Demopolis: A publishing mecca?

London’s Fleet Street has nothing over Demopolis’ Washington Street. The famous road in the English capital, home to publishing companies for decades, now has a rival.

The Leader newspaper – until this week known as The Linden Leader – is moving its offices to the Landmark Gallery in downtown Demopolis.

Its new headquarters is across the hall from The Demopolis Times and next door to Clements Creative Photography owned by Michael Clements, one of the partners with The West Alabama Watchman. The Times moved its location from Jefferson Street earlier this year.

Editor/publisher Tommy Campbell said The Leader’s lease in Linden was coming up, and the building’s owners didn’t want to make needed repairs.

Since the firm is about to launch the The River’s Edge magazine, it needed more space.

“We love Linden, but the fact is we’re a paper for the whole county,” said Campbell of the change in the publication’s name.

Thanks to the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, “we really can work from anywhere,” he added.