A message to my readers

A bit of personal news to share today: my last day at the Observer is Friday.

I've had the pleasure of witnessing incredible change on Charlotte's retail landscape since arriving at the Observer in 1998. Concord Mills wasn't around back then, SouthPark was considerably smaller and I used to order my Kiehl's online (or have it shipped by my family in Michigan).

It has changed a lot in the two years I've been lucky enough to be the Style editor.

I'm not leaving Charlotte – my family and I have grown to think of this town as home. I will continue to focus on writing about fashion and beauty, just in a different forum.

Some things, thankfully, will never change. On that list is my appreciation for the readers who took the time to e-mail, call and post on my blog.

We might not always agree, especially when it comes to men's facial hair, but the exchange of ideas this job has afforded me is priceless.

Longtime Observer writer Cristina Bolling will be covering style news. If you have story ideas, e-mail style@charlotteobserver.com.

You can find me at rachelsutherland.net, Twitter, Facebook or send e-mail to rachel@rachelsutherland.net.