The green and gold newspaper boxes have dotted the Downtown streetscape for years. Soon, the people behind the pages will be part of the neighborhood.
After 27 years in suburban office space, Folio Weekly is moving Downtown.
Publisher Sam Taylor signed a lease for office space in the Drew Building at 45 W. Bay St. The building’s other tenants are Daniel James Salon and Urban Grind Coffee Co.
The space on the first floor and mezzanine formerly was occupied by Legal Art Works and this year was the administrative headquarters for One Spark.
Taylor said Friday the 12-member editorial, sales and support staff will be settled in time to produce the Oct. 7 issue of the alternative news weekly publication.
Folio debuted in 1987 with its office along Baymeadows Road. Three years later, Taylor moved the operation to a space along Philips Highway
He said relocating Downtown was motivated by two primary factors.
The national trend has been for alternative publications to be located in the urban core, but Jacksonville’s geography and transportation lifestyle in the 1980s meant the sales staff needed to be in a suburban location.
“It made it easier to get a salesperson in front of an ad buyer because they had to drive,” said Taylor.
In the past 27 years, the evolution of communication technology brought forth a change in how advertising representatives contact and work with clients, reducing the amount of in-person service needed to manage an account.
“Now, everybody uses their cell phones,” Taylor said.
The new office being a short walk from City Hall and the Duval County Courthouse, as well as the headquarters of financial institutions and Downtown’s other major corporate citizens, will be convenient for reporters who cover local government and business.
“We’ll be much closer to the political arena,” said Taylor.
The evolution of the core facilitated by Downtown Vision Inc. over the past several years also was a factor.
“In large measure — DVI and Art Walk — that was a mind-expander,” Taylor said. “You could see people living an urban life.”
He said having the office near The Elbow entertainment zone along East Bay Street was another factor.
Daniel James Salon and Urban Grind are recipients of Retail Enhancement Grants from the Downtown Investment Authority. Each received a five-year forgivable loan to offset part of the cost of build-out and expansion.
Asked if he will be applying for the incentive, Taylor said he’s aware of the program, but hasn’t yet decided whether to seek the incentive.
“I tend to apply for things like that more for an education. It’s a learning process,” he said. “We have to be good citizens. I’d want to make sure that we’re worthy.”
@drmaxdowntown
(904) 356-2466