“It will have sections like fashion, beauty, home, garden, design, travel, sport, food, arts and entertainment, a statewide classified section, and a large calendar section of events taking place around the state,” Smith says. Virginia Living will have an initial circulation of 50,000 copies per issue and will be distributed with a $3.95 cover price at retail locations across the state, such as grocery stores, book stores and hotels.

Virginia already has statewide magazines like Virginia Wildlife and Virginia Business, but not a general-interest magazine, says Virginia Living Editor Garland Pollard, who worked most recently as a staff writer for Inside Business, a sister publication of Style. Pollard says this magazine will succeed because many people conceive of themselves as “Virginians,” yet no magazines have tapped into that audience. “Nobody talks about things from a state perspective,” Pollard says.

Plus, Smith says that Virginia Living has the advantage of being based in Richmond, so he doesn’t expect the Virginia market to be difficult. “It has to come out of this part of Virginia — the capital city.”

Smith, who moved to Virginia in 1988 from Albemarle, N.C., declined to disclose how much Virginia Living is costing to get off the ground. Cape Fear Publishing already publishes two magazines, Richmond Guide and Value Guide, which are distributed free at hotels, grocery stores and Blockbuster Video.

— David Clementson