By Sara Butler | Editor

It’s with bittersweet keystrokes that I announce my departure as editor of San Diego Uptown News.

Though I am excited for my next opportunity, I can’t help but be a bit nostalgic. I will miss everyone I have connected with through this role, both in and out of the office. This newspaper has been my baby for a little over a year, and I have called its parent company, San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN), my home for more than two.

Thank you to my co-editors Albert H. Fulcher and Jeff Clemetson, who have given me endless guidance, stories and quite a few laughs, always throwing around punny headlines deserving of Pulitzers. It’s been a pleasure working alongside you both in our small, green-walled office.

And thank you to David Mannis, our publisher, who took a chance on a rookie in the first place. I will be forever grateful that you gave me, Albert and Jeff the freedom to experiment with our papers and trusting us to pull it off.

Uptown is a place of history, but also a place of growth. From construction to demolition, grand openings to liquidation sales, I’ve followed the ebb and flow of this region throughout the year.

When the longstanding Adams Avenue Bookstore shut its doors last June, I had the opportunity to sit down with its owner Brian Lucas. Despite the sad news, he had the kindest deposition, recalling the history of the Normal Heights neighborhood and building with an earnest smile. We discussed how the rapidly changing industry made it hard for a 50-year-old business to survive in Uptown, a place also experiencing a lot of changes.

Yet he had no resentment for the newer bookstores that had adapted to the changes — he genuinely wished them the best and hoped they continue to thrive in our ever-evolving neighborhoods. Since then, I have carried this interview with me, and it has served as a framework for me about what Uptown is and what it stands for — each other.

I learned a lot this year — about myself, the industry and our community. I’ve loved discovering the stories hiding in plain sight and being able to share them with every new or returning reader. Uptown, thank you for bringing me into your neighborhoods with open arms and sharing your stories with me, far too many to list here.

Please join me in welcoming Kendra Sitton to her new role as editor. I know she will take over this paper with grace, and likely take it to new heights that I couldn’t reach. As the La Mesa resident settles in the Uptown neighborhoods, I encourage you to reach out to her with story pitches, meeting announcements, event invites and the like.

Every time I walk pass an Uptown newsstand, I’ll pick up a copy and smile. And though I’m leaving as the face of the paper, I still live and play in these neighborhoods, and don’t plan on changing things anytime soon. See you around, Uptown.

— Reach Sara at [email protected] until April 1.