Downtown Battle Creek has gone through an extraordinary rebranding over the last several years and is now home to several small businesses, organizations, restaurants, and events that breathe new life into the Battle Creek community.
If you’ve ever wondered about what’s going on around town or been bummed about discovering an event too late, look no further than a new “mini magazine” coined the Downtown Battle Creek Zine. Co-creator Nick Buckley gives us the full story on this new community resource.
What inspired you to create the Downtown Battle Creek Zine? Can you tell us a bit about the vision and mission behind it?
We are inspired by the people working to ensure that Battle Creek thrives. Much of that effort is centered downtown, where there is palpable momentum. We felt a “zine,” or a bite-sized magazine, would be a unique platform to serve as a central hub for all things downtown Battle Creek.
Our mission is to show cool people doing cool things, tell stories about downtown Battle Creek and provide information for people that live, work and visit downtown. Our vision is to improve positive awareness of downtown, showcase our diverse community members and assets and remove barriers to information by making DBCZ free to our neighbors.
What makes Downtown Battle Creek Zine different from other local publications?
Penetrator Events is more of an event planning/hype building enterprise (which we love and support), but to your point there are a number of trusted media outlets people can turn to for local news and information, including the Enquirer, The Battle Creek Shopper, Second Wave Media, Access Vision, Scene Magazine, WWMT, WOODTV, WBCK, battlecreekpodcast.com and Nueva Opinion (the city’s Spanish language newspaper). Additionally, the city has its communication channels and a number of organizations provide weekly or monthly newsletters, which are great sources of information.
Each platform offers something unique and we all play a role in local storytelling and providing news and information related to Battle Creek.
Downtown Battle Creek Zine differs in that our coverage area is limited to downtown, and is produced by two Battle Creek natives who envision each issue as a love letter to our city.
What role does digital content play in your overall strategy?
While the print edition is the primary focus, we recognize that the majority of readers will likely engage with the content on digital devices.
Along with our website – hosted by our initial sponsor in the Battle Creek Small Business Development Office – we have a Facebook page where stories and photos will be individually posted and (we hope) shared widely.
How do you hope the magazine will help the small businesses of Downtown Battle Creek?
Our hope is that people are inspired to try or re-visit the locally owned establishments downtown, and to share experiences with others. We also recognize that downtown hosts a number of events and is made up of many people and entities, including residents, schools, churches, hotels, nonprofits, foundations, corporate headquarters, city government, police, etc. They all contribute to the landscape and cultural fabric of downtown.
How do you see the magazine evolving over time?
After the ink dries, we’ll see how many copies are being scooped up, look at the digital metrics to gauge online interest, and gather feedback. After that, we’ll adapt DBCZ while remaining true to our mission and values.
We have been pleasantly surprised by the number of talented local writers, editors and designers who have offered to contribute to DBCZ, and are exploring ways we can compensate people for their time and talents.
What kind of content can readers expect to see in each issue? What are some spots where people can find your magazine?
DBCZ will be published bi-monthly. Each issue will include a feature or “centerpiece,” photos and event listings, but we are intentionally keeping it flexible so we can adapt to reflect reader interests.
DBCZ is currently available at downtownbattlecreekzine.com as well as on our Facebook page. The print edition will be free and available at high-traffic areas around the area like the library, coffee shops and hotels.
