From humble beginnings being given away at car boot sales to nation wide sales of around 15,000 copies every month, Stranger magazine has become a leading light in Cornish youth conscience. It has become a great advertisement to the rest of the country of the creative industries Cornwall has to offer, showing the innovation and eclecticism of the arts and music scene in the county, along with the bustling surfing scene.
Considering this growth the magazine has never lost its original ethos; to be environmentally, ethically and socially conscious, printed on recycled paper using sustainable vegetable based ink, concentrating on the 18-35 year olds of the region. Editor Helen Gilchrist, wanted it to be a collectable and high quality publication, informing its readers whilst being aware of its impact, socially and environmentally.
There have been testing times though. Funding has always been a major factor in the running of the magazine. Gilchrist applied to the Princes' Trust and other similar establishments but soon succumbed to the advertisers, but in an almost impossible situation cited it is hard to sell advertising in a new publication.
Luckily Helen and Stranger fought through the face of adversity and onto the shelves of 180 outlets, selling an additional 300 copies with the advent of its website, which recieves on average 400,000 hits per month, plus at least 250 suscribers, most likely Cornish 'ex-pats' Helen admits.
Stranger is taking some time out until the new year, in order to compile exciting new ideas, but will surely come back with the freshness its readers have become so accustomed to and fly off the shelves at an even greater rate.
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