Is the Premiere Issue of Vintage Style Worth It?



Just before moving, I noticed this one on the magazine stand and got a copy.  While normally $9.95 would be out of my price range for a magazine, I liked the curtains made out of old cloth napkins (aren't they cute?!), and wanted some reading material for the road.

Published by the same people who do Country Almanac(Country Living, Country Home, Romantic Homes, etc.), it is professionally done, with beautiful glowing photographs and a nice range of styles within the unifying theme of vintage decor.  I particularly enjoyed the spread on different ways to use old Mason jars (a switch I've been trying to make myself), and the gorgeous distressed furniture in some of the homes.  There is also a useful article on how to go about shopping at flea markets, particularly for large furniture pieces. 

However...on the whole, I personally think they have missed the mark on their potential demographic.  Sure, home decor magazines are normally geared towards older housewives, who can afford to dabble in redecorating and design. This particular breed of Retro, ranging from Victorian to mid-Century and mixing in modern and even industrial or re-purposed pieces is huge right now with twenty and thirty-somethings.  Foodies(although I appreciate the lack of food in a design magazine).  Neo-Victorian, Steam- or Dieselpunk, and yes, even Hipsters.  Some of the advertising hits the mark, like creative vinyl transfer wall art.  Others, not so much(a tacky John Deere Cuckoo Clock for $200? Not when you can find the same sort of junk to put on your hipster wall ironically from a thrift store somewhere). 

I'll be looking for the next issue, if nothing else to see if they manage to realize the potential for a younger demographic.  I'm not sure, though, if I'm willing to pay full price for it, so we'll see.

For more examples from inside the magazine, check out this post over at Dutch Door Cottage, and this one from High Prairie Farm Girl.

10 comments:

~~louise~~ said...

I'm always in search of Vintage style magazines but for some reason I just haven't found "thee" one.

Thanks for sharing, Jesse, I'll check it out...

Anonymous said...

$9.95 for a magazine is too expensive for me and I'm one of the "older housewives" (with a full time career outside the home). I'll stick to Martha, Oprah, Country Living, etc. for my decorating ideas until they bring the price down.

Anonymous said...

I had to pull my glasses out and look at the price of the magazine twice. Needless to say I put the magazine back on the shelf. I did look for a card inside to get info about a subscription thinking that would be a cheaper way to get the magazine but could not find one. I will stick to Country Living, Southern Living and HGTV Magazine for now.

Anonymous said...

Love the magazine, hate the price, Love the ideas, would love to subscribe at a cheaper rate.When is the next one coming out?

Anonymous said...

Does 'Hobby Lobby', 'JoAnn's' or 'Michael's' sell this magazine? I'm not familiar with it in our area. We are in Northwest Arkansas.

Rosie Goins said...

I love this magazine; I got hooked on it with the premier issue. I just picked up the Autumn 2012 issue and it is great.

Anonymous said...

Well, the new edition is on the shelves. I picked it up, looked at price, and put it back. However, it just so happened that i had the first edition in my car, and i paid the $9.95 for that one. Needless to say, I'll be picking it up the next time im in the store. A little treat for a thirty-something working mom .

Anonymous said...

Love the magazine, but latest issue's contents are exactly the same as the previous two magazine releases. Realized that when I purchase the last one and got to looking and reading. I thought I was going crazy, until I pulled out the previous Vintage Style magazine, and found everything but the cover was the same.

I'm so disappointed. Wasted Money on a magazing that was the same as what was published before. And the current issue is the same, expect for the Cover page.

You know, I believe that's FRAUD.

Anonymous said...

Does this mag have a facebook page????

Anonymous said...

Or a website. or a publishers name cheers

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