From the moment that first metaphorical drop of ink splashed against a waiting white sheet of virgin paper, the Metropolitan Magazine has dedicated itself inexorably to celebrating the greater Salisbury business community and the lifestyle we enjoy in our beloved corner of the Eastern Shore. It may be pardonable, then, that under some very exceptional circumstances we take time out to celebrate ourselves, too, as we express our deepest gratitude to all those who have helped our publication grow to see its 20th birthday.

Institutions are born for many reasons. Sometime it’s because of the coalescence of mighty forces and vast resources. Other times it’s because of the exigencies of some public good or need. Still other times it’s merely a function of good timing. Yes, the cornerstones of any society may be galvanized by a variety of factors even if it’s just because a fresh-faced young couple from different areas of expertise had the audacity to believe they could.

After nearly 20 years of marriage, Doug and Carol Naarup are a surprisingly close and loving couple. Even through the veneer of Doug’s imposing stature, it’s obvious that he considers Carol an essential part of their success — almost as if she embodied the rudder of stability that catalyzed all that is great within him. Is it any wonder, then, that the literary baby they conceived together — more commonly known as the Metropolitan Magazine — is imbued with the same kind of love and doting attention today as it was when it was born in November 20 years ago?
Fittingly, the two who were destined to become Salisbury’s “first couple” of print first met in Salisbury’s Market Street Inn, where Doug had been performing. Carol found herself intrigued by the six-foot-four-inch voice major from Wisconsin and his desire to start his own magazine.

“In a way, Metropolitan owes its existence to a mistake my college advisor made to my degree program. My last semester I had to take 21 credits, which meant I had an awful lot of papers to write,” Doug shared with a wry smile that betrayed his residual feelings on the subject. “Though everyone at the time was using typewriters, I’d decided to try my friend’s new Apple Macintosh, which I loved and took to right away. When it was time to launch the magazine, I was able to desktop publish it instead of having to invest in a $250,000 typesetting machine that I couldn’t afford.”

So, despite all the startup publications they saw come and go, Doug and Carol decided they’d hold their breath and take the plunge with a magazine of their own — except this one would focus its attention on Salisbury and the surrounding Eastern Shore areas.

“At the time, Salisbury was known basically as a poultry town,” shared Carol. “Yet, there was this palpable undercurrent within the community that wanted to be known as something more than that. They wanted their due recognition for being sophisticated, contemporary and diverse while retaining their sense of traditionalism.

“Taking a cue from an Annapolis-based lifestyle publication called the Annapolitan,” she continued, “we decided to name ours the Metropolitan… the idea being that we would do good things for the Shore. The concept was complete when we added ‘The Best of Eastern Shore Living’ below the banner.”

But that now-famous title-and-tagline combo is about all there is to recall of that first-generation publication. Initially appearing on 28 oh-so-sexy black-and-white newsprint pages, the Metropolitan had been distributed to the modest tune of approximately 10,000 copies, which was a lot back then. But despite the pool of their talent, hard work and enthusiasm, getting their fledgling periodical to take flight was a daunting task to say the least.

That was a long time ago, 20 years to be precise, and the young couple who had launched their lives together with dreams of a magazine have made it. Today, Metropolitan is a perfect-bound, full-color glossy magazine that has swelled to a prodigious average of 160 pages per issue and a circulation of 36,000, as established by Verified Audit Circulation Co., whose job it is to accumulate reliable, verifiable circulation data on many of the nation’s most popular and venerable publications.

“We took it upon ourselves to have our monthly circulation audited and verified,” Doug averred, “even though, as a complimentary publication, we weren’t, and aren’t, required by law to do so. But there are so many complimentary publications out there who dramatically inflate their circulation statistics in order to lure advertisers, it became critically important to Carol and me that our clients know for a fact that the reach of the Metropolitan is exactly what we say it is — and Verified Audit is proof!”

“The Metropolitan stays around the house a lot longer than a month,” shared Dawn Stofko, Metro’s advertising director. “People here enjoy reading about their friends and neighbors, so you’ll see ‘dog-eared’ copies of the magazine sitting in people’s homes sometimes years after the issue originally came out.

“With TV, people reach for the remote to avoid commercials,” Stofko added. “Radio, meanwhile, is time-of-need advertising, so you have to be there to hear it. And newspapers never stay around for more than a day. But people actually look forward to the next issue of the Metropolitan. They want to be in-the-know and read what’s going on in the community. Doug and Carol realized a long time ago that this was, and still is, an up-and-coming community.”

Advertising Executive Laurelei Swinehart agreed, “It’s rewarding to hear clients tell me their business has grown because of advertising results from our magazine.”

But the best thing the Metropolitan does, according to what people continually tell the Naarups and Stofko, is promote community goodwill by allowing consumers to make informed decisions about the products and services they purchase for themselves and their families. This is something Doug and Carol have crafted assiduously over the years, through the application of certain essential techniques, learned through experience, that have made their brainchild not only a magazine but a regional institution.

“First, you have to keep investing in the business but resist the temptation to take on too much at one time,” Doug advised.

“Second, if you choose to make your living in a business that serves the community, you must listen, really listen, to what the people in that community have to say. They will be the ones to tell you what you need to succeed.”

“Finally, but just as important, you must cultivate the ideal staff to support your business. We finally have all the right people in all the right positions.”

“Oh, absolutely!” Carol echoed with enthusiasm. “At this point we have about 40 of the best and most talented staff any employer could ever hope for. They are the cream of the crop; they are best in their fields; they are one of the most gratifying aspects of coming to work in the morning.”

And if you’ve ever been to the space where these cherished employees assemble each day, you’d know immediately one of the main reasons they arrive with smiles on their faces.

“Carol was very instrumental in the design of the newly renovated office, along with Chris Pattey of Becker Morgan Architects and Jeff Dashiell from Temco Builders,” praised Doug. “What they accomplished here is really incredible. Not only is the new space highly efficient, it’s also just plain fun.”

Even as one makes his or her way down the tree-and-street-lamp-studded brick-lined path that is prelude to the building situated at 205 W. Main St., in Downtown Salisbury, they are likely to think they’ve arrived at some chic office emporium in New York City’s SoHo district. Yet, the feeling is warmly familiar, having breached the façade’s entranceway, which is flanked by scale models of the Metro buildings that appear in the banner of each month’s issue. Banks of plush private offices sporting custom-designed desks and red-brick walls with archways line the corridors en route to the airy reception area that features swanky splashes of deco and their very own coffee bar.

The second floor, meanwhile, takes on a decidedly loft-like ambiance, just perfect for the creative types who populate Metro’s Graphics, Editorial and Marketing departments.

“Doug and I were determined to create a work environment that would be unique in this area and special to those who work and visit here,” Carol said. “Sure, we wanted it to be functional and efficient, but we also wanted to be a place that people could take pride in, want to come to and even feel a certain sense of ownership about. And that’s what we feel we’ve achieved here.”

“It’s funny,” Carol continued, “in a way, our office, this building and our staff are among the sincerest reflections of the tagline that appears on the cover of every issue of the Metropolitan:

‘The Best of Eastern Shore Living.’”

Happy 20th birthday, Metropolitan.