TOWN celebrates its first decade and a half of artful storytelling in the Upstate
“Smaller than a city, larger than a village. A thickly populated area. And now a magazine of epic proportions. That’s TOWN defined.”
This is how Jack Bacot introduced TOWN in his editor’s letter in the inaugural issue in April 2011. The monthly lifestyle magazine, distinctive in its bold oversized format, launched its first issue with a striking collage of Greenville’s Water Tower District by local artist Judy Verhoeven on its cover.
TOWN was born after G, the Greenville magazine (published by Gulfstream Communications in Mt. Pleasant) that Jack had been leading, and that had ceased publication in late 2010. Believing that Greenville was about to boom, he approached Mark Johnston, CEO and publisher of Greenville Journal and atHome (along with other publications launched after), and together with Mark’s son Ryan, they brainstormed ideas for a new high-quality lifestyle magazine. “Greenville was growing and the market was pushing for a glossy magazine at the time,” Mark recalls.
Related: Art covers through the years
An Artful Evolution
Jack brought with him a crack editorial team, including Blair Knobel as managing editor and Paul Mehaffey as art director, both of whom had a fine art background and had worked with Jack on G. From the beginning, TOWN’s concept was to highlight the Greenville area. “We were cheerleaders promoting the Upstate,” Jack says.
In the two years he was editor of TOWN, Jack laid a solid foundation for the magazine. Together, the small team created what Blair calls “this beautifully crafted, artful product that was a reflection of cultural and lifestyle and social elements all coming together.”
As it does today, each issue had a theme, and within those parameters, the staff—with input from freelance writers—hunted down surprising stories. That first issue delved into the soul of the local art community, while the Music Issue in August 2011 uncovered the Upstate’s rich musical heritage. Jack designated November as the Giving Issue (which it remains), introducing TOWN’s Charitable Giving Awards in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greenville.
When Jack left TOWN in 2012, Blair took his place as editor. She and Paul shepherded the magazine for the next ten years, seeing it through several size changes, a redesign in early 2020, and COVID, all while endeavoring to keep the publication fresh.
Each member of the original team is proud of their role in growing TOWN and grateful to Mark for trusting their creative vision and talent to execute it.
Into the Future
Blair and Paul left the magazine in 2022. The current team, with Leigh Savage as executive editor, Laura Allshouse as creative director, and Anna Walker as associate art director, is steering TOWN into its next decade.
The magazine’s ethos endures. “TOWN is a wonderful blend of arts, people, and culture,” Mark says proudly. “[The magazine] exceeds my expectations with every issue.”
Illustrating his point, TOWN has earned myriad accolades for its design and content over the years. Last month, the South Carolina Press Association awarded the magazine’s Charitable Giving Awards editorial package first place in the state for Innovation. TOWN also won first place awards for page design, photography, and the digital newsletter In.TOWN, which shares content with thousands of readers twice a month.
At its core, TOWN will always be a cheerleader, promoting the area through entertaining stories of the people who make the Upstate the wonderful destination it is.
“My vision for TOWN is to build on the incredible foundation the magazine has established over the past 15 years,” Leigh says. “We want to continue being the place to go, whether in print or online, to meet the people who are shaping this community, from artists and creatives to chefs and leaders. We’re here to tell the stories that matter and to reflect the talent and character that define this place.”
Committed to Memory
The team that launched TOWN calls out their favorite issues.
Mark Johnston: Like a devoted parent, Johnston can’t pick a favorite. “My favorite issue is the last one that was presented to me,” he says.
Jack Bacot: August 2011
The 2011 Music Issue, featuring Marshall Tucker on the cover, is framed on Bacot’s office wall downtown. An avid music fan, Bacot loves that this issue reveals the surprising musical history of the Upstate.
Blair Knobel: July 2019
TOWN’s 100th issue is a photographic retrospective of nearly a decade of TOWN. “I’m very proud of that issue and I keep it out as inspiration for me now,” Knobel shares.
Paul Mehaffey: March 2020
Mehaffey is especially proud of this first issue of the redesign he did for TOWN in 2020, which incorporated a smaller size and a fresh new look.
