Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's debuts new mag

When Kathleen Schell went to Utah last winter, the co-owner of Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's International Realty said she was inspired to crack into the realm of publishing after she saw the local Sotheby's affiliate produced interesting, high-quality, glossy real estate marketing magazines out west.

Less than six months later, Schell and business partner Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's Broker Justin Healy launched Coastal Collection with a party at Bethany Blues to promote their new, glossy property magazine just after Memorial Day weekend.

"We thought we could do our own magazine, and this just has a lot of local flavor," she said. "We did three to four stories, up front, and they all just had some sort of local connect."

Schell said they plan to release Coastal Collection twice yearly, offering new narratives and innovative, sometimes artsy photos of Ocean Atlantic and Sotheby's International properties.

"We wanted to do really stellar photography, because we are working on having the best photography for our Realtors," she said.

The nearly 50-page marketing magazine features more advertising, information and narration than the standard property listing, with bylined articles about the sale of multi-million-dollar paintings in Sotheby's international auction house and profiles of historic homes in the Cape Region.

"It's something interesting, and there's enough articles that if you sit down to relax and are waiting for a table, you have something good to read," Schell said.

Initially nervous about the magazine's reception, after less than two weeks of distributing the free promotional magazine at restaurants and on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, Schell said she no longer fears the magazine will collect dust.

"We are sort of panicking because we had no idea it would catch on so fast," she said. "We only printed 5,000, and the ferry just told me they could take another 400 or 500 copies a week."

Ferry-riders aren't the only ones pleased about this new publication, either. Homeowners like Richard Jundt, whose Pilottown Road home is featured on page 31, said the photography and glossy layout make his property shine.

"A lot of things like this are printed on newsprint," Jundt said. "But this is just a class act."

Henlopen Acres homeowner Winne Kee's property was featured on the cover of the debut issue of Coastal Collection, and she couldn't be happier about the exposure.

The property has been in her family for more than 60 years, Kee said, and she recently returned to curate, update and restore the Henlopen Acres property to its original glory.

With her upgrades complete, Kee said she listed the property with Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's and was thrilled to find out her unique family home was featured on the cover.

"It's a house with guest accommodations separate from the main living quarters, which you can't fine these days," Kee said. "I'm so grateful for everyone at Sotheby's; they marketed this house beyond belief."

For more information about Coastal Collection or to pick up a copy, contact Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's International Realty at 302-827-2821.