Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2021

10 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.VOICEofMPpodcast.com I love publishing our Best Of issue for a lot of reasons, and at the top of the list is community involvement. You see, before we started publishing Mount Pleasant Magazine, we were publishing East Cooper Magazine in 1987. Then, in 1990, we began publishing Charleston’s very first Best Of. It was a different time — Mark Zuckerberg was only 6 years old, and neither Amazon nor Google were part of the conversation. Mount Pleasant was also not the thriving community it is today. Back then, all we could do was provide our readers with a pen or pencil to fill out the paper ballots. We had official Best Of boxes placed throughout Mount Pleasant, at places like video stores, restaurants and photo processing stores, so we could collect the ballots. You can see the results for the Best of 1990 voting at www. BestOfMP.com/bestofCharleston1990. Back then, we had fewer than 1,200 votes — considerably less than the 2021 Best Of, at 67,600 votes. But whether it’s in 1990 or 2021, the responses from and interaction with our readers is a special treat. And encouraging businesses who were voted or nominated to participate in our Best Of photo shoot is important to us. We are here to bring the community together. One of the ways we accomplish that is through our two-page cover photo spread, taken by Jenn Cady. Her signature photo of the winners has been popular since the first one back in 2016. This year, Mark Staff joined the team and took images for the different Best Of sections. But really, it all starts with the interaction with our loyal readers. For past Best Of results, visit www.BestOfMP.com . To access interviews with 2021 Best Of winners, learn what makes them special and what they are doing to succeed, visit our special podcast, Best Of VOICE for MP, at www. VOICEforMP.com/BestOfInterviews. When it comes to Best Of results, there is no pay to play. Our marketing partners know it does not matter how large nor how often they run an ad in Mount Pleasant Magazine; they know they cannot influence the results. This is one of the reasons the Best of Mount Pleasant is so respected. When you’re shopping, seeking services or dining anywhere in or around Mount Pleasant, and you see the Best Of emblem, you can feel confident that business understands the value of good customer service. U ntil next time, Bill Macchio Publisher • Publisher@MountPleasantMagazine.com Vol. 11, Issue 1 • January/February 2021 PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR BILL MACCHIO Publisher@MountPleasantMagazine.com MANAGING EDITORS LINDSAY C. BISHOP THERESA STRATFORD COPY EDITOR DENISE K. JAMES ART DIRECTOR DANA COLEMAN PRODUCTION MANAGER BETHANY THURM AD DESIGNERS KIM HALL BETHANY THURM WEBMASTER GEORGE CONKLIN INTERNET GENE PHAN WRITERS ISABEL ALVAREZ ARATA • LINDSAY C. BISHOP STEPHEN BOYER • MARY COY ALYSSA DISALVO • STACEY DOMINGO BILL FARLEY • MEREDITH HAGAN JENNY HARRISON • PAMELA JOUAN REBECCA MACNEAL • ALI MCCLOUD COLIN MCCANDLESS • JANET PERRIGO ANNE SEMMES • TAYLOR SLOANE THERESA STRATFORD • ANNE TOOLE JOHN TORSIELLO • KATHERINE WATERS DAVID WOODY • EILEEN CASEY PHOTOGRAPHERS JENN CADY • LAUREN MCDUFFIE THOMAS RUNION • MARK STAFF VIDEOGRAPHER THOMAS RUNION SALES MANAGER CULLEN MURRAY-KEMP Cullen@MountPleasantMagazine.com INDEPENDENT MEDIA CONSULTANTS ANDY BIMONTE Andy@MountPleasantMagazine.com MANDY WILLIS Mandy@MountPleasantMagazine.com ADMINISTRATION & BOOKKEEPING GINGER SOTTILE DISTRIBUTION U.S. POST OFFICE • HARRIS TEETER • PUBLIX • CVS Mount Pleasant Magazine is published locally by a team of independent contractors. Mount Pleasant Magazine is published six times per year by Media Services, Inc. 1013 Chuck Dawley Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 Copyright © Media Services 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction electronically or in print format without the expressed written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited and a violation of U.S. copyright laws. Inquiries to: Mount Pleasant Magazine P.O. Box 22617, Charleston, SC 29413 843- 881-1481 Info@MountPleasantMagazine.com publisher’s note Dr. Drane Oliphant and I enjoy the day during the 2021 Best O f cover shoot. Photo by Jenn Cady.