I like newsletters and I like niche, so Bryan Vance, recent founder of the Portland, Oregon based Stumptown Savings is an ideal guest as we focus on independent, small-scale journalism for the second straight week here.
Bryan was a journalist who worked previously for Oregon Public Broadcasting and the podcast group, Citycast, who got laid off from his job several months ago and realized he needed to budget for food.
A little bit before that he read an article by Laura Owen from Nieman Lab saying "We need a Wirecutter for groceries," a reference to the New York Times product recommendation section of its website.
The idea for Stumptown Savings was born.
The premise was simple, create content that allowed people to shop smarter for their groceries, whether that be price-checking local supermarkets, educating people about their food (why does everyone get blueberries in December?), spotlighting local farmer's markets, or sharing how other people manage their weekly food budget (the audience engagement piece that lets the reader feel connected to the product).
"The deal tracking is the idea I came up with originally," Vance said in our interview this week. "That was the main product, the one that seems to get everyone in the door. The 'Rose City Receipts started because I wanted to find a way to do user-generated content …The news side grew out of (wondering) how can I help people better understand the food system? We're very disconnected from our food in modern day America."
The newsletter is still in its early stages. Bryan has 1,600 subscribers, 65 of whom are paying members ($50 a year or $5 a month for extra features), so it's not something with full-time capability just yet. He's doing all the legwork himself, and not using AI at all, by the way.
My take, if you're curious, is that this is something that could work really well in many cities as a bundled product. I think of the days when I could get discounted magazine subscriptions through Publisher's Clearinghouse. I very much think the whole newsletter industry could benefit from that (if you told me I could get 5 baseball newsletters for $99 instead of paying $50 for each), I'd jump at it. I don't know if something like that is viable, but it feels like the next generation.To his credit Bryan has formed a group of fellow Portland newsletter writers and they're exploring options for how they can best promote each other. He also recently benefited from being named to Project C's Top 50 Creator Journalists (his subscription total is the smallest one listed). He's an active member of two supportive organizations- Lion Publishers and The Tiny News Collective.
" I really want Stumptown Savings to be a community resource," Vance said. "I don't want it to just be a blog or a newsletter. That'll be part of it. But I, wanted to build a community … and I want it to be a resource for people who aren't just looking for the best deal in town, but are looking to be more mindful about their purchasing."
This is a project I'm definitely rooting for. And hopefully after listening to the interview, you will be too.