Cancer.

See? It did it already.

They’re called votives. It takes four people in a team of seventy about ten minutes to make a single one. For every one sold, a charity benefits. And one of those beneficiaries is Roper St. Francis.

glassybaby started in 2003 when then 32-year-old mother of three, Lee Rhodes, was in the middle of a seven-year battle with lung cancer. Her then-husband gave her a colorful cup he’d made in a glassblowing class. She dropped a tea light in it by sheer accident, becoming kindled by its extraordinary glow. She felt comforted and healed in that instant, and knew she needed to bring this gleaming light to others like her.

With the artists in Seattle and their storefront in NYC, Lee and her team can’t seem to make them fast enough. But every employee is committed, because most of them—like us—have some kind of connection—direct or indirect—to cancer. With eight experienced hands on each and sales rising 40-50% each year, each one helps cancer patients with bus fares, electric bills, and other non-covered expenses to make life easier. So easy they’ll be climbing Mt. Kilamnjaro soon.

Like Lee did last year.

No two glassybabies are the same. The “Wet Dog” votive—which can also be used as a vase or glass—is opaque and earthy and benefits The Humane Society. “Lady Di” is a translucent cobalt that may hypnotize you if you’re not careful. And “First Kiss,” well, just be cautious who’s around.

It’s their first visit to the South. At the Governor Thomas Bennett House tonight, hundreds of art-nouveau glassybabies will be displayed and ten percent of proceeds will go back to Roper. The more they sell, the more they give to charity. Given their national success so far—like, $884,825.24—we’re guessing Roper’s in for a good night.

The only question is whether to give it to Mom this Sunday or keep it for yourself.

Tonight – Governor Thomas Bennett House, 69 Barre Street, 5-7pm 10% of proceeds to Roper
glassybaby.com
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Story by: Jessica Kenny

If they’d just gone to the Calhoun Street side, where the red-tented food huts convene, they would’ve seen a fresh new face right on the corner.

Literally fresh.

It’s not their fault. A juice bar isn’t a new concept—major cities everywhere have their share and The Sprout was Charleston’s first. But why—dear God, why?!—hasn’t there been one downtown all these years?

Introducing Wendy and Mike Ezelle, your saviors with high-power blenders and juicers. The Juice Joint just opened with the first Market of the year. It uses all the buzzwords to get healthies excited: “local,” “nutrients,” and “stronger than coffee.”

The Market was an obvious place to start, with its affordability and ideal demographic. Week one proved them right. The husband-and-wife team sold out of practically everything, which is exciting and terrifying when there’s a line. Still having pears and apples and being creative-types, they knocked on the door of their neighbor, local strawberry farmers, and said, “If you trust us, we’ll make you something awesome.” And since this is a happy story, they did. Now they’re sourcing their strawberries from Maple Ridge Farms.

“Charleston has been the first place I’ve lived that’s been so locally focused. That’s been huge,” says Wendy. Moving here in 2008, she has always had two jobs: the one that pays the bills and the one that doesn’t. The latter has always been her true love, aside from Mike, who made her passion his passion. “Charleston has a need for it, and we want to fill it.” Together they’re unstoppable and full of delicious, liquefied freshness and ideas. It’s safe to assume their children will have some kind of superpowers.

“Anyone can source smoothie mix, add milk and ice, blend, and go. You get super high and crash. We really want to do the made-to-order, fresh aspect of it. We only add super foods to make it more nutritious, and to help you feel good longer.”

(Also good for hangovers, FYI).

So say you’re strolling through the Market. There are a lot of people and the sun is beating on you so hard you feel like it hates you. You’re seeing mirages. You need sustenance. There’s the Beach Bum, a Pina Coladaesque smoothie that makes you feel tropical but not guilty. The Spring Chicken is a caper of veggie and fruit juices and will have you running a marathon before noon. Then there’s The Reviver, the Joint’s souped-up take on the classic carrot-apple-celery-ginger combo—the dirty martini of the juice world. All will leave feeling re-energized and sustained.

Like crack. The healthy kind.

The Juice Joint made a drink named after us! Go see how we taste!
“The CHARLIE” – 4 strawberries (local is better) + juice of one pear + juice of one apple + trust

TheJuiceJoint.com
Connect with The Juice Joint on Facebook
Follow The Juice Joint on Twitter

Story by: Jessica Kenny
Photos by: Jason Layne

It’s the start of tourist season and there’s little room for you on the sidewalk. There are cruise-induced traffic jams downtown. All signs point to avoid East Bay at all costs.

But then you’d miss the new, beautiful, rustic silver lining.

If ever there were a store you wish to curl up in more than your own home, it would be 132 East Bay Street. Inside the showroom at the newly opened Reclaimed DesignWorks you’ll find an oasis of comfort, rustic charm and a kind of serenity you thought was reserved only for ashrams in India.

And all those good feelings? They’re for sale.

The walls at Reclaimed DesignWorks come down; you can even walk on them. (They’re hung with antique and reclaimed wide plank wood flooring palettes.) Everything you see in the retail-type showroom–which includes hand hewn and rough sawn beams, antique barn wood and siding, and other reclaimed timber materials–is meant to be touched with your fingertips, smoothed with the palm of your hand and experienced as if it were already part of your home.

Who knew that you could feel such an attraction to something that used to serve as structural support or barn siding? By the time you leave you’ll already be envisioning tobacco pine floors for your office. And you’ll have already named the two matching chocolate labs you don’t have yet but will most certainly match your new reclaimed wood floors.

“Nobody feels quite like they do around wood.”

That’s what he said.

He is Scott Peckham, owner and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Peckham, who opened Reclaimed DesignWorks in March of 2012 after moving to Charleston from Los Angeles, loves the emotional and impulsive reaction people have to the reclaimed timber in his showroom.

Each piece in the showroom is old–some are hundreds of years old–and with that kind of age comes a kind of character, history and genuine warmth that can’t be manufactured. So much of it in one place energizes you with an enviable grounding peace.

That’s a big part of why Scott loves what he does. Helping people “put little pieces of history in their homes” and watch them experience the same impulsive and emotional connection he did in a Colorado warehouse “just feels right to me,” he says.

“If I walked into a dentist’s office and they had reclaimed barn siding, I’d feel better about a teeth cleaning,” he jokes.

But in all seriousness, you probably would.

Just keep that giant saw away.

Grand Opening – Tuesday, May 8, 4-7pm
ReclaimedDesignWorks.com
132 East Bay Street
800.243.4030

Story by: Annabel Jones
Photos by: Karson Photography

The composting idea came to life earlier this year when—with the support of family and friends—Wayne left his former job as Director of Engineering at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island Golf Resort, purchased a garbage truck, and set out for a new adventure that had been stirring in the back of his head for a while. “I turned 40 last September,” says Wayne of his decision to start FWD. “If I didn’t try it, I’d be pretty angry at myself.”

According to Wayne, the latest figures show that 34 million tons of food is disposed of every year. Of that 34 million, 33 million tons is buried in landfills—leaving a measly 3% to get recovered.

“This is an incredible opportunity to take a valuable resource, pull it out of a landfill, and turn it into compost—keep it local,” says Wayne.

So, uh, how do we do that? For starters, Wayne is working with local restaurants (Wild Olive, T-Bonz, and Taco Boy, to name a few) to start a food waste pick-up program. He supplies each restaurant with a few of his trusty green FWD bins where they can dispose of their food waste (think anything from lemon peels to coffee grounds to cooked meat) instead of tossing it in the garbage. Then, the one-man show makes his rounds three times a week to empty the containers and transport them to Bees Ferry Landfill Compost Facility, where after as little as 90 days, the “waste” is turned into compost.

Ready to see the process go completely full circle? Wayne keeps track of each of his partners progress, and for every 2,000 pounds he picks up, they earn 40 pounds of compost that they can use in their own gardens or donate it to someone in the community.

As for the future of FWD and compost in Charleston County? Wayne remains excited and hopeful. “There’s really no limit to this.”

Here’s to the little garbage truck that could.

WasteFWD.com

Story by: Evans Craddock
Photos by: Jason A. Zwiker

A lot of people, apparently.

Chickens are the new Yorkies and everyone – from city dweller to suburbanite to rural local – seems to be hopping on the clucking bandwagon. Why? The answer is simple: the incredible, edible egg.

“You can’t compare these to grocery store eggs. These are the most delicious, flavorful, wonderful, fresh, colorful eggs you’ve ever eaten,” says local photographer Kip Bulwinkle. He and his wife, Liz, are newbie chicken raisers in the pro-hen neighborhood of Park Circle. It started simply enough: they wanted to control their own food, and supplement their garden with protein. At $10 a pop, they bought 15 chickens on Craigslist without a clue of what to expect. “There’s always a mental barrier to do something new. Then you think, ‘I can do this!’”

Kip and Liz say the process is incredibly easy. And fun, because as it turns out, chickens have personalities. Their Leghorns (which Kip describes as cat-like) are mischievous and can cop a ‘tude. Whereas their Orpingtons (dog-like) curl up and watch TV with them. We ask Kip if he’ll raise chickens forever. “Unless we move to Manhattan.”

So clearly, people get hooked. As was the case with Karen Simmons. A woman who used to bring a microwave with her camping, she’s now raising nearly 200 chickens with her husband, David, in Awendaw. What started as 24 chickens has turned into a full-fledged company selling 90+ dozen eggs a month, subscriptions to chicken catalogues and Backyard Poultry (with features like Feather Loss Fully Explained), hen and rooster calendars and art throughout the house, and sometimes 45 dozen eggs in the refrigerator at one time. “It’s a hobby that got out of hand,” laughs David.

Owners of Break an Egg Productions (the Simmons own television production company DBS, hence the play on “break a leg”), Karen and David are positively giddy about their chickens. Every chicken has a name, and Karen knows them all. She introduces us to Alvin (the rooster who looked like a chipmunk when he was born), Acne (the hen with the black head), Oprah (the “big, black and loud” one), and countless others. She and David have raised each one from wee little chick. They watch the chickens make friends (Karen giggles, “They have their clicks.”). They have happy hour at the coop. They think of the chickens as part of the family. All this from a woman who says, “I’m not a country girl.”

Our photographer, Andrew Stephen Cebulka, is talking with her about the effect of moon cycles, fascinated. See, he’s just purchased five chickens himself, raising them through a neighborhood co-op on James Island. For Andrew, it’s all about further educating himself on our relationship with food. He talks about how the animal itself and the plastic-wrapped poultry we buy at the grocery store are so disconnected in our minds. Which is why he plans on slaughtering his chickens down the road. This, coming from a former vegan. For him, the chickens are about education (neighborhood kids feed them), responsibility, and becoming re-connected with the food source. And, of course, that delicious egg.

So, are you in? Chicken-raiser for life? Here are a few tips from the Simmons:

1. Pick your breeds wisely: Want the ultimate egg producer? White Leghorns are the best layers. Want more of a friendly pet? The Buff Orpington is for you.
2. Feeding tricks: Give your gals some crushed oyster shells for a harder egg shell.
3. The fresh hard-boiled egg: Remember, this isn’t your grocery store egg. These bad boys are hours or days fresh, so it’s a different ball game for hard-boiled. To get a nice, easy peel, ease them into boiling water with baking soda via a slotted spoon. Boil for 15 minutes and then immediately set them into iced water. Peel away!

Click here for more photos
Break an Egg Productions available at Boone Hall Farms and Seewee Outpost

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka

The kind you look back on as a wrinkly old man and think Damn, that was cool.

In just a short time, the duo will take off into the sunrise on a pair of neon pink and green bikes. Embarking on a four month, cross-country adventure in the name of charity – and a really, really great story.

“I’ve had a cozy life, I want an adventure,” muses Ben. “Everyone needs to have at least one before they get tied down in life.”

The cyclists will bike 6,000 miles in total. Up the East Coast to New York City before setting out across the United States and hopefully ending their journey in Mexico. Just two guys, two bikes, the bare necessities and, of course, an iPhone charger.

The trip, dubbed Brunswick to Baja, will be documented online through photography – Ben is a phenom photographer –  as well as regular blog and Twitter updates. Plus if you’re feeling particularly voyeuristic on your lunch break, an online spot tracker will show you exactly where the bikers are in their journey up to the minute.

While the pair knows a few friendly faces along the route, Ben is practically giddy over the potential for the unexpected.

“I can’t wait to wake up in a thunderstorm. Maybe I’ll get my bike stolen. Bring it on.”

The adventure will help raise money for Sidewalk Chalk, a local non-profit organization that helps under-resourced schools and children foster education through creativity. The charity is an organization both cyclists are passionate about, and are excited to support with their adventure.

“It’s just a personal experience I really want to have,” says Ben.

And to that we say, ride on.

Friday, April 13 : Art on Wheels charity auction benefiting both the bike adventure and Sidewalk Chalk with 20+ artists at the City Gallery 6 -10pm, $10
Follow the adventure online at BrunswickToBaja.com
And on Twitter @brunswicktobaja

Story by: Caroline Millard
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka

In this case, the world is Charleston and it’s not one boy, but six rockers of local indie groove-based-rock-reggae-jam band Long Miles, who are about to show everybody they’re ready to be taken seriously.

But first they have to graduate.

Long Miles has traveled, er, long miles to get to this pivotal moment in their five-year high-school-to-college career together. Recruiting a new drummer (Adam Williams) and adding a keyboardist (Ross Bogan) en route, the CofC students knew that if they wanted to get it right, they had to get the degree. And they’re not just saying that because their parents will read this.

“We wanted to learn first,” says John Shields, Long Miles’ lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist. “We had to see what we could do in Charleston, and get it right.”

They had that unique, multi-elemental sound and a stage chemistry that can’t be faked. But the music biz is tough. Enter the mentor character of this story: the late Jonathan “Johnny” Diamond.

Jacqui Haenn, older sister to lead guitarist, Brett, and Long Miles’ manager, was taking Intro to Music Management taught by Mark Bryan, founder of Chucktown Music Group and Hootie & the Blowfish, when Johnny came to talk. Jacqui met Johnny, Johnny liked Jacqui, and Charleston met and liked Long Miles.

“We met every week,” says Jacqui. “He would say, ‘You need to stop playing bars. You need to get on the radio. You need this, you need that.’ And everything worked.”

Before, they’d been mislabeled as a college band in a post-Sublime era. They’d refused to sell out to a label and had digitally recorded their first album themselves in one of their dorms “totally against the rules” by improvising a sound booth through closets. But with Charleston being what it is and Johnny being who he is, Long Miles started meeting producers; their hit “Girl, Don’t Come Around” was all over The Bridge; they played to thousands behind Grace Potter at Charleston’s 2011 First Flush Festival. And this week, with their first headlining gig at the Farm and a Kickstarter-funded, full-length, professionally recorded album to show for it, they’re about to leap from college band to real band.

“Johnny had done it with Crowfield, and he saw something in us,” says bassist Sam Morgan. “We grew up from what we previously were.”

Thursday’s show marks more than a jam-session into adultbandhood. The album, the show, and their profits are all dedicated to Johnny and the Johnny Diamond Memorial Award, which will give a selected Arts Management student a serendipitous opportunity in return for life-changing experience.

Sounds familiar.

Long Miles and ten classmates in their Fundraising & Creation class crafted the big event together. They better get an A.

Most songs on the versatile Shades end with John, Sam, Brett, Ross, James, and Adam rocking out, making their summer East Coast tour not to be missed. Again, after graduation.

“We’d love to put every single hour of every single day into Thursday’s show, but I have a project due Wednesday,” jokes Morgan.

Sam and John laugh as Jacqui explains, “Brett was going to be here, but forgot he had a quiz.”

Just until May.

Facebook.com/longmiles
Thursday, March 29th, 8pm, at Music Farm
Buy Tickets – $10, $13 day of – Copy of CD “Shades” with ticket

Story by: Jessica Kenny
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka

That’s what happened when local artist Leigh Webber became more than the consummate wedding photographer a year ago; she became mother to baby boy.

That’s a powerful change. The first year of a child’s life is something extraordinary: an emotional roller-coaster of laughter, love, wonder, worry, and emotions you never knew existed. It’s enough to turn any of us into a bit of a poet.

Leigh went a step further and created The First 52 Weeks, an art project in which she pairs intimate portraits of her son, Seamus, with lyrical writing. First came the baby blog (you know the kind…where moms marvel over all the tiny details of the growing baby with mushy love, and non-parents read it like a foreign language they’re not sure they want to understand). Once the project took shape, the possibilities of what it could grow into for this talented artist began to blossom. A gallery exhibit? A book?

A North Carolina native, Leigh earned her BFA in photography at Savannah College of Art and Design and worked for six years as a photo retoucher and digital assistant to some of San Francisco’s top names in photography before landing in Charleston. She has wandered the world from the Middle East and Southeast Asia to India and Europe, camera in hand, for most of her adult life. We like to think that lingering bliss from the year she once spent in Australia, in part for a 9-month yoga teacher training program, shines through her body of work to this day. Vagabonding and photography…like chocolate and peanut butter.

Today, she is one of the most sought-after wedding photographers in Charleston. Her virtuosity in balancing light, technical savvy, and ability to connect with people are astounding. She’s been featured in the likes of Elegant Brides, BRIDES, The Knot, and Weddings Unveiled, and she’s even scored a PDN Top Knots award for best ceremony photos. So now her art follows the traditional progression: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.

And you’re invited to the birthing party. Come tonight to see the gorgeous color prints from The First 52 Weeks. Limited edition copies of the book (Leigh is currently shopping it to traditional publishers, so keep your fingers crossed) will be available.

In the spirit of the project, this is a kid-friendly party. Grape Nehi in mini red Solo cups has been promised, as well as other snacks appealing to Charlestonians in their tender years (there will also be beverages of interest to us grown-up folks, of course). So pack the family and celebrate the art and the joy of the baby years with one of our favorite shutterbugs.

First 52 Weeks Opening Party
Stems (208 Coming St., 843-789-4930)
March 22, 5-8 PM

LeighWebberPhotography.com/First52Weeks

Story by: Jason A. Zwiker
Photos by: Leigh Webber

One half of the DJ team Cassidy and the Kid, Josh found his spinning soul mate in friend Mike Moran a little over a year ago. “Mike’s the other half of my musical brain,” admits Josh. And these aren’t your typical wedding DJs, wielding predictable jams to tired crowds. Josh and Mike rock out in unique spaces such as the roller derby, Pecha Kucha events, art galleries and other venues that draw varied music styles and some serious dance moves (ala the CHARLIE 50 Most Progressive Launch Party).

And then there’s the day job. After twelve years working as a financial advisor, Josh walked away from the micromanagement of large firms to open his own boutique agency. Jericho Advisors is as unique as Josh himself. “We’re filling in spaces that banks won’t touch,” explains Josh. “We provide access and advice where banks are retreating in droves.”

Entrepreneurs, creatives, new restaurants and small start-ups, his clients are all local, as are many of his investments. He coined the term “100 mile investing” to define this approach. By advising people to invest back into the community, he is slowly reviving the local economy.

Alternative banking deserves an alternative space, and the Jericho Advisors office is just that. It all started with pizza. Josh was sitting at D’Allesandro’s on St Phillips St. one afternoon, enjoying a greasy lunch and hatching a plan to quit his job when his eyes fell on the building across the street. Built as a grocery store in the 1850s, 218 St. Phillips later became the first African American bank of Charleston in 1920.  Once Josh settled into the space, it took on a whole new life. Absent is the intimidating marble foyer found in most banks. The décor is industrial chic: historic with an edge. The atmosphere is relaxed. With only two full time associates and four interns, the firm maintains a small client base and Josh is able to connect with each one on a personal level.

President of Redux, youth soccer coach, local volunteer, disc jockey, investment banker, husband, father. Josh may wear a lot of hats, and he sure wears them well.

JerichoAdvisors.com
218 St. Philip Street; (843) 276-6316

Story by: Carter Worrell Dandridge
Photos by: Austin Dandridge

Mick Matricciano and Brandon Wogamon got into the beverage business years ago– as childhood friends and neighbors. Like most stories of entrepreneurial success, it all began with a lemonade stand.

Today, they and their other business partner, Matt Fendley, are the cofounders of The Cannonborough Beverage Company. Man oh man, what they’re selling is a whole lot better than lemonade: all-natural, locally sourced, hand-crafted sodas.

First, there was Apple Ginger Honey, a flavor that zings across the tongue, thanks to freshly juiced raw ginger, then mellows into the natural sweetness of apples and honey. Add a splash of bourbon and you’ve got yourself one heck of a bourbon and ginger. A few tries later, there was Strawberry Jalepeno: a beverage that bubbles with the tart, sweet, summery essence of real strawberries and concludes with the clean and fleeting heat of jalepeno. Add yourself some tequila and enjoy.

Unsurprisingly, these flavor combinations come courtesy of two F+B community members who’ve been lucky enough to work with some of Charleston’s master mixologists. Both Mick and Brandon used to work at the Gin Joint. Brandon now works at Social and Mick shakes things up over at the Belmont, for whom he won last year’s mixology competition at the 2011 Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Mick also recently graduated from the Charleston Art Institute’s culinary program.

“We took things we learned at the Gin Joint about making a balanced cocktail; the sweet, the sour, the right amount of acid,” explains Brandon, and they put it into something all ages can savor. That’s why, as Mick says, “You can add alcohol to this and have a well-balanced cocktail.”

When it comes to making these cocktail-quality sodas, the Cannonborough Beverage Company does three things: “We buy whole fruits and vegetables, juice, blend, and [force] carbonate ourselves,” Mick explains. They also work in small, 5-gallon batches, refuse to use anything artificial, and sweeten only with real sugar, honey, and agave. Besides, thanks to the use of all-natural, locally sourced ingredients, they don’t need to do much more than “let the produce do the work.”

Like so many local Charleston area chefs, the Cannonborough Beverage Company has learned to start with a main component, locally sourced of course, and add two to three accents so as not to bombard the palate with superfluous or competing flavors. While these sodas are flavored with complimentary notes, they’re not meant to be overly complex.

“Basically, we’re kids ourselves,” Brandon shrugs, “with a serious product.”

A serious product that’s sure to please next month as the trio makes their debut at the Charleston Farmer’s Market downtown. Each Saturday they’ll be stationed and ready like the soda jerks of old with three different lip-smacking, frosty, effervescent original creations like Lemon Mint, Cucumber & Orange and Cherry Vanilla to quench your thirst.

We won’t tell if there’s a little bit more than soda in your cup.

Available at Downtown Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, beginning April 7; 8am – 2pm

Story by: Annabel Jones
Photos by: Karson Photography