San Francisco magazine-y site the Bold Italic quietly and abruptly announced it was ceasing operations yesterday morning, and the reactions (at least in my Facebook feed) ranged from "Thank god" to "This stinks!" to "Fuck this website forever and ever."

The site was as known for its bold design (giant photos, large pull-quotes) as it was for its adorable food reviews by 4-year-olds and first-person essays on issues such as gentrification that oftentimes enraged readers for their tone-deafness.

It's not clear why the Bold Italic, which is owned by giant newspaper company Gannett, is calling it quits. Just a week ago, the Bold Italic's editor-in-chief, Jennifer Maerz (The Stranger's former music editor), was seeking more freelance contributors. (Read her farewell letter here.) The San Francisco Chronicle speculates that the move may be part of broader cost-cutting measures by Gannett. In any case, the Bold Italic joins a growing list of dying San Francisco publications. Last fall, the alt-weekly the San Francisco Bay Guardian ended its 48-year run. In February, the arts and culture magazine 7x7 announced it was ceasing its print publication. And there are concerns about the SF Weekly's future as well.

Here's the official statement from the Bold Italic's website:

Since our launch, The Bold Italic has strived to faithfully serve San Franciscans near and far, whether born and bred here or having just arrived in the city. We have a great passion for the Bay Area and all that it has to offer — and have had a lot of fun sharing our enthusiasm with you. Together we have built a strong community of followers, contributors, and partners. However, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations. It’s been a great run and we supremely thank everyone who has supported us along the way.