We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sam Rohr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I have always had a passion for local business. I previously worked as a high school Spanish teacher but opened a downtown home decor and gift shop, The Mercantile on Broad, on the side. It became one big local collaboration with 20+ other local businesses selling their products and also calling The Mercantile HOME. The workings of the Mercantile caught the attention of a local media company, which led me to leave teaching and take a corporate job as a marketing executive, while still running The Mercantile. As a marketing executive, I was tasked with revamping several out-of-state magazines. I had always loved designing and being creative, but the magazine industry was new to me – and I loved everything about it! I suddenly had the idea to create a local magazine for The Mercantile and the surrounding area, but after consulting with my bosses at the media company, they considered this idea competition. They loved the idea of a local magazine but gave me an ultimatum: put the magazine under their business name or resign. I left this conversation on a Friday, and resigned on Monday. I took a leap, leaving a job in which I earned more money than I’ve ever made in my life. But I had a gut instinct, and I couldn’t bring myself to just hand over all of the connections I’ve made with local businesses over the past 2 years since I moved to NC. I had one month to put together the first issue of Local Life Magazine (which launched in August 2023). I can say, without a doubt, that I made the right decision. Local Life has become so much more than a magazine – it has become an incredible community of unity, acceptance, collaboration, diversity, and togetherness. Because of how quickly Local Life has grown, and my need to pursue it 100%, I made the tough decision to sell The Mercantile to one of our vendors, who will keep it in the best hands. The future of Local Life is so bright, and I am so happy that I get to share it with everyone!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My goal is to provide premium advertising at the most competitive pricing to work WITH local businesses rather than against them. As a local business owner, I know the importance of marketing your name and brand, and the difficulty of finding a platform that is both affordable and effective. Local Life strives to be this platform. In addition, I recognize the importance of digital marketing in conjunction with print advertising. Every advertiser with Local Life receives some form of FREE digital marketing for 3-5 months! The intertwined combination of print and digital is KEY – and so many local publications are terribly missing the mark here.

What I am most proud of is the community that is being built – the network of support that I witness between local business owners, as well as between the community and local businesses. Bringing the community closer to the businesses that serve them has been such a blessing to witness. In addition, the Local Life Team is truly a “dream team” to work with, and I would love to give them a shout out!

Local Life Photographer: Anna Claire from Thin Spaces Productions
Editor: Allyson Nysted
Account Managers: Jenny Starnes, Kelly Allen, and Anna Cowan

All have been such a blessing. All are incredibly supportive and represent Local Life so well!

Have you ever had to pivot?

We opened The Mercantile on Broad with a business partner that fell through quickly. We were left in a “pickle” paying a large rent payment alone with double the space than we anticipated. We had never thought about having vendors but in this situation, it was necessary to make a pivot! We began contacting other local businesses to join us and it was the best decision of my life. Collaborating with several other local businesses wasn’t just FUN, but it sparked a passion for uplifting and supporting other local business owners – which ultimately led me to my whole mission behind Local Life.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My side hustle, The Mercantile on Broad, was my stepping stone to Local Life. The whole mission of The Mercantile was to uplift and support local businesses all under one roof. We achieved this and bigger doors began to open pointing to Local Life, which has proven to achieve this same mission on a regional level!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelocallifemag.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locallifemagazine/

Image Credits
Thin Spaces Productions