The Shore Life Magazine marks First Anniversary with Expansion Plans

More than a few locals chuckled  in December 2010 when a glossy magazine called The Shore Life popped on the scene, sporting a front cover photo of a fashion model with a black net hat and a tiny dog in her purse. “That’s not the Eastern Shore,” locals said with rolling eyes and guffaws. “Who do those people think they are?”

But jump into the future just 365 days, and The Shore Life Magazine today is not only widely read on Delmarva, but is selling on newsstands from Richmond to Manhattan.  Publisher Tim Schwab tells us – yes, this is the Eastern Shore and it’s all of Delmarva, too. There’s a new level of sophistication here, and a huge influx of affluent families who want and are seeking luxury lifestyle magazines.  And he seems to be right on, because Shore Life’s circulation, advertising, issue size and word of mouth keep increasing.

After one year of building infrastructure, Schwab says The Shore Life as a product that is viable for years to come, and he’s ready to launch two new ventures in 2012 – Annapolis Lifestyle in March, and Northern Virginia Lifestyle in fall –  two markets that he says are underserved by upscale lifestyle magazines. He was able to attract strong talent for his team such as Randy Haddaway, his new vice-president, with both ad agency and event production experience, and Linda Waterman, the new Shore Life editor.

Schwab claims that the high standards that he set for The Shore Life – no issue smaller than 124 pages, strong local content, excellent photography, layout and design – proves that with the right niche, a luxury lifestyle magazine can thrive no matter what is happening with the larger economy. Advertisers in The Shore Life magazine tend to be companies that serve the affluent and who don’t advertise anywhere else.

Born in Cambridge, Schwab came home to the mid-shore after spending years in the publishing business, developing design and luxury lifestyle magazines in Florida. A champion of Delmarva, he’s quick to remind that our peninsula is technically an island. With a vision of branding and marketing Delmarva as a singular destination – a whole greater than the sum of its parts, Schwab coined (and trademarked) the term “Ches-Atlantic Isles.” He describes the Isles as encompassing everything from Rehoboth Beach to Dover, Chestertown, Easton, St. Michaels, Cambridge, Ocean City, the Inland Bays, Assateague and Chincoteague down to Cape Charles. A vacation paradise, drawing on large, urban populations, Schwab believes that by pulling marketing muscle together, our region benefits as a whole.

The Shore Life magazine celebrates exactly that – our local communities on the Shore – and highlights the myriad historic inns, great restaurants, and specialized retail here, and profiles the fascinating individuals and talented craftspeople that call the Shore their home. With a large format and high end graphic design, Schwab has managed to capture the attention of people who didn’t expect to see luxury lifestyle content in local magazines.

Schwab recently established a new company, Luxe Style Media, LLC, as an umbrella organization to support the new publications, a high end website design company and eventually – an event production company. But that’s not all he’s doing.

In its first year, The Shore Life worked with over 40 non-profits, assisting with everything from auction items to event planning, sponsorships and social photos. He anticipates partnering on a larger scale, offering marketing advice and partnering to garner local resources for events.

Schwab is moved by people who think big and who make a big difference in the lives of others.  Schwab cites Ben Franklin as an inspiration.  He was a writer, an author, an inventor and believed that he could do an infinite number of things well. Full of vision, with a burning desire to create, Schwab, like Franklin, wants to build things that will affect the lives of many. He cites Ken Wood, of Denton, who founded Lifetime Wells for Ghana, and has built over 600 wells in Africa, saving thousands of lives. And Blake Mycoskie, of Tom’s shoes – another businessman Schwab admires – not just because he’s brilliant in business, but because he’s saving lives. For every pair of shoes purchased, the company donates a pair to a child in need, preventing soil-transmitted diseases and enabling kids to attend school.

Schwab sees The Shore Life as a tool that can attract people to larger community-based projects. He expects to attract a dynamic force of people and businesses that together, can do anything in support of a noble cause. “I want to create an engine that can give financially, can give promotionally and that can reach out to our readers and say, ‘Here’s a need in our community, and here’s how you can give,’” he said.

As a youth pastor many years ago, Schwab noticed that doing things such as taking a group of teens to a large conference to celebrate positive living had a big effect on those kids – for a few weeks. On fire during and just after the event, the kids would lose steam over time. Schwab says he intends to build something long-lasting – a place for teens, somewhere here on the Shore. He sees nothing around that really goes far enough to grab and engage youth in a new, positive direction.

Modeled after ESPN Sports Zones and Dave and Busters, Schwab plans to create a large-scale club for teens.  He envisions a space open until 1:00 a.m., where teens are given opportunities to celebrate living a positive life. With no alcohol, no drugs and serious security, he’ll bring in high caliber musical talent, video walls, laser lights, high end sound equipment, and envisions attracting up to 1,000 teens every Saturday night. He’ll bring in speakers to talk about living a positive life, how to make a difference.

Schwab already has a name for this venue (Club Chill) and a logo. He’s expecting to sell this concept, building the first club in whichever Delmarva market is most open to it. A non-profit venture, he imagines the proceeds generated to support the launching of more clubs in new markets. His ultimate goal is to give teens the motivation and the ability to serve, to reinforce a positive lifestyle that reaches beyond one’s own family and into the larger community.

Indeed, Tim Schwab has a big vision. In one short year, he’s built the foundation of something big that is new, is growing, and just might change some lives. Click  The Shore Life for the latest issue.
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