The Southern Tatler is a new magazine devoted to Southern lifestyle and community in the Auburn and Opelika area. It released its first issue in March, and the most current issue was released Monday, August 27.
While the magazine may be new to the Auburn area, the Tatler title has a long history.
"There is a London Tatler and a Hong Kong Tatler that date back to some of the world's oldest magazines," said Matthew Tse, publisher of The Southern Tatler. "I wanted to bring the essence of Southern society to the magazine, built upon the foundation of Auburn and how people perceive Auburn."
Growing up in Hong Kong, London and New York, Tse was introduced to the variety of Tatler magazines before coming to the University in 2006 to study engineering.
"Auburn and Opelika have a lot more to offer than meets the eye, and I want my magazine to emphasize that," Tse said. "Auburn is not just a college town, but a good place to live and raise a family."
In every issue of the magazine, there is a feature on a local businessperson.
"We try to feature a local entrepreneur and show how people get to where they are," said Megan Abato, operations director of the Southern Tatler.
Allen Harris of the Bailey-Harris Construction Company was featured on the cover of the June/July issue. Stephen Hollis of Hollis Lasik has also been featured, and so has Stacy Brown, the founder of Chicken Salad Chick.
Readers will get a taste of everything in each issue, including local bands and events, a chef's section and home, travel and fashion sections.
"A lot of people living in the Auburn and Opelika area don't know what all is going on," Tse said. "There are tons and tons of events there are alumni parties, walk-about wine tastings, wine dinners hosted by different restaurants, art galleries and art shows, just a bunch of things going on that local communities should know about."
The fashion trend section in the June/July issue featured designs by Amirah Mahrous, an Auburn University graduate who has a boutique coming to Auburn later this year.
With its long lists of events and portrayals of local businesses and restaurants, the magazine shows there is more to Auburn than meets the eye.
"Having a local magazine will inform people that events do go on, and that Auburn isn't all about Skybar, 1716 and Quixote's," Tse said.
Changes are being made and the next issue of the magazine will have a completely different layout after a re-design by Rebecca Williams, the magazine's new graphic designer.
"I design the layout, pick which photos are featured, edit and pick what colors to use," Williams said.
Publication and page count will both increase for the newest issue.
"We are jumping up in page count on each new issue and pushing the publication to approximately 5,000 copies," Tse said.
While the magazine is still new, there are hopes for expansion in the future.
"Five years from now we hope to bring our magazine to Newnan/Peachtree City, Atlanta, Birmingham and Miami," Abato said.
The magazine can be found at local doctors' offices, vet clinics, car dealerships, hotels and restaurants.
"You can also subscribe online for a $20 fee at Southerntatler.com," Abato said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
