Cincy Chic is the city’s only exclusively online women’s publication. Creator Amy Storer-Scalia is the sophisticated and fun pub’s editor-in-chief and publisher. A Cincinnati native, she launched Cincy Chic from Philadelphia in 2007, where she was working for a print publisher and had launched its first online-only publication.
“I knew it would be a women’s publication from the get go. I knew there wasn’t anyone sufficiently providing enough information to this niche in an online community setting. I ran it for first six months from Philadelphia. I didn’t want to drop a good job for something I wasn’t sure would work, and I reinvested every dollar back into the business,” said Storer-Scalia, who has a communications and electronic journalism background.
After those six months Storer-Scalia returned to Cincinnati – as she’d always planned – to continue and grow Cincy Chic’s presence. Her offices are in Over-The-Rhine.
Cincy Chic publishes once a week and each issue focuses on a theme. Each theme is explored in a feature story and several standing departments: beauty, fashion, career and health. The publication also features the story of a dynamic Cincinnati woman each week.
In addition to the Web site, Cincy Chic publishes a weekly free, e-newsletter that’s distributed to 16,000 subscribers. Businesses advertise on the site and in the newsletter. The site also has a space where users can create an online profile where they can interact with each other and offer feedback on the publication.
“We have a very strong social media presence. We welcome comments and suggestions through the Web site,” she said.
Cincy Chic also hosts a variety of events from lunch-and-learns and happy hours to cooking classing and charity events, along with sponsoring businesses and to benefit non-profit organizations. An upcoming event is the
Red, Pink and Blue, for heart, diabetes and breast health.
“When we originally started it, it was just the publication. But I quickly noticed that Cincinnati has a tendency to be a close-knit community, and we have tendency to be social butterflies. There was a need for us to have events to give professional women an opportunity to connect and meet,” she said.
Storer-Scalia employs a full time managing editor, two sales people and an event planner. In 2007 Cincy Chic received the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s "Best New Product or Service" 2007 Women’s Business Award.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Amy Storer-Scalia Cincy Chic editor-in-chief and publisher