There is no such thing
as a "Free Lunch"

From The Editor:

Recently I received an e-mail from Vivian Riegelman, of AAA APPRAISAL CO. Following is the entire e-mail:

“As a member of the Waxhaw Business Association, I am disappointed that my antique appraisal business is not listed on your website.“

That was it, just a complaint, and not the first, although the first from her. No call, no PR release on her company, no advertisement order, just disappointment that the Gazette should have divined that her and her business were there and automatically blessed her with some free advertisement....

In response; The Waxhaw Gazette has been in publication for over three years and is the only surviving local news outlet for the immediate Waxhaw area. In all of that time I have reached out to members of the Waxhaw Business Association many times and, to date, have received no responses. No inquires, no efforts in public relations and unfortunately no interest in advertising with the Gazette. Not one thin dime. This has not impeded me from writing about many of the local business's nor has it slanted my opinions of those business's, being it good or bad. Sadly tho, the lack of support by those local business's have kept me from hiring additional staff and further promotion of the paper. Without local advertising revenue, it has fallen to me to totally support the Gazette financially. And that unfortunately, has resulted in my reducing publication from a weekly status to a bi-monthly format.

Believe me when I say if it wasn’t for the thousands upon thousands of loyal readers that log on for every new issue, I can assure you that I would have shuttered the Gazettes' operation long ago.

My mandate for the Gazette has always been to offer interesting and factual editorial content. Whether reporting local stories or commentary on larger issues that affect us all. And that is most assuredly, a time sensitive and challenging job for every issue. Maintaining an accurate listing of business's as they come and go in Waxhaw is a time consuming and unrewarding function at the best of times and must fall secondary to the primary mandate.

Therefore I respectfully submit to Ms. Riegelman and all of her fellow members of the Waxhaw Business Association, that your unwillingness to reach out and support the Gazette, and promote yourself within it, can only mean that you regard the Gazette with disregard.

It appears to me, that as the Waxhaw Business Association and all of their members have little or no interest in having a local paper (or at least unrealistic expectations of one), and that if any of you are, or are not listed in the Gazettes business section, it certainly should be of little interest to you. So, accordingly, I submit Ms. Riegelman that your complaint of non-inclusion in that listing is mute.

To the Gazettes' Loyal Readers, if you would like to know which business's are members of the Waxhaw Business Association, a supposedly current listing, along with other Waxhaw Business's, are published on the very last page of the Town's Newsletter. If you haven’t found a printed version, the Town posts their newsletter on their website: http://www.waxhaw.com/

Respectfully, John Tiley
Editor & Publisher
The Waxhaw Gazette, still in publication...
at least for this week.