2022 Savannah Local Art Gift Guide: Celebrate the holiday season by supporting your…

Credit: Courtesy of Meg Goldberg

Credit: Courtesy of Meg Goldberg

I get a lot of this type of thing: Folks find out I write about creative things for the paper and want to tell me about their own artistic side hustle. I’m always polite, of course, but I can’t say that I’m always impressed with what I ultimately see. Most of the time when I finally do my own research about whatever passion project they’re trying to jumpstart their own hype doesn’t match what I ultimately see.

Peaz N’ Carrots is different.

“I [wished] there was a [clothing] line that coordinated in some shape, way, or form for multiple [children] or best friends, or twins, or whatever,” Meg explained to me of the origins of her budding business a couple of weeks later. “And so I would go to the store, go to Target, and try to kind of put together…a floral dress for Bertie, because she loves that, and then go try to find something with like truck on it for Aksel, but something that had the same sort of color so that it coordinated, I could never find it.”

In a moment that many creatives will no doubt find relatable, a jolt awake in the middle of the night ultimately ended up being the spark that would light the fire under the metaphorical Peaz N’ Carrots skillet.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

“Why don’t I just do this?” She recalled thinking while lying in bed. And before she knew it, she’d taken on a second “nights and weekends” job to go along with her full-time gig.

The clothing, which can be bought directly from her website at peazncarrots.com, is, of course, adorable. As you’d expect, there are peas and carrots designs, but there are also other pairings that she’s created for her “Better Together” collection, like peanut butter and jelly and cookies and milk.

Plus she’s designed coordinated outfits in other collections that utilize colors and patterns rather than obvious design elements, connecting the apparel pieces in more oblique ways.

But what I found most impressive about Meg’s local small business is her commitment to something more than just selling clothes for maximum profit. Most of what she offers, for example, is created from entirely sustainable materials, with the goal to ultimately becoming 100% sustainable, and most of her materials are American made.

Credit: Courtesy of Meg Goldberg

Credit: Courtesy of Meg Goldberg

And, perhaps most laudable of all, she’s committed to donating a meal to someone in need for every single order placed, via a partnership with Feeding America.

“Feeding America was a charity that I really wanted to work with,” she related. “There’s a big problem now with people not being able to afford food for their kids. So I started there, because not only is creating this line and selling it important, but it’s also part of me to do a philanthropic tie-back. It’s just essential and something that makes me feel good about it.”

Long term she hopes to add additional charity partners as well, noting that she’s currently designing a firefighter/EMS/police officer kids collection and plans to connect with an organization that benefits those who have been impacted by injury or death to loved ones in those fields.

Altogether, it’s what differentiates a small business like Peaz N’ Carrots from the anonymous megastores that populate cheerless strip malls across the country. And it’s why I’ll be looking for my son’s next outfit on Meg’s website instead of the racks at Target or Walmart.

“It’s important to support regular people and their passions and their work,” she said. “I don’t know if you get that with a large corporation. Things might be cute, but there’s not really a story behind it, there’s not really a connection to it. For me it’s always really important to have a connection. Where did this come from? How did you come up with the design? What’s the story?”

“It’s a quirkiness,” she continued. “It’s something that you can’t really connect to when you’re shopping at somewhere like Target. The big box stores, you’re giving your money to this big machine that’s doing what it’s doing. It’s about a story for me, and why people create what they’re creating. And the more you can support that, the more connections that you have and you build.”

A Dark Black Friday

There are plenty of concrete reasons to shop local, of course.

A simple Google search reveals numerous sources indicating that between 54% and 75% of every dollar spent at a local business goes back into the local community. Meanwhile, one story at Forbes indicated that a mere 14% of those same dollars spent at big box stores stays local, and most of that in the form of payroll.

But I wanted to share a more personal anecdote as to why my money will be going to small businesses this shopping season.

A few years ago, out of morbid curiosity, my wife Gretchen and I decided to head out to the mall for Black Friday. We weren’t so insane as to get there at 4 a.m. like some people, instead arriving shortly after dawn.

Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

As we drove up we were appalled: Lining the sidewalks leading to the doors of literally every single major store were piles of trash. There were to go cups, crushed up food wrappers, scattered store flyers, even random broken umbrellas and more than a busted up tent or two. Both Gretchen and I were disgusted, and never even got out of the car.

I’m not going to pretend that I don’t watch TV and didn’t search for the best deal possible when it was time to replace my own, or that I don’t regularly shop at Target myself for things like toilet paper and sparkling water.

But when it comes to the holidays, when the largest portion of consumer spending takes place every year, I’m shopping locally whenever I can.

Brick and Mortar You Can Believe In 

Savannah has countless small businesses to fill whatever need you’re looking to satisfy.

As an artist and art lover, I wanted to highlight three of my favorites, businesses that I believe not only sell things worth buying, but also have a positive impact on our community.

The Sulfur Shop at Sulfur Studios, the flagship project of the non-profit Arts Southeast, is a great place to start. Located at 2301 Bull Street, it’s in the heart of the Starland District.

Arts Southeast Board Secretary Samantha Mack, who was working the counter when I visited recently, noted that the shop currently stocks work by “over 30 local artists, artisans, and writers.” Walking through the store, the diversity of styles and offerings was impressive.

Credit: Rob Hessler / For Do Savannah

Credit: Rob Hessler / For Do Savannah

There are handmade scarves by Suzy Hokenson, and original paintings by Maxx Feist. There are prints by Michelle Perez and Lisa D. Watson. There are handmade wooden mugs, unique jewelry pieces, and bags and purses. And there are hilarious t-shirts by Tittybats and quirky pottery items by Phil Musen.

Each purchase at the Sulfur Shop not only supports the local creatives that made the unique pieces, but also helps to fund the incredible programming that Arts Southeast offers to the community, like their On::View Residency project and IMPACT magazine.

Slightly further south at 3129 Bull Street is another of my favorite spots, The Culturist Union. Not only does it brew up some of the finest coffee concoctions in town, but they have a well-curated selection of items crafted by locals, specifically creatives of color.

Something I love about walking into the space is that I’m always greeted by a print by one of my favorite new-to-Savannah artists, Tafy LaPlanche. Several of her pieces are available to purchase, neatly stacked at the front of one of the shop’s two display areas. And she’s not the only artist featured: Nae’Keisha Jones not only has some of her paintings for sale in the front room, but has created an enormous mural for the back courtyard for folks to gaze at while enjoying a drink.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

There are also mugs, candles, and coffee, as well as copies of Trelani Michelle‘s acclaimed book “Krak Teet,” titled after a Gullah Geechee phrase meaning “to speak.”

Like Arts Southeast, The Culturist Union offers community activities that are supported by the purchases made in the shop. They recently held a “sober rave” in conjunction with Hello Neighbor SAV, for example, as well as a workshop in “Mindful Self-Compassion.” When was the last time you saw Walmart contribute something like that to our city?

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my adoration of E. Shaver Bookseller, located further downtown at 326 Bull Street.

I love bookstores: What kind of writer would I be if I wasn’t a big reader? But E. Shaver is special in that it really caters to local authors. I recently made the trek to the shop to pick up the Savannah Morning News’ own Amy Paige Condon’s “A Nervous Man Shouldn’t Be Here in the First Place: The Life of Bill Baggs,” which I plan to read over the Thanksgiving break.

While there, I looked around to see what other local creations I could find, and was excited to see how robust their selection was.

Credit: Courtesy of the author

Credit: Courtesy of the author

One table, for example, included cookbooks relating to Leopold’s Ice Cream, Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room, and Back In The Day Bakery. It also featured a number of the works by the beloved Jane Fishman, who passed away earlier this year. On a rack nearby I spotted archeologist Laura Seifert’s book about Old Fort Jackson. And a quick search revealed that they had the wonderful “The Moon and I Confer” by local photographer and radio show host P.T. Bridgeport, a collection of his show’s quirky and earnest monologues (and a book I’d bought from that very store previously as a gift for my wife).

Don’t expect to pay the kind of discount prices you’d find at a place like Amazon: This is a small shop and actually pays its employees a fair wage.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

But what you’ll get in return are book clubs, poetry clubs, readings, a frequent buyers club, and several fluffy cats that act as both mascots for the place, and the perfect distraction for a wily three year old like my son.

Going Straight to the Artist

As convincing as my arguments for shopping local might be, you may be thinking to yourself, ‘Yeah, but Amazon is so convenient! I don’t even have to wear pants to shop!’ The good news is that most local arts and artisans have websites or social media accounts that make ordering their products in your pajamas just as simple.

The Sulfur Shop has much of it’s stock available at sulfurstudios.org/shop, as does E. Shaver Booksellers at eshaverbooks.com. Both offer delivery or in-store pickup. You can’t shop the artisans that The Culturist Union stocks via theculturistunion.com, but you can buy gift cards there.

And if you’re looking to grab works by Tafy LaPlanche or Nae’Keisha Jones specifically, you can find them at lepouf-art.com and inprnt.com/gallery/naekeisha/ respectively.

Credit: Courtesy of Nae’Keisha Jones

Credit: Courtesy of Nae’Keisha Jones

In this day and age it’s rare that an individual artist doesn’t have a way to purchase from them directly. I, myself, have purchased and commissioned numerous works for many local artists, and it’s always been an enjoyable experience. There’s something really fun about interacting directly with an artist, sharing your excitement over their vision.

When was the last time that your cashier at Target seemed excited to sell you something?

Brian MacGregor (brianmacgregor.net/), a burgeoning southeastern muralist and long time resident of City Market, and his studio neighbor Lisa Rosenmeier (lisarosenmeier.com), known for her clever and well-rendered compositions often featuring animals, both have websites with affordable prints. MacGregor has also recently released the second edition of his Spirit Animals playing cards, a perfect stocking stuffer.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

And speaking of Spirit Animals, be sure to take a look at Lowcountry Spirits that David Laughlin has created, mixed in amongst his other musing on his Instagram @thedavidlaughlin.

Kip Bradley, who pulls double duty as Telfair Museums’ Education Studio Programs Manager, is a great choice if you’re seeking En Plein Air paintings of Savannah and the Lowcountry, while Charissa Murray is creating scenes from similar locales, only in a more refined style.

Find both artists via their website kipbradley.com and charissamurray.com.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

If you’re looking for something a bit more abstract or conceptual, self-described “Neighborhood Hope Dealer, Artist, Joy Spreader & Vibe Creator” DeAndré West is a good option. His use of thick gold paint and recognizable but not obvious imagery is intriguing and simultaneously accessible. He can be found @unapologeticarts_ on Instagram.

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite drip painter, and Friends of African American Arts’ current head Calvin Woodum, has been delighting local art lovers with his colorful compositions for years. His work can be found in at least half a dozen locations around town, but he can also be reached directly on Instagram @calwoodart.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing Thomas Mitz, whose prismatic “polyoptic paintings” are a marvel to behold. He has work at the Plant Riverside location of Grand Bohemian Gallery, but you can also find him online at thomasmitz.com.

I’ve been a fan of the jewelry that Liz Juneau creates for what seems like forever, having purchased pieces she’s created for my wife, my mom, and my sister. Her re-purposing of antique and vintage objects in her work makes each item feel particularly special and unique, and she’s always pushing herself with new concepts and ideas. Check her out at archipelago-jewelry-by-liz-juneau.square.site/.

And for a completely different, but equally exciting, type of wearable art be sure to visit christophercarpentino.square.site/. I challenge you to find anything like what Carpentino is creating in a big box store anywhere.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

For something a bit more quirky, I have four recommendations: Isak Dove (@isak_dove on Instagram); Tamara Isaak-Harrington (isaakharrington.com); Amelia Jamerson (18loves.com) and Bonnie Godbee (bonniegodbee.bigcartel.com). All four offer up affordable whimsy, paintings and works that will bring a smile to your face.

Isaak-Harrington has also recently released a wonderful children’s book called “Fishing in the Rain,” which is also available on her website, while Jamerson can be visited in person at her bright and airy Plant Riverside shop as well as via the internet.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Finally, if you’d like something more three-dimensional, namely ceramic pieces, be sure to check out the wildly unique mugs that Rita Strayer is creating. She’s on Instagram @ritastrayerceramics. Meanwhile, Derek Larsen has been taking pottery to a place few in Savannah have before, with everything from abstract architectural forms, to ships, to whimsical plant life. Moreover, he’s currently offering 100 items under $100 via his website dereklarsonceramics.com.

For those of you seeking something a little more “metal,” there is none better than Matt Toole and his Toole Sculpture Works creations (toolesculptureworks.com). I’m in love with his fireplace sculptures, which have to be seen to fully understand.

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Credit: Courtesy of the artist

No matter what you’re looking for, there’s surely a local business or individual in Savannah that’s offering it. And the money you’ll spend at these places will go back into the community, not into the bank account of some distant CEO of an anonymous big box store.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 2022 Savannah Local Art Gift Guide: Celebrate the holiday season by supporting your neighbors

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