By Jody Kerzman

At just 25 years old, college friends Hannah Haynes and Caroline Crary have already celebrated a year as business partners. The University of Mary graduates launched Bismarck Magazine in March 2016. They’ve published six issues.

“It went really, really fast. We can’t even believe it’s been a year. We were waiting for it to feel real. It finally does. It feels real,” Caroline says.

“It all started over lunch one day. We were brainstorming and thought we could do something together,” explains Hannah. “We knew we wanted to be in Bismarck. We had both fallen in love with this city while going to college at the University of Mary. Neither of us grew up here; I grew up in Minneapolis and Caroline in Fargo. But we loved Bismarck and wanted to start something here.”

That something ended up being a magazine, which they say has helped them learn even more about Bismarck and surrounding communities, meet some amazing people, and discover some really cool hangouts.

“My favorite find has to be Rusty’s in St. Anthony,” says Caroline. “It’s such a fun place and so worth the 20 minute drive.”

“It has been really fun to highlight people’s stories. It’s amazing what people are doing and the community doesn’t even know,” adds Hannah.

Bismarck Magazine is published bi-monthly. The next issue will hit the stands on May 1. The magazine is distributed throughout Bismarck and Mandan. Visit bismarck-magazine.com.