With the publication of this issue, we mark 18 years of connecting Shoreline businesses and residents with The Shoreline Book. Encouraging people to patronize local businesses is the most important part of what The Shoreline Book does, especially at a time when on-line purchasing and big box stores have made it increasingly difficult for local companies to compete. Our mission is highlighted right on our front cover: “Connecting Local Residents with Local Businesses to Better Our Community…Buy Local – Find it Here.”

In recent years we began a new program to customize advertising packages for local businesses. These include:

• Beautiful full-page Department Leader photos taken by our incredibly talented photographers directly opposite full page ads designed by our first-rate graphic artist;

• Advertising packages that include illustrations of local businesses and “Nuggets,” which are presented as editorial sidebars.

• Full-length editorial features about our advertisers, highlighting their history and origin, as well as what sets them apart in the current marketplace.

All of these options provide local businesses with a unique message tailored by our talented staff to connect them with local residents and presented in the highest quality format by direct mail and carefully targeted additional circulation. Anyone interested in talking about these options can contact Steve Walsh, pictured above, on his cell phone at 860-670-6575 or by emailing steve@distinctivedirectories.com.

This year we have added 11 new feature articles, which you can find with the help of the Table of Contents on page 12. We hope you agree that they add a new and interesting dimension to your community guide.

So please use your latest edition of The Shoreline Book as a resource to commit a larger percentage of your purchasing power to the wide variety of local businesses presented in our 10 departments. You will increase the quality and usefulness of the products and services that you buy while protecting the character and charm of our local community.