Sullivan Shutters Local Publication
On July 23, Jerry Sullivan published the final issue of Los Angeles Garment & Citizen, the 10-year-old community newspaper based in the Los Angeles Fashion District.
Easy to spot in the Los Angeles Fashion District by his ever-present fedora, Sullivan was the editor of California Apparel News prior to launching the Garment & Citizen in 2000.
As editor and publisher of the Garment & Citizen, Sullivan covered downtown Los Angeles and the surrounding communities with news, analysis, advice columns and the “Local Hero” column, which profiled familiar faces in the community.
“We never had a problem with readership—we forged a unique connection to our community that remained strong and clear throughout,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Since 2008, though, we’ve had a tough time with advertising revenue, so I made the decision to close the publication rather than risk any deterioration in the standards we’ve set as a community newspaper that makes a best effort for the community with each issue.”
The final issue of the Garment & Citizen included an essay by Sullivan in which he reflected on some of the lessons learned over the last 10 years. “A lot of famous folks have said that they wouldn’t change a thing if they had it all to do over again,” he wrote. “I don’t think any of them ever had to shut down a community newspaper.”—Alison A. Nieder
