8 minute read
On the Move
1. NEW STAFF MEMBERS WELCOMED TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND-BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce welcomed four new staffers to its organization.
Michelle Pivik is the new Director of Member Recruitment and Engagement. An island resident for 12 years, she was previously a small business owner and worked in broadcast sales and property management.
Seth Richardson joins the chamber’s Visitor & Convention Bureau division as the Director of Sales and Partnership Management. He was previously the assistant director of sales at the J.W. Marriott in Savannah and has worked at the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, and the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans.
Robin Bridgers also joins the chamber’s Visitor & Convention Bureau division as the Group Sales Coordinator. She recently graduated from Clemson University with a degree in parks, recreation, and tourism management.
Megan Goheen is the new Visual Content Coordinator. She is a graduate of Miami of Ohio with a BFA in communications design and arts management and was previously an intern for the chamber.
2. NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED TO DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
Beaufort City Council appointed two new members to the Design Review Board in November. The terms of Erik Petersen and William Suter began immediately and extend through June 2023.
Petersen, a Beaufort resident, is an architectural associate with the Beaufort firm, Moser Design Group. Suter, also a Beaufort resident, is retired and has 29 years in project management experience with design/build firms.
3. CBD BUSINESS EXPANDS
Lighthouse CBD & Wellness has opened a third storefront, Coastal Carolina Hot Spot, which is on Palmetto Bay Road. Other locations are at Berkeley Place in Bluffton and Boundary Street in Beaufort. The shop offers CBD, hemp, Delta-8, and Kratom products, according to its website.
1. PIVIK
1.RICHARDSON
1. BRIDGERS
7. JOWERS 4. GIFT-BASKET BUSINESS EXPANDS
Hilton Head-based Aunt Laurie’s, a gift-basket business with a mission to help adults with disabilities learn job skills, announced an expansion of fulfillment and warehouse activities with Spectra, a fully integrated fulfillment services provider based in North Charleston, a news release said. The baskets are handwoven at the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Center.
5. REPORT: S.C. ECONOMY RECOVERING
The state’s economy is doing well according to the Columbia Regional Business Report. Citing reports from the University of South Carolina’s annual economic conference, the CRBR said consumer spending on goods is about 25% higher than it was before the pandemic began, according to data presented at the 2021 conference. The Columbia Regional Business Report notes that University of South Carolina research economist Joey Von Nessen said the state can anticipate “being fully recovered” from the COVID recession in 2022, barring any setbacks. A concern is a tightening labor market and higher inflation, according to the report. Von Nessen said the tight state labor market is mostly the result of strong demand.
6. LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK ESTABLISHES FOUNDATION AND ENDOWMENT
The Lowcountry Food Bank has established the Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation and the Patricia S. Walker Endowment to provide a sustainable source of income to supplement annual money raised by the Lowcountry Food Bank. The initiatives help expand the Lowcountry Food Bank’s reach to people in outlying areas of the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina it serves.
7. PLANT RIVERSIDE DISTRICT WELCOMES RESIDENT MAGICIAN
David Jowers has joined Plant Riverside District in Savannah as its resident magician, performing live magic shows and strolling magic performances throughout the property.
Jowers performs magic regularly and is typically on-site Wednesday through Saturday from 6-10 p.m., performing free strolling magic throughout Savannah’s Entertainment District.
EFFORT
BY ANTHONY GARZILLI PHOTOS BY GUIDO FLUECK
THREE GENERATIONS OF BARBERS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY: LOU, BRENT AND ANTHONY NELSEN.
AFTER 25 YEARS, BARBERS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE FOR ITS CUSTOMERS
The question nagged at Brent Nelsen back then and continues to motivate him today: What can we do that nobody else is doing?
Nelsen, who runs Barbers of the Lowcountry with his father Lou, was looking for a way to grow the business in 2009. The shop had grown from launching in 1997 on Hilton Head Island to its new spot in Bluffton in 2007, but Nelsen knew it could be much more.
The shop had survived the recession, but Nelsen said the business was a “typical shop,”; it didn’t necessarily stand out. There was no marketing.
Nelsen, who had stepped away from the business for about a year, decided upon his return it was time to “make this bigger and better than it’s ever been.”
That question has guided Nelsen and his father’s vision ever since.
From bringing in a line of high-end Truefitt & Hill products, to offering straight-razor shaves (“We do it old school, the right way,” Nelsen said), and adding a men’s hair replacement division, to offering a gentlemen’s facial, and seeking input from medical fields to help ensure the health of their clients, the Nelsens have strived to always offer the best to their customers.
The thoughtfulness has been a boon to the business. Not only does it have a dedicated clientele, but last year the shop expanded into Beaufort and this April its first franchise location is expected to open in Pooler, Ga. There are plans to open franchise shops in Lexington, S.C., and Pensacola, Fla.
Nelsen said part of the company’s mission statement is to “constantly expand throughout the region.”
Barbers of the Lowcountry began thanks to the urging of the Tramuta family, cousins who own The Barber Shop. Lou was tired of working construction in New Orleans and said his cousin “talked me into barber school.” He learned the trade and eventually convinced Brent to give it a try.
Brent was skeptical but he decided to go to barber school in Alabama. He quickly realized, at 18 years old, he had a “knack” for cutting hair. Combined with his ability to offer a straightrazor shave and cut a flat top, Brent enjoyed talking with people. He decided to join his father on Hilton Head and start the family business in 1997.
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Besides providing a welcoming environment (customers are met by a concierge and are offered refreshments, such as local beer on tap, wine, coffee, soda, or water), Barbers of the Lowcountry – which has a staff of 15 employees, including 10 barbers — looks out for the health of its customers.
Brent has invited medical professionals to speak at quarterly socials Barbers of the Lowcountry hosts. Dermatologist and urologists have offered advice to the staff and customers. Brent said the dermatologists have helped staff identify possible worrisome spots on their customers.
The knowledge helped him encourage a client to have a spot on his head examined.
The spot was melanoma. If the customer
had waited longer, it likely “wouldn’t have been good,” Brent said.
“It’s things like that that are really gratifying,” he said.
Barbers of the Lowcountry also participates in No-Shave November, which promotes cancer awareness. The initiative this year raised $600 for the American Cancer Society.
Giving back to the community is a central focus. A few years ago on the golf course, Brent and a few other barbers thought of the idea to host a golf tournament to benefit Bluffton Self Help.
The Clipper Cup was born. Now in its fourth year, this year’s tournament raised $3,100.
The quarterly socials also raise money to support Bluffton Self Help.
Barbers of the Lowcountry, which is now a three-generation business with the addition of Brent’s son, Anthony, as a student barber, has evolved as have the hairstyles. From mid-length to long hair to short fades and pompadour fades and the surprising return of the mullet, Barbers of the Lowcountry has seen all types of styles and is ready to keep flourishing.
