Sippican Cottage Furniture is featured twice in the August/September issue of Cottages and Bungalows. Neato.

I always appreciate the attention. I’m a small business in a ferocious fiscal climate and need to cadge attention where I can get it.

They always send you a complimentary copy. Most everybody in the magazine and television world have been very professional and thoughtful, in my experience. When I was featured on NECN they even sent me a disc with the appearance on it.

I’ve never paid to be featured in magazines or other media. I’ve received some rather creepy overtures in this regard. Some of the surreptitious pay to play arrangements in the big shelter mags, and especially TV, seem like borderline fraud to me. We’ll pretend to like you if pay us. Most of the home improvement shows now have the smell of: “Hey mister, do you want to buy speakers out of the back of my van?” A long time ago, I was hired to testify as an expert witness in a lawsuit against the host of a major home improvement show that was taking kickbacks. It does happen.

I hadn’t seen Cottages and Bungalows until my furniture was featured in it. It’s a really good magazine. There’s something interesting on every page. My wife likes it even better than I do. Many houses are too fussy and sterile for my taste, and I think for the occupant’s taste, too, though they don’t always realize it. We are a casual society. It’s unlikely you’ll be happy living in an operating room.

You can buy a copy at many newsstands or Target, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Barnes and Noble, or Borders. Or you can buy a single copy or a subscription here. I know I will. And if anybody buys anything much, I wouldn’t mind advertising there, too. See? They are good businesspeople over there at Cottages and Bungalows, even though they’re honest.

PS: They have a forum, too.