Hostess City Saint to Shutter Permanently, Effective Immediately
Co-Founders Josephine Johnson and Rob Hessler issue dual statements
The Hostess City Saint will cease to operate, effective immediately. All paid subscriptions have been paused, and all annual paid subscription holders will receive prorated refunds within 48 hours.
Statement from co-founder Josephine Johnson:
Hey, Josephine here, and I want to thank all of you for helping us launch Hostess City Saint. After the drastic budget cuts in freelance work at Savannah Morning News, this online publication was intended as vehicle for us to keep doing what we do as writers and community journalists. And for a few months, we did just that! But, for me, the economics of writing for a start up publication without any working capital proved too much for my tight personal budget.
That is not to say that YOUR subscriptions and monetary support didn't matter--they absolutely did and do! However, in the greater picture of paying bills and making ends meet, it just didn't quite work.
Let's get real: when I freelanced with SMN prior to August, I usually made between $800 and $1200 per month writing stories at $125 a pop. Those regular earnings paid most if not all my rent and utilities. Since November, I've written only one or two stories per month for Savannah Morning News while doing my best to contribute regularly to Hostess City Saint, even though Rob and I could not pay ourselves $125 per story.
Oh yeah, remember that hurricane? Hurricane Helene delivered an unexpected crap storm of debt, much of which I didn't speak about or even share on social media. But maybe you, like me, incurred vehicle damages that took weeks to repair and relied on rental cars until your ride was fixed. What a mess, an ungodly, expensive mess. The silver lining for which I am beyond grateful is that I had enough credit to get through it all and pay it back.
I found extra gigs, painted peoples' homes, and babysat to make the money make sense. Consequently, these past few months I've become acutely aware how valuable my time is and that I can't do any professional level work without reasonable compensation. This is no one's fault--this is reality!
And so, maybe some of you saw and possibly purchased the birdhouse holiday ornaments I created--thank you, thank you if you are a HCS reader AND purchased a birdhouse, I appreciate you beyond measure!
If you've read this far, please know I am so grateful that so many of you subscribed and even threw in money to support Rob and me in this effort. I know I will keep writing. One way or another, I will. Again, thank you so much--happy holidays and have a blessed new year.
Sincerely,
Josephine
Statement from co-founder Rob Hessler:
First off, allow me to second Josephine’s unequivocal appreciation for those who have supported our endeavor, whether financially or not. More than anything I hate to be letting you down. But, like Josephine, the realities of life have made continuing this publication beyond what I’m capable of right now.
As my colleague noted, we lost a lot of income when freelancers were cut from the Savannah Morning News, and that income needed to be substituted. While a number of you donated financially to our efforts, we never wanted it to be about the money, and so that amount added up to very little in comparison to what we’d lost.
That’s why I became a pool cleaner.
I could write an entire column about the profound impact that such a career change has made on me, and maybe one day I will, but for now I’ll just say it’s been a very good thing for my family and my mental health. It’s also 40 hours a week and physically demanding, and right now, by the time I’m done I want to spend my time with my wife, kid, friends, and family, not alone in my office writing arts and cultural news stories.
Frankly, it’s time to move on. Other people can cover the scene. I’ve got things I want to do, and I’m going to disappear into those things for a while.
See you again someday.
Rob