Adiós and Goodbye
This will be the final edition of the Los Angeles Garment & Citizen—the last report from a community newspaper that has served Downtown and surrounding areas for the past 10 years.
Jerry Sullivan—who founded the Garment & Citizen in 2000, and has served as its editor and publisher throughout its history—recently announced the closure, saying that he’s grateful for the experience of serving the community. He thanked the Garment & Citizen’s readers, advertisers, vendors and current and past employees for their contributions to the newspaper’s growth over the years, adding that he appreciates the many recent calls, e-mails and visits by well wishers from throughout the city.
“Word of our closing has been on the street for the past week or so, and the conversations, messages and personal visits have been wonderful,” Sullivan said. “They have provided a great reminder of the strong and respectful connections that both the publication and I have made with community members, merchants, property owners, business and political leaders, representatives of non-profit organizations and civic groups, and many others.”
Sullivan said the publication is closing due to insufficient advertising revenue. He said efforts to increase advertising sales during the current economic recession have fallen short of bringing enough revenue to pay for the costs that go into meeting the standards of journalism the Garment & Citizen has established and strived to meet throughout its tenure.
The Garment & Citizen won professional awards, recognition from community groups, and various other laurels. All of that added to the ultimate honor that readers provided by sharing in a unique and strong sense of community the Garment & Citizen achieved and maintained, according to Sullivan.
The Garment & Citizen debuted on March 1, 2000, as an 8½-inch-by-11-inch newsletter with a weekly circulation of 3,000. The publication soon grew to its current format, and began a steady increase to a circulation of 10,000.
The Garment & Citizen developed sharp news coverage and insightful analysis to accompany advice columns and other features. The newspaper’s coverage won a loyal readership by bridging the many divides between and among various segments of the populations that live and work throughout Downtown and surrounding areas. The weekly Local Hero feature, lauding the oft-overlooked contributions of community members, became a popular fixture (see home page). The Ask Ana advice column also grew into a well-read item (see home page). The newspaper also mixed in humor, human interest reports, community-event listings, advice for senior citizens, cartoons, puzzles, and other elements to serve the community.
The offices of the Garment & Citizen will remain open at 117 W. 9th Street, Suite 410-411 until further notice. The telephone number will remain (213) 892-9983 for the time being, along with the e-mail contact of editor@garmentandcitizen.com. All advertising accounts will be settled based on the closing issue of July 23.
Sullivan said he had not determined his next step in professional terms, as of press time. He added that he hopes to remain in communication with the community in the future.
“It’s not easy to close the Garment & Citizen, but it’s time,” Sullivan said. “I’m hopeful that I’ll still have the chance to listen to the people of our city, gathering ideas to help all of us meet the challenges that confront each of us during this difficult era.”
(See related column, “What Worked,” home page; Commentary, “Some Thoughts on Our Final Issue—and Family,” home page.)
