From 49 Subscribers to 7,200 Neighbors: One Year of Explore Clairemont

Last June, I hit send on the first issue of Fast Times. My subscriber list totaled 49 people—mostly family and friends—so it’s safe to say there wasn’t much fanfare.

But I had a vision when I launched Explore Clairemont and Fast Times, so I kept at it.

The heart of that vision remains the same, although other parts have completely gone out the window and plenty of new ideas have popped up along the way. This is my reflection on the past year: how it started, what this community has taught me, and where I hope we go from here—all thanks to you.

How it started

I pondered starting a community platform and newsletter for quite a while before I finally bit the bullet.

Truly local news media, particularly outlets that exclusively cover the issues that matter to Bay Park, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Linda Vista, and Serra Mesa, ceased to exist when the Clairemont Times folded shortly after the pandemic.

I’d earned a journalism degree more than 30 years ago, which I wasn’t using to its full potential. I was burned out from a career spent in sales, and I sensed a disconnect in the community.

So I thought, “Yes, please, sign me up to be a one-woman show building a hyperlocal community website, newsletter, business and events directory, and social media platform,” because apparently I didn’t have anything better to do.

In all seriousness, I was scared to death yet utterly compelled to do it.

What if nobody reads it? What if people hate it? What if I simply fail?

Those thoughts raced through my mind. But anyone who truly knows me knows I am fiercely determined—and also quite stubborn. So I had to at least try.

I put myself out there and got to know the community where I was born in a whole new way. I attended community meetings and met some of the incredible volunteers who serve our neighborhoods, as well as the regulars who show up to those meetings without fail.

And I wrote every week, now clocking in nearly 60 weeks of newsletters. I even managed to keep Fast Times going while on vacation in Europe, although perhaps with slightly more stress and slightly less punctuality than usual.

How it’s going

I initially planned to publish only sunshine-and-rainbows stories and cheerful community blurbs.

That changed quickly.

People from across our nearby neighborhoods began asking me, “Can you cover this?” They were talking about local issues directly affecting their lives, stories traditional media might have overlooked, such as the concerns of senior residents at Clairemont’s Mt. Etna affordable housing development or the impending closure of a beloved neighborhood gym.

The community responses taught me something important. Our community didn’t just need another events calendar or social media account. People wanted someone paying attention to the issues unfolding in their own neighborhoods.

There is so much more I want to cover, from the prolonged closure of the Clairemont pool to the expansion of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. But at the moment I’m still a one-woman show, and each day feels like one of those game shows where a timed buzzer goes off before you finish the task.

I always lose to the buzzer. At least for now.

In addition to building a website and newsletter from scratch, I’ve also built software. My first major project was creating the system that powered our Cutest Pet Contest, and I absolutely adored seeing all of your cuddly companions.

Local businesses took a chance on me and supported the contest before many of them even knew who I was. Their willingness to support my vision helped make the entire thing possible.

I’ve also met many of you “in the wild,” which has been an unintended but very welcome consequence of doing this work. My heart bursts with happiness when someone stops me to say they love the newsletter or appreciate something I covered. Those moments remind me that this platform has a purpose.

Some of you have gone above and beyond by contributing financially, and I’m eternally grateful. I’m doing this independently and bootstrapping the entire operation, so every contribution makes a meaningful difference.

A couple of you have even become volunteers, stepping up to help with social media and coverage of community meetings. Thank you, Bob Turnier and Grey Valdes. You are both amazing.

With the support of my readers and neighbors, the combined Fast Times and Explore Clairemont audience across email and social media has grown to more than 7,000 people.

And I’m only getting started.

What’s next?

Sometimes I have so many ideas that it’s difficult to rein them in and focus. But ultimately, my goal is simple: I want to keep making this platform more useful, informative, and fun for you.

I’ll share some of the ideas I’m considering, but I truly do take your input to heart. Tell me if you love them, hate them, or have a better idea you think I should run with.

More local reporting

I want to cover more of the stories affecting our neighborhoods.

To do that consistently, Explore Clairemont needs to become financially sustainable. Revenue would allow me to improve the website, invest in better tools, and eventually hire people to help cover more community meetings and local stories.

It might even allow me to occasionally take a day off from working 12-hour days, seven days a week. Imagine that.

More ways to connect in person

I want to host events that help people reconnect with their community and with one another.

That could include dinners with strangers, “off-campus” lectures on interesting topics, tasting events, and other gatherings that make it easier to meet people beyond our existing social circles.

I believe many of us are craving more genuine, face-to-face connections, and I would love for Explore Clairemont to be the avenue to make that happen.

More ways to discover local businesses

I want you to get to know local businesses better, and I want local businesses to get to know you better, too.

I’m exploring ideas such as caffeine crawls, pizza passports, and similar programs that would introduce you to local gems while giving you access to great deals and experiences.

I also want to run more contests. There will definitely be another pet contest because that was far too much fun not to repeat. I’m also considering adding a contest that lets readers vote for their favorite local businesses, because who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?

Partnerships with local businesses

Local businesses took a chance on me early, and I want to keep finding creative ways to support them in return. Through special offers, thoughtful advertising, events, contests, and sponsorships, I hope to build partnerships that help local businesses grow while also making Explore Clairemont stronger and more sustainable.

If you own a local business and have an idea for how we could work together, I’d genuinely love to hear it.

Should Explore Clairemont expand into other neighborhoods?

I’m also seriously considering expanding coverage into other nearby neighborhoods, such as University City.

University City directly neighbors Clairemont, and many readers have asked whether I would include it. People who live, work, shop, and attend events in our neighborhoods don’t necessarily stay within tidy community boundaries, so the idea makes sense to me.

At the same time, I don’t want to expand simply for the sake of becoming bigger. I want to make sure I can serve University City well without weakening the hyperlocal coverage and community relationships that made Explore Clairemont valuable in the first place.

Expanding could eventually mean rethinking the Explore Clairemont name so the brand better represents all the neighborhoods it serves, but no decisions have been made.

This is one area where I would genuinely love your feedback:

Would adding University City make the platform more useful to you? Would a broader name make sense, or would you prefer Explore Clairemont to remain exactly as it is?

Please tell me what you think.

One favor to ask

Before I close, I want to give enormous thanks to my family—especially my mom—and to the friends who provide daily encouragement, including Steve S. and the ladies from my newsletter club.

Building this would have been much harder and far less fun without them.

And now I have one favor to ask of you, neighbor.

If you enjoy Explore Clairemont and Fast Times, please tell one friend or neighbor about it and encourage them to subscribe.

That one small action helps this independent community platform grow, allows more people to discover what is happening nearby, and brings me one step closer to covering more stories and creating more ways for our community to connect.

Thank you for reading, supporting, sharing, contributing, offering ideas, and trusting me to keep showing up.

I’m excited to see what we build together next.