Midtown Magazine

What Midtown Magazine does

Midtown Magazine, operated by Midtown magazine, LLC, is a private, regionally focused lifestyle publication headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 2008, the company publishes a bi-monthly print magazine (six issues per year) covering Raleigh and the broader Triangle area — Midtown, Downtown, North Raleigh, and Wake Forest — with editorial spanning food and drink, fashion, home and garden, health and wellness, arts, entertainment, community news, and travel. Sister publication 5 West Magazine extends coverage into western Raleigh and is sold both standalone and as a 12-issue annual bundle with Midtown.

The core product is a curated local-content magazine delivered across an extensive free pickup network: 21 grocery-store locations (Harris Teeter x17, Wegmans x2, Whole Foods x2), Duke Health medical offices, hotels under Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt brands, plus hundreds of salons, spas, banks, and fitness centers. The company also maintains a digital presence — a WordPress-driven website with regular editorial articles, the 'Talk of the Triangle' weekly newsletter with 60,000+ subscribers, and 27,000+ combined followers on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. No proprietary technology, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through two streams: print and digital advertising sold via a direct sales force targeting Triangle-area SMB advertisers, and recurring reader subscriptions sold online for 1-, 2-, and 3-year terms. The advertising value proposition is anchored on affluent readership demographics ($500K average home value, $180K average household income) and a stated reach of 140,000+ readers per issue and 500,000+ monthly readers. The company is independently owned, with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, and operates with approximately ten staff including a Publisher, Director of Sales, Editor, Art Director, Lifestyle/Content Editor, Account Executive, Copy Editor, Ad Production Manager, Staff Photographer, and Senior Stylist.

Name

Midtown Magazine

Legal name

Midtown magazine, LLC

Website

https://midtownmag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midtown Magazine is a privately held, bi-monthly print and digital lifestyle publication serving affluent readers in Raleigh, North Carolina and the broader Triangle area, generating revenue primarily from local advertising and subscriptions across its print magazine and 5 West sister title.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG), Health, Fitness & Wellness Magazines (MPAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Lifestyle magazine publishing
• Regional print media
• Local advertising sales
• Consumer magazine subscriptions
• Editorial content production

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Magazine subscriptions sold directly to readers - 6 issues per year for Midtown Magazine, 12 issues per year for Midtown & 5 West bundle. Subscriptions available in 1, 2, and 3-year terms. Gift subscriptions also offered.
2. Advertising Revenue: Primary revenue stream from local and regional advertisers. The magazine offers various advertising opportunities including year-round advertising and themed issues such as Wellness Q&A (January/February), Influential Women of Wake (March/April), FACES of Raleigh (May/June), Newcomers Guide (July/August), Leaders in Modern Medicine (September/October), and Holiday Gift Guide (November/December).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Midtown Magazine is a bi-monthly (6 issues per year) print and digital lifestyle publication covering people, places, food and drink, fashion, arts, home, wellness, and community news in Raleigh's Midtown, Downtown, North Raleigh, and Wake Forest sub-markets. It sells print and bundled subscriptions to consumers (with sister title 5 West Magazine offered as a 12-issue bundle) and sells themed advertising placements to local and regional businesses. The magazine is also distributed free at 500+ retail and hospitality pickup points across the Triangle region.

Product overview

Midtown Magazine is a single, unified print and digital lifestyle publication focused on the Raleigh, North Carolina market. The company's core product is the Midtown Magazine (6 issues per year), with a sister publication called 5 West Magazine covering western Raleigh. Both publications are available through individual or bundled subscription plans, with the Midtown & 5 West Bundle offering 12 issues annually across both titles. The magazine covers food and drink, fashion, arts, entertainment, health and wellness, home and garden, travel, sports, and community stories across the Triangle region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Midtown Magazine Bi-monthly print and digital lifestyle magazine covering people, places, food and drink, fashion, arts, home and garden, wellness, and community news in Raleigh's Midtown, Downtown, North Raleigh, and Wake Forest sub-markets. Published 6 times per year and distributed free at 500+ Triangle-area retail and hospitality pickup points.
• 5 West Magazine Sister lifestyle publication to Midtown Magazine covering western Raleigh-area lifestyle content (formerly known as Cary Living). Issued 6 times per year and available standalone or bundled with Midtown Magazine for a combined 12-issue annual subscription.
• Midtown Magazine Subscription Annual consumer subscription delivering 6 issues per year of Midtown Magazine to readers in Midtown, Downtown, North Raleigh, and Wake Forest. Available in 1-year (6 issues), 2-year (12 issues), and 3-year (18 issues) terms, with gift subscriptions also offered.
• Midtown & 5 West Bundle Subscription Combined consumer subscription delivering 12 issues per year — 6 issues of Midtown Magazine plus 6 issues of 5 West Magazine — providing comprehensive Triangle-area lifestyle coverage. Available in 1-year (12 issues), 2-year (24 issues), and 3-year (36 issues) terms, with gift subscriptions also offered.
• Themed Advertising Packages (Wellness Q&A, Influential Women of Wake, FACES of Raleigh, Newcomers Guide, Leaders in Modern Medicine, Holiday Gift Guide) Themed print and digital advertising placements sold to local and regional Triangle-area businesses. Packages include Wellness Q&A (January/February), Influential Women of Wake (March/April), FACES of Raleigh (May/June), Newcomers Guide (July/August), Leaders in Modern Medicine (September/October), and Holiday Gift Guide (November/December), giving advertisers turnkey editorial adjacencies to an affluent readership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 140,000+ readers per issue
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Charlotte magazine: Charlotte's leading city lifestyle magazine covering dining, fashion, home, and culture across the Charlotte metro. Same advertising-supported business model targeting affluent local readers; Midtown Editor Taylor Bowler was previously Lifestyle Editor at Charlotte magazine.
• Walter Magazine: Raleigh-based lifestyle magazine covering food, drink, arts, and culture in the Triangle. Directly competes with Midtown for the same Raleigh advertisers and affluent readership.
• 5 West Magazine: Sub-brand sister publication of Midtown covering western Raleigh sub-markets. Same editorial/advertising infrastructure and bundled into a 12-issue-per-year subscription, effectively functioning as Midtown's own adjacent title.
• Triangle Business Journal: Regional business publication serving the same Raleigh-Durham Triangle market; former Midtown Lifestyle Editor Dathan Kazsuk spent 19+ years there as Design Editor. Competes for the same Triangle-area advertiser base.
• Charlotte Parent: Regional parenting and family lifestyle magazine in Charlotte, NC. Same city-magazine model targeting affluent families with themed advertising; Midtown's Editor Taylor Bowler was previously Managing Editor.
• Atlanta Magazine: Atlanta's flagship city lifestyle magazine covering dining, home, culture, and travel. Same local-lifestyle, advertising-supported model, scaled to a larger metro. Useful aspirational comparable for Midtown's multi-channel convergence.
• Austin Monthly: City lifestyle magazine for Austin, Texas covering food, arts, home, and community. Same regional lifestyle publishing model with print magazine plus digital/email channels.
• Richmond Magazine: Regional lifestyle magazine covering Richmond, Virginia dining, events, home, and culture. Closely matched city/metro lifestyle publishing model with traditional print + online presence.
• Garden & Gun: Southeast-focused lifestyle magazine covering food, travel, sport, and culture. Overlapping editorial territory with Midtown's lifestyle coverage and similar premium advertiser target.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Living: National-scale Southern lifestyle magazine covering food, travel, home, and culture. Operates in the same consumer lifestyle magazine category as Midtown but at mass-market scale rather than hyper-local Raleigh/Triangle focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midtownmagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/midtownmag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midtown-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/midtownmagazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Midtown Magazine