Kim Gobbi - Applaud Women

Divine Inspirations
Alexandria
744-2557

I DO Bridal & Tuxedo
Alton
875-4848

Wooden Soldier Ltd
Bartlett
356-5643

Modern Bride & Formal Shop
Rte. 101
Bedford
472-4933

Betty Dee Fashions
Berlin
752-5141

Sherry's Veils
Bow
493-2775

Heidi's Bridal Boutique
Claremont
542-3345

Linda's Country Lane Bridal
Claremont
543-0882

A Day to Remember Bridal
Boutique
1 North Main St.
Concord
228.8031

Cassie’s Bridal
41 North Main Street
Concord
227-0561

The Perfect Dress For You
Concord
856-8829

Two Hearts Bridal Boutique
Dover
743-1433

Custom Bridal Veils
Exeter
778-6440

Townsend's Bridal & Formal
Center
Exeter
778-0280

William Fitz Bridal
Fitzwilliam
585-9555

Bridals by Giuseppe
Freedom
236-4543

Maria Antonieta Couture
Bridal
Gorham
839-5440

Country Bridals and Formal
Wear
17 Main Street
Jaffrey
532-7641

Woman of Reinvention: Kim Gobbi
by Emily Pietro

APPLAUD WOMEN HOMEPAGE

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It is not uncommon for a person to want to become involved with the community they live in, but the degree of
involvement varies greatly among individuals. Some people keep to themselves and only talk with their neighbors,
some show up to community events, and others know every detail of everything that goes on in their greater
community. Kim Gobbi, creator of Newburyport Today, is definitely one of the most involved members of her
community.

Kim began work on her website with a bang in March 2009, and the site has received positive attention and praise
from locals and tourists alike. Newburyport Today is a lifestyle website dedicated to informing its viewers all about
events, news, and ‘townies,’ who are people that have lived in Newburyport their whole lives. The site is driven by
the basic need that people have to take advantage of the beautiful and exciting city that they live in. “There was a
definite need for such a site, and I wanted to be extremely careful that it wasn’t just for tourists,” explains Kim. “We
provide tons of information and we update the site daily with highlights that residents want to read and take
advantage of.”

Although not a native of Newburyport herself, she has lived there for ten years and has become attached to the
community. Kim’s rationale for wanting to start this business is easy to grasp and inspiring. “Every city has
something wonderful – there is a reason people live there. If you can highlight it in a way that’s compelling and will
engage people, then I don’t see why you wouldn’t. I am incredibly proud to live here and be part of this community.
Newburyport is great, not only aesthetically, but the people here are, too.”

Although her talent and passion for her business are immediately obvious upon viewing the website, Kim has not
always been involved in web design. She originally owned an eco-friendly boutique called The Studio, which carried
handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items, such as clothing from independent and emerging designers, and even Kim’s own
line of jewelry. The store was a hit, earning a coveted ‘Best of Boston’ award in 2008 for women’s clothing, but
unfortunately, the shop closed in March 2009. But as the saying goes, when one door closes – her shop; another
opens – her Newburyport Today website.

“I started the website almost immediately after closing The Studio. It had always been an idea of mine that I kept in
the back of my head, especially since I had been noticing a consistent lack of marketing within Newburyport – there
just wasn’t enough traffic or knowledge about the town. I wanted to highlight and market what a fantastic place this
is not only to visit but to live in full time,” she enthuses.

Luckily, the transition from working in her shop to perusing the online world was not too difficult for Kim, and she
credits this ease to her experience in marketing. She finds fulfillment within this job because it is different every day,
which keeps things interesting for her. “I still miss having the store and seeing all of the people I would interact with;
my interactions are definitely different than they used to be, but I get to interact with people in a different way now. It’
s great because I get more time with people, and I can be creative about what I want to feature on the site. I can
also think about long term goals.”

Kim attributes a lot of the success of Newburyport Today to what she calls her ‘local cheerleaders’ in the mayor’s
office and in the Newburyport Chamber. “They were with me very early on and were as enthusiastic as I was about
the site. They endorsed it and helped promote it.” Kim’s main concern upon launching the site was making sure that
people who lived in Newburyport not only read the site for updates about their community, but found it informative
and actually liked it. As the site took off, so did the community’s involvement with the site. Kim explains, “It’s so
important for people who live here to have a place where they can find out what’s going on in town, see profiles of a
friend or neighbor, or even learn about local artists. The connections that we’ve made with nonprofit organizations
have been very helpful, and this furthers our local involvement.”

It is clear that Kim loves what she does, and her community does as well. She offers a final word of advice: “If you
have a good idea, if it’s what you want to do and you love it, and if enough people love it and want it too, it’s
definitely a good idea and people will benefit from it. You just have to follow your heart!”

For more information about Kim or Newburyport, MA, visit her website at www.newburyport-today.com