It is always a pleasure to feature one of our outstanding editors at Hoffman Media. Barbara Cockerham is the editor of the beloved Victoria magazine. Many of you subscribe to the magazine and devour every page. Others have asked about the magazine and its contents. Barbara has written a post explaining the lifestyle publication and sharing her thoughts on Victoria.
Discovering Victoria magazine in the early ’90s was such an exhilarating experience—it seemed to provide a new way of expression for me personally and for my home. I treasured every issue. Those timeworn, hand-worn copies remain a part of my library and have traveled with me to three houses, much to the consternation of the packers and movers who handled our possessions.
I have such admiration for Nancy Lindemeyer, the founding editor, who seemed to have a second sense about what women really wanted in a national publication. Although the fashions look dated and many of the advertisers are no longer around, the essence of each issue still inspires those who guard collections of the original magazine of bliss.
Since Hoffman Media relaunched Victoria in December 2007, all of us involved in the publication process have, at times, struggled to explain the concept to people not familiar with our magazine. And yet our readers tell us time and time again that having the latest issue in their hands is a red-letter day, when other responsibilities take second place and the world slows a bit as they settle into a favorite spot to savor each page.
The tagline just below the logo on the front cover speaks of a major portion of the content mix: Decorating, Enterprising Women, Traveling, and Entertaining. We love visiting and photographing charming homes, and you will find variety in the décor as we invite you to come inside and explore the homeowner’s preferences.
We have utmost respect for women who have taken risks to follow a dream. Every year in our January/February issue, we introduce several entrepreneurs, hoping that by telling their stories we will have a small part in their ultimate success.
Travel comprises several pages in each issue of Victoria. We love to highlight both well-known locales and quaint out-of-the-way places. We encourage you to keep a notebook handy as you read about destinations we have discovered so that when you are ready to book a vacation, you can easily refer to the new ones.
Our favorite way to entertain is to host a dinner party, indoors or out, with foods prepared from recipes developed by our talented test kitchen staff. We like to use our finest linens, china, crystal, and silver to stage a lovely dinner table. We are antiques collectors, recipients of inherited treasures, and keepers of family heritage manifested in furniture, books, and our grandmothers’ place settings of china and silver.
Every day as we explore story leads, take scouting shots of interesting homes, interview shop owners, meet as a staff to brainstorm about future issues, sample foods being tested in our kitchen, write articles for the next Victoria, and enjoy the company of like-minded peers here at Hoffman Media, we are mindful of those who will be the beneficiaries of our work. With our readers, we feel we have a sisterhood, if you will, of those who long for a gracious lifestyle, where serenity and graciousness reign, with all the loveliness of the past updated and shaped for today’s world.
Do you read Victoria magazine? If so, what would you like to see more of?
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