Our Founders Letter

You may have noticed that our name has changed. Rest assured, it’s still the two of us at the helm. We didn’t come to this decision lightly – it was made carefully over several months. The reason for our name change is simple: our magazine has quickly grown from a publication based out of Katonah to the most talked about and read publication in northern Westchester. And as we continue to grow, it’s time for our name to grow too; it should reflect who we are as a publication.

In under two years, we have made so many meaningful connections with people and businesses in our area. We have more cultural partnerships and tell more in-depth and compelling stories than any other local publication. Our videos have quickly grown from a little something we did on the side to an entirely separate part of our business. And we’re launching an app this month that will give you discounts to businesses throughout northern Westchester.

The more we do, the clearer it becomes that our name should reflect our larger coverage area.

We attribute our rapid growth to the meaningful connections we’ve made, so it’s a fitting theme for this issue. When we chose this as our topic, it was based on our belief that meaningful connections are what make the holiday season special, so we wanted to encourage our readers to actively make time during this busy season to connect with others. But as we were wrapping up this issue, Israel was attacked by Palestinian militants led by Hamas. While one of us is Jewish, it was the non-Jewish half who suggested including something about Israel in this letter – not to take a stand politically, but to take a stand morally. This is a human issue – a tragic human issue.

We don’t support violence, hatred or murder, and as tensions rise, we want to encourage you to reach out and connect with your Jewish friends and neighbors – many of them are not okay. They are finding it difficult to go about their daily lives, concentrate at work, eat regularly and/or sleep well. The same is true for all others impacted by this tragedy. They need your support. They need those meaningful connections that are always important, but they’re even more important now. So please, reach out. Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.*

There’s no delicate way to transition from terrorism to our holiday issue, so forgive our awkwardness. The best we could come up with was that meaningful connections can be made in a variety of ways: a text, a phone call, a lunch date or a gift. What’s important is to show that person you’re thinking about them and you care. So, we hope you’ll be inspired by the stories we tell about the meaningful connections people have made and the impact they’ve had. And, our holiday gift guide is back by popular demand, along with a story on how to buy great gifts so you can show you care and create that meaningful connection.

Yes, we’re all about connections. It’s what we do. And it’s what makes this magazine and our towns so special.

So welcome to the new Connect to Northern Westchester. It’s wildly brilliant.