Bloom Magazine

What Bloom Magazine does

Bloom Magazine is an independent bimonthly culture-and-lifestyle print magazine serving Bloomington and south-central Indiana, covering local arts, entertainment, food, drink, health, fitness, fashion, shopping, home, family, business, finance, and community news. Founded in 2006 by Malcolm Abrams and operated under the legal entity Bloomington Magazine Inc., the publication prints 12,000 copies per issue, distributed free at over 200 retail, hospitality, and institutional locations across Bloomington, Nashville (Brown County), Ellettsville, Spencer, and Martinsville, reaching approximately 30,000 readers. A paid subscription tier delivers 1-year ($26.95), 2-year ($47.95), and international ($92.95) plans, and the magazine maintains a digital flipbook archive on its website (magbloom.com) supplemented by Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky social channels.

The company's core product is the bimonthly magazine published in February, April, June, August, October, and December (six issues annually, currently Issue 120 in June/July 2026). Beyond the core magazine, Bloom offers three product extensions: the 'Distinctively Bloomington' annual guide (11th edition in 2025-2026), a published book 'The Killer Who Fell from the Sky' (196 pages, with proceeds benefiting Shalom Community Center), and specialized advertising products including Celebratory Ads ($465-$1,450 for graduations, weddings, births, and anniversaries) and In Memoriam tributes ($1,650 per full-page tribute). Technology is minimal: a digital flipbook reader accessible through the WordPress-based website, with no proprietary software, mobile apps, APIs, or AI features disclosed.

Bloom Magazine generates revenue primarily through local SMB advertising sold directly by Executive Publisher Cassaundra Huskey, supplemented by subscription income, specialty commemorative advertising, and ancillary book sales. The publication has accumulated 160 awards for journalistic excellence since 2008 and is independently recognized as 'Best Liked' and 'Highest Quality' in Bloomington by Indiana University's Kelley School of Business readership studies. The business is founder-led with a small team of 1-10 employees, operates from a single office at 414 W 6th Street in Bloomington, and has received no disclosed external funding or institutional investment.

Name

Bloom Magazine

Legal name

Bloomington Magazine Inc.

Website

https://magbloom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bloom Magazine is an independent bimonthly culture-and-lifestyle magazine serving Bloomington and south-central Indiana, covering local arts, food, homes, health, business, and community stories for approximately 30,000 readers across 12,000 print copies and 200+ free distribution locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Lifestyle Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Local lifestyle magazine
• Regional print publishing
• Community journalism
• Magazine advertising
• Culture publication

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Primary revenue stream from local advertisers. The magazine offers various ad formats including full-page, half-page, and quarter-page placements, as well as special advertising sections like 'Distinctively Bloomington' annual guide and celebratory/memorial ads.
2. Subscriptions: Annual and multi-year subscription plans delivered via mail. 1 Year subscription at $26.95 for 6 issues, 2 Year at $47.95 for 12 issues, and international delivery at $92.95.
3. Specialty Advertising: Celebratory ads for graduations, weddings, births, anniversaries at various page sizes. In Memoriam tributes at $1,650 with professional writing, photography, and framing options.
4. Book Sales: Sale of 'The Killer Who Fell from the Sky' book featuring true stories from Bloom Magazine, with proceeds benefiting Shalom Community Center.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bloom Magazine publishes a bimonthly print culture-and-lifestyle magazine covering Bloomington and south-central Indiana's arts, food, homes, health, business, and community stories, with 12,000 copies per issue distributed free at over 200 locations. The company supplements the magazine with a paid annual guide ("Distinctively Bloomington"), a published book, celebratory and memorial advertising products, an annual or multi-year subscription program, and a digital flipbook of each issue.

Product overview

Bloom Magazine operates as a multi-product publishing company centered around its core bimonthly culture-and-lifestyle magazine, which covers Bloomington's arts, food, homes, health, business, and community stories. The company publishes six issues annually to approximately 30,000 readers across more than 200 distribution locations. Beyond the core magazine, Bloom offers the 'Distinctively Bloomington' annual guide (now in its 11th edition), a published book titled 'The Killer Who Fell from the Sky' with proceeds supporting Shalom Community Center, and specialized advertising products including celebratory ads for life events and In Memoriam tribute pages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Killer Who Fell from the Sky: A 196-page book collection of true stories about Bloomington, Indiana people and events, with proceeds benefiting Shalom Community Center.
• Distinctively Bloomington

Products and services

• Bloom Magazine Bimonthly print culture-and-lifestyle magazine covering Bloomington and south-central Indiana's arts, food, homes, health, business, and community stories; 6 issues per year in February, April, June, August, October, and December; 12,000 copies per issue distributed free at 200+ locations with approximately 30,000 readers; also available via paid subscription and a digital flipbook on the website.
• Distinctively Bloomington Annual Guide Annual print guide to the people, places, businesses, and stories that shape Bloomington, marketed as the region's most beautiful and creative marketing piece; currently in its 11th edition.
• The Killer Who Fell from the Sky 196-page published book collecting true stories about the events and people of Bloomington, Indiana, drawn from Bloom Magazine's editorial archive; sold with proceeds benefiting Shalom Community Center.
• Celebratory Ads Congratulatory print advertisements for graduations, weddings, births, and anniversaries, available in 1/4 page ($465), 1/2 page ($785), and full page ($1,450) sizes.
• In Memoriam Tribute Full-page memorial tribute advertisements featuring up to four photographs and professionally written content (or self-written), including a digital file and additional copies of the magazine; priced at $1,650 with online add-on options up to $2,140.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches approximately 30,000 readers per issue through 12,000 print copies distributed at 200+ locations plus subscriptions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 200+ Local Businesses and OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBloom Magazine maintains distribution partnerships with over 200 local businesses, shops, restaurants, hotels, and organizations throughout Bloomington and surrounding areas including Nashville (Brown County), Ellettsville, Spencer, and Martinsville. These partners provide free magazine distribution to consumers at their locations, creating a broad retail network across multiple neighborhoods and business categories including downtown, IU campus, east side, north side, south side, and west side locations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nashville Scene: Independent weekly/periodical covering Nashville's arts, food, music, and community. Overlaps with Bloom on culture-and-lifestyle coverage of a college-town-adjacent market, with comparable advertising-supported economics.
• Milwaukee Magazine: Independent regional lifestyle magazine serving the Milwaukee metro with bimonthly/print cadence, advertising, subscriptions, and annual guides. Mirrors Bloom's scale and single-market editorial model.
• Louisville Magazine: Independent regional lifestyle magazine covering Louisville's people, places, food, and culture. Closely comparable in scale, distribution philosophy, advertising mix, and editorial coverage of a college-town-adjacent metro area.
• Columbus Monthly: Independent city magazine covering Columbus, Ohio, with a near-identical mix of lifestyle features, local advertising, subscriptions, and annual guide products. Closely comparable operating model and single-metro focus.
• St. Louis Magazine: Independent regional lifestyle publication covering St. Louis culture, dining, home, and people. Highly analogous in distribution footprint, advertiser mix (local SMBs + enterprises), and editorial depth.
• Cincinnati Magazine: Long-running regional lifestyle magazine covering arts, dining, home, and travel in greater Cincinnati. Shares Bloom's content verticals (food, home, culture, community) and bimonthly print-plus-subscription monetization.
• Indianapolis Monthly: Indiana's flagship city lifestyle magazine covering arts, dining, home, and community in Indianapolis. Most directly comparable business model (advertising + subscription, bimonthly/print, local retail distribution) and serves the same in-state market ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Better Homes & Gardens: National flagship lifestyle brand (Dotdash Meredith) covering home, food, garden, and community — overlapping directly with Bloom's lifestyle editorial verticals. Operates at vastly larger scale but competes for the same category-level advertiser attention.

Regional players

• Bloomington Herald-Times: Local daily newspaper serving Bloomington, Indiana. Competes for the same local advertiser dollars and reader attention in the Bloomington market, but operates a different format (daily news vs. bimonthly lifestyle).

Emerging players

• Edible Indy: Niche food-and-drink publication serving the Indianapolis/Indiana market. Partial overlap with Bloom's food-and-drink coverage and shares the local Indiana advertiser base, but focuses narrowly on culinary content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bloommagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/bloommagazineindiana
• Instagraminstagram.com/bloommagazine/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bloom-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Bloom Magazine