I was scanning the magazine racks at Duane Reade in an attempt to find a magazine that I don’t already have for the month. As a self professed magazine addict, that’s a whole lot harder than you would think. However, a magazine I’ve never seen caught my eye. It had a laughing, gorgeous Veronica Webb in a gold chain corset on the cover. The magazine’s name is Jones and this is its premiere national issue. I did a quick flip through and saw that most of models were black and the pictures and layout looked quality. I hurried to the front of the store so fast that the people at the cash register probably thought I was about to steal this magazine instead of buy it.
When I got Jones home I dived in to see what it was all about. Both the publisher and Editor-in-Chief are black. The publisher, L. Londell McMillan, nodded to all of the beautiful, elegant black women who raised him. The Editor-in-Chief, Tracey M. Ferguson, explained how the magazine, which is positioned as “The Shopping Guide for Women Who Know Better,” came about through a book club group that also shared shopping and style tips in Houston, TX. That grew into a Houston regional magazine and now a national magazine. The mag is named Jones as a nice little double entendre – “Keeping up with the Joneses” and “I’m jonesin’ for that!” Cute, right? And the magazine is full of beautiful fashion, beautiful black people, has quality writing, and is well laid out. Trust me. I’m something of a magazine connoisseur.

I’m hopeful for this magazine since I’ve had my poor little magazine loving heart crushed far too many times when a magazine that I love, that’s creative and celebrates all the swagger, flyness, and beauty of being ethnic, just up and folds (oh Suede… will I ever get over you?).
In addition to the magazine there is a website and a reality show on Centric (too bad I can’t watch it. I got that basic basic cable) that follows Editor-in-Chief Ferguson in her trials and tribulations of launching a national magazine.
Anyways, if you see Jones on the stands I think you should definitely buy it because we need more publications that express us (you know, alternatives to Sister2Sister, which has Tiny on the cover this month O_o). Good luck, Jones!
Click Here to Make GFD Your Homepage!