vinton Magazine. I have really enjoyed getting to know Vinton’s business owners. I’m proud to be a part of the community and to make this contribution to Vinton Magazine.”
Our editor, and Vinton native, is Vickie Holt. I have known Vickie for over fifteen years, and she is a very talented woman and excellent editor! She even edited this article! Her writing and editing backgrounds include international publication as the writer behind several issues of the once-popular ElfQuest comic book series from 1993 – 2000. In 1998, she completed a novel that was adapted by a company in New Jersey to a radio-show style, audio format. In 2003, she wrote briefly for the Vinton Messenger, and in 2005, her investigative article about Britain’s first mega-rock-star, Tommy Steele, was published in Blue Suede News magazine.
In 2014, Vickie took an interest in Bollywood, the Indian film industry. In an effort to introduce this exceptional entertainment source to America, Vickie created “Vickie’s Bollywood Beat”, a website for which she wrote movie reviews, actor biographies, informative articles, and news items. Because of her activity, representatives from the India-based news platform, UCNews, approached her to become a contributing entertainment journalist! Between July 2017 and November 2018, Vickie wrote no fewer than thirty-one articles that became available to the Indian public.
Throughout 2016 and 2017, Vickie regularly wrote for ColorsVA Magazine. From 2017 – 2019, she was the main writer for a craft-beer and community-focused magazine that went through a couple name changes, ending up as Brew Hub Magazine. She wrote the majority of almost every issue, covering the region’s craft breweries, local musicians, and local food trucks. In 2018, Vickie came on board as editor and writer for Floyd Virginia Magazine. In 2021, she helped launch Radford Magazine, and now she will be bringing her deft editing expertise to Vinton Magazine.

Where will I find it?
Chances are, you found the Vinton Magazine you are holding on a business counter, in a convenience store, in a restaurant, in a tourist spot, or in a hotel. Those are the five broad categories of locations where the magazine will be displayed. More broadly, the magazine will be distributed within the Town of Vinton, as well and nearby parts of the Roanoke Valley. As we grow the magazine, the distribution may go even farther afield. If you know of a spot where you think the magazine should be available, please let me know!

Stories!
The articles themselves will mostly be submitted to us by the people and businesses of Vinton. That’s right! If you want to submit a story for the next issue, you can! One person cannot replicate the knowledge of many. Over the past five years with Floyd Virginia Magazine, I have often had people ask me how I find some of the niche stories that we have featured. They are always surprised when I tell them that most of the time, I don’t find the stories. The stories find me!
Many may be reluctant to submit because they feel they may not be the best writer in the world. That feeling is natural. The talents of the people and businesses of Vinton are focused on the activities that define their lives and livelihoods. But that is why we provide writing guidelines and a talented editor. If you are thinking about submitting to the magazine, please see our article submission guidelines online at www.VintonMagazine.com.
The most important thing about the articles we’re looking for is the audience. There are three audiences for the magazine. People who live in Vinton, people over the border from Vinton in nearby localities, and tourists passing through. When it comes to our stories, the concern is that they speak to all three audiences. Aside from that concern, I pass stories onto Vickie, sight unseen, because you should trust your editor. Vickie then applies her polish in order to make each article meet professional, journalistic standards. Also, it’s important that the articles are not a list of services and products currently provided. Vinton Magazine offers an array of competitively priced advertising opportunities for that purpose. Stories need to be about people.

The future!
This issue of Vinton Magazine is thirty-two pages, and the next issue will be bigger. The more advertisers we have, the larger we will grow, allowing more space to showcase Vinton!
Again, Vinton Magazine is free to the public. It is paid for entirely by our advertisers. Every advertiser in this book is one that put their money where their mouth was and really wanted this magazine to exist. So, if you like Vinton Magazine and want it to be the best it can be, please stop by some of our advertisers and thank them.
I would personally like to thank everyone who is making this work. Everyone writing the stories, the advertisers, and you, the reader. That’s right. This magazine doesn’t work without you, the reader.
After working on Floyd Magazine, I came to experience that readers talk to me. They tell me what they think about this or that, and the result is valuable feedback. With that, I try to do better on the next issue. They may suggest a story idea that can then be pursued. A reader may even point out that thing I’m missing from the map. It is an ongoing conversation with the community, and that conversation is already happening.
Another reason why you, dear readers, are making this magazine work, is that before many of you even finish reading it, you will show it to others and say things like: “Have you seen this?” “Look at it! And on such quality paper too!” “Did you see the picture of the dog?”

Anyway, thank you all! And here’s to Vinton!

John Brill – Publisher
Vinton Magazine