T
ISSUE NO. 6T
2019
Enduring
traditions DELTA HILL RIDERS Exploring the African American cowboy culture of the Mississippi Delta
SLEEP ON IT Display Until April 30, 2019
Luxury linens fresh from the family farm in northeast Alabama
HUNT THROUGH TIME Turkey hunting on the family farm in southwest Virginia
WANDERING Explore the historic White Rose City of York, SC
The World’s Best Ham the center of traditions since 1957 Serving the World’s Best Ham and making it effortless was our founder Harry J. Hoenselaar’s vision when he invented the spiral slicer over 60 years ago. He took great pride perfecting the legendary taste that everyone loves and continues to remain the center of everything we do today. The Honey Baked Ham is the ideal balance of savory and sweet wrapped as a gift in gold foil - perfect for giving or serving at your next occasion. Our gold standard slowsmoked for up to 24 hours with our special blend of hardwood chips then hand-crafted with our sweet & crunchy glaze. We’ve been told time and time again that we have the World’s Best Ham.
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Scan here to shop online
48: ENDURING TRADITIONS Shining light on the Cowboy Culture of the Mississippi Delta
60: DISTILLERY INTERRUPTED
Two brothers determined to make their mark in a business most everyone had forgotten
STORIES
70: HUNT THROUGH TIME
Returning to the family farm for a turkey hunt in Southwest Virginia
80: GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Decoration Day throughout the South is a way to honor and reconnect with our ancestors
A brother’s devotion built a school founded on the dream that anything is possible for the deaf and blind
Photography by Rory Doyle
88: REDEFINING THE IMPOSSIBLE
CHAPTERS EDITORIAL
30
PG 8: EDITOR’S LETTER Holding on to our traditions.
PG 10: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Katie’s Krops proves no matter how young you are you can still make a difference in the world
TO DINE SOUTHERN PG 30: THE SOUTHERN TABLE Mississippi family recipes kept alive
PG 35: GATHERINGS
Enjoy more than a biscuit at this Greenhouse
PG 42: ON OUR PL ATE
PG 132: MAGEE’S SOUTHERN ACCENT
Chef Chris Rainosek of Mobile’s The Noble South
PG 44: IN OUR GL ASS
Habits of Creature and The Perpetual Game: Leapfrog of Faith
The Ol’ Nut Job from Ragged Branch Distillery
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14 SOUTHERN COMFORTS
A ROAD LESS TRAVELED
PG 14: FARM TO HOME
PG 118: WANDERING
Linens grown and sewn in Alabama
York, South Carolina, City of the White Rose, is tied to its rich history
PG 18: BY SOUTHERN HANDS
PG 124: FIND YOURSELF
You’ll want these finds made by locals
What to do in Bentonville, Arkansas
PG 22: PAGES
PG 129: SOMETHING ELSE
Author Susan Cushman on what makes a Southern writer
PG 24: LISTEN UP
Come to Dora, AL and visit the museum that lets us relive our childhood memories
North Carolina singer, Caleb Caudle, portraits from tobacco country
SOUTHERN SNAPSHOTS
PG 26: LOOK FOR
PG 100: ALONG THE ROAD
Chelsea Lovitt loves music that reminds us of the stories that bind
PG 134: WHERE WE WENT
National Museum of The Pacific War, Fredericksburg, Texas
Saving the endangered Fly Trap of North Carolina is a famly affair
PG 106: SOUTHERN C HARACTER Tim Hollis finds a way to stay young
PG 108: L AY OF THE L AND
Our readers submit photos of their special Southern places and people
FRONT COVER “Big Mike” Jones observes sunset in rural Humphreys County, MS Photographed by Rory Doyle
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STAFF Scott Speakes Publisher Genie Gaither Jones Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Cashwell Design Director Steve Ransom Digital Imaging Specialist Tom Ramsey Matthew Magee Shane Kinder (@monkontheradio) J. M. McSpadden Contributing Editors Richard L. Jones Copy Editor Alisa Boone alisaboone@okramagazine.com Advertising Advisor
Advertising Sales Specialists Kris Schultz North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia kschultz@cherokeemediagroup.com Carolyn Terry Georgia, South Carolina carolynterry@mindspring.com Theresa Myles Alabama, Mississippi, Florida Panhandle tmyles6073@gmail.com All other States Alisa Boone alisaboone@okramagazine.com Scott Speakes scott@okramagazine.com
Published by Southbound Publishing, Inc. P O Box 4107 Cleveland, MS 38732
okramagazine.com
CONTRIBUTORS TYLER DARDEN is a food and lifestyle photographer and cinematographer based in Richmond, Virginia. After spending the first part of his career as a magazine art director, he followed the siren call to pursue photography full time in 2010. In his free time, he experiments with large format and ultra large format film photography, documentary and filmmaking. His photos have been published in Virginia Living Magazine, Wall Street Journal, LIDL Grocery Stores, Garden & Gun, Self, Men’s Health, and Colonial Williamsburg. www.tylerdarden.com
RORY DOYLE is a working photographer based in Cleveland, Mississippi — the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Doyle is a recipient of a 2018 Visual Artist Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission, and the 2019 South Arts State Fellowship for Mississippi, both for his ongoing project on African American cowboys and cowgirls in the Delta. The project was featured in the Half King Photo Series in New York City in June 2018, along with a concurrent show in Harlem. Doyle unveiled the exhibit in London for the first time Feb. 28, 2019. He was also recognized by winning the photojournalism category at the 2018 EyeEm Awards in Berlin, Germany. Additionally, Doyle was accepted for the 2019 New York Times Portfolio Review. His publication list includes The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, ESPN, Getty Images, and more. Born and raised in Maine, Doyle has lived in Mississippi since 2009. www.rorydoylephoto.com
JENNIFER STEWART KORNEGAY is a freelance writer and editor based in Montgomery, AL. Her work has appeared in Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, thekitchn. com, Bake From Scratch, Paste, Travel&Leisure.com, Nashville Lifestyles, Birmingham magazine, Alabama magazine, Georgia Magazine, Alabama Living magazine and more. She’s interested in everything, will write about almost anything but most often reports on Southern culture, food and travel. www.jenniferkornegay.com
TOM RAMSEY cooks, eats, drinks, writes and does other good and noble works in New Orleans. He and his wife reside in the 300-year-old neighborhood of Algiers Point in a great old house filled with art (never enough) and cats (perhaps too many). info@tomramsey.com DAVID KURAPKA is a financial writer and editor and recovering political speechwriter. A graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, he has written for Gray’s Sporting Journal, Worth, thestreet.com, and the New Republic, among other publications. He lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, artist Merl Ross, daugher Ava and black Lab, Harper Lee.
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Holding on to traditions is important to our Southern way of life. It’s in everything we do:
from passing down family recipes to maintaining the graves of our deceased. Passing on these customs or beliefs from generation to generation is integral to who we are. It’s the way we preserve our heritage. For many family gatherings food is the main attraction. Will Aunt Susan bring her pound cake and will she top it with strawberries or lemon curd this time? We live for those moments and can’t wait till she shares that recipe with us. Learning from these family cooks teaches us new things and also helps us perfect our own techniques. Maybe we will be able to add a new twist to Grandma’s teacakes. Photography by Rory Doyle
Some of us are fortunate to have the guardians of these recipes assemble them and publish cookbooks with family stories so future genera-
“ T R A D I T I O N L I V E S B E CAU S E YOUNG PEOPLE COME AL ONG WHO CATCH ITS ROMANCE AND ADD N E W G L O R I E S T O I T. ” Michael Novak
tions will have a better understanding of where they came from. In the Mississippi Delta, there is a strong heritage of African American “cowboys”. These riders are intense horse lovers who for generations have gathered to trail ride, take part in
rodeos and help each other on their farms. While their use of horses for farming is slowly dying out, the Delta Hill Riders still get together to ride as a group, both large and small, including the next generation in the hopes they will continue to carry on this tradition of camaraderie. Many of our traditions are disappearing – not because we don’t care, it’s more about the way our lives have evolved. Decoration Day (called Homecoming in some churches) is a prime example. All over the South, in the early spring, families have gathered at the church cemeteries where our ancestors are buried to tend the graves. We’ve cleaned the weeds, made any needed repairs, washed the tombstones and decorated the graves. Generally followed by a community meal, this process served not only as a day to renew but also a day spent with family and friends not often seen. Today, most churches have a fund to keep their cemeteries clean and neat. The need to gather for cleaning is not as great, but for many communities, it has remained a day of celebration. These are just some of the stories of enduring traditions we’re sharing in this issue. While our customs are rooted in the past, it’s important to keep them alive so we can pass them to future generations to see what they will add to them. Our heritage endures.
Scott Speakes // Publisher
Genie Gaither Jones // Editor-in-Chief
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: In the print version of Issue 5 we mistakenly listed Randall Bramblett’s name in the headline as Bramlett. Thank goodness we had it right in the article! We offer our sincere apologies to Mr. Bramblett. We do know better.
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ISSUE NO. 6
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
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ISSUE NO. 6
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WE ARE GROWING A HEALTHY END TO HUNGER ONE VEGETABLE GARDEN AT A TIME.
Growing a Dream
N O M AT T E R H OW YO U N G YO U A R E YO U C A N MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD Written by Julia Haynes / Photography Courtesy of Stacy Stagliano The line of people stretched out the door of Tri-County Family Ministries. Third-grader Katie Stagliano helped to serve the more than 275 guests who waited for what might be the only meal they would have that day. It forever changed her life. Backtrack to early 2008 when Katie’s class participated in the Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program. With cabbage seedling in hand, Katie and her brother planted it in the family’s backyard and watched it grow, and grow, and grow. Katie believed her cabbage was special and she wanted to do something special with it. “My father reminded my brother and I often that we were blessed to sit down to a healthy meal every night. There were many families who struggled with hunger. One night at the dinner table it came to me, I knew what I needed to do with my cabbage. I wanted to share it with families struggling with hunger.” “My mom contacted Fields to Families, a local organization that assists farmers in donating extra crops from their fields to organizations that feed the hungry. They recommended I donate my cabbage to Tri-County Family Ministries, a local soup kitchen in North Charleston, South Carolina.” Katie and her brother harvested her prized cabbage and the family drove to the ministry to make her donation. Ms. Sue, the Director, greeted them and suggested they weigh the cabbage. Sitting on the kitchen scale, they watched in amazement as the numbers finally landed on 40 pounds! Her cabbage was going to be able to feed a lot of people. “As I served my cabbage to the guests the next day and they thanked me for helping to feed them, I knew I could, and I should do more to help,” said Katie. “My one cabbage helped to feed 275 people. After seeing how many people my one cabbage helped to feed, I thought how many people can a garden feed? And that was the inspiration for me to start Katie’s Krops” Fast forward to 2019 and Katie’s Krops is in its ninth year of community youth-based gardening with over 100 gardens across the country in 31 states. All the produce grown in the gardens is tended by young people who are getting their hands dirty and learning the joys of growing and harvesting their own produce and being able to share it with those struggling with food insecurity. Last year their participating growers donated over 38,000 pounds of fresh produce to hunger relief programs, cancer centers and directly to families in need. The original garden for Katie’s Krops was started on unused property belonging to the school she attended. Katie, other students and volunteers planted and worked the garden and today it continues to grow and thrive. “Five years ago I made a decision that forever changed the course of Katie’s Krops. That decision was to offer grants to other kids across the country to start Katie’s Krops gardens. I was only 12 years old and filled with doubts. Would anyone apply for a grant? Did other kids truly share my passion for growing an end to hunger?” With the help of her mother, Stacy, she cast her doubts aside and launched the first Katie’s Krops grants. They were overwhelmed at the response. More than 200 applications were submitted. “Selecting the recipients proved to be the biggest challenge. I poured over the 200 plus applications, reading and reviewing each and everyone. One stood out among the rest, a class of third grade students
in Watkinsville, Georgia. I selected Mrs. McGrath’s third grade class as one of our very first growers and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made!” In 2018, Katie was finally able to visit the garden in Watkinsville. Today it is one of their longest standing gardens and continues to thrive as an outstanding example of youth-based community involvement. “Several years ago a need presented itself in my community. That need was for hot, healthy, free meals for families and individuals facing hunger. The only soup kitchen in our community had to shut their doors for financial reasons. I had been donating fresh vegetables from our Katie’s Krops gardens to the soup kitchen. The individuals who relied on the soup kitchen for meals had become my friends. In my heart I knew I needed to help them, to find a way to provide healthy meals to these individuals. I may have been only twelve years old, but I recognized that our local Katie’s Krops Gardens and my friends could be the solution to this problem.” But how to do it? Always the doer Katie approached the head of Food Services at her school and a plan was created and the very first Katie’s Krops Dinner was born. Meals would be based on the harvest from their garden and every volunteer who helps with the dinners must spend time in the gardens helping to grow the food served. Katie’s Krops Dinners are truly garden to table. What they can’t grow is purchased through donations. Katie’s Krops Dinners have thrived even though things have changed. Last year more than 2,220 meals were prepared and served. Summerville Baptist Church embraced the program and has been hosting the dinners in their fellowship hall for the past three years. “The parishioners have welcomed us with open arms and embraced the belief that youth can end hunger one vegetable garden at a time. The number of guests we now serve has grown to an average of 150 per dinner. We never know just how many guests will join us. It is all part of the adventure.” These events serve as more than just a needed meal, they are also a great social outlet. The dinners are available to anyone, but caters to vets, senior citizens, families in need, homeless and disabled. In May, 2018 Katie was honored by receiving The Jane L. Taylor award from the American Horticulture Society. The award is given to an individual, organization, or program that has inspired and nurtured future horticulturists through efforts in youth gardening. Today, Katie is 19 and in her second year at College of Charleston where she is on the Dean’s List and studying Communications and Environmental Sustainability Studies. This young organizer continues to oversee her youth-based organization with the help of her parents, John and Stacy. “I have learned the joy that a hot meal can bring to an individual facing hunger. And how blessed I am to have amazing support from my community, my friends and their parents, my teachers, and my parents.” Katie’s dream to grow a healthy end to hunger, one vegetable garden at a time continues. The problem of hunger is real, yet Katie’s Krops mission is simple, “we all can help because it only takes a seedling.” www.katieskrops.com
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CHAPTER 1
SOUTHERN COMFORTS 13
SOUTHERN COMFORTS
S T Y L E
FARM TO HOME Written by Julian Brunt / Photography by Ensley Fairfield If I were to tell you about a place in northern Alabama called Red Land Cotton,
“Crisp and cool American made cotton sheets, with a vintage look and feel.”
certain associations just might come to mind. A poor red clay farm, a farmer
Mark Yeager got it all started while in a nostalgic mood, thinking about his
in overalls, or maybe even Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County. All would be
grandmother’s sheets. There was a certain feel to them he didn’t find in the
wrong, but it’s still an interesting story.
sheets bought at the big box stores. Anna and Mark started looking around for
If I threw into the tale a diminutive Southern woman, with no trace of a Southern accent at all, with a degree in graphic design, who left Alabama after college with no intention of coming back, and landed a successful job in
old sheets and found a set that had been made in the 1920s. This was exactly what they were looking for, and so the story of Red Land Cotton begins. They reproduced those sheets as authentically as they could, and got it right,
advertising on New York City’s Upper East
including the crisp feel that Mark had
Side, I think I’d get your attention, right?
remembered. But here is another curve
And this is just the beginning. Anna
ball: these sheets have a 140-thread
Brakefield is one of the most remarkable
count. The idea that the higher the
women I have ever met. She co-owns Red
thread count, the higher the quality of
Land Cotton with her father, Mark Yeager,
the cotton, is a marketing ploy most of
and two brothers, Mark, Jr and Joe, and
us have fallen for. The quality of cotton is
even though the men in the family play
judged by color and what the USDA calls
important roles in the family business, this
official leaf grades.
story is primarily about Anna.
Proof of Red Land Cotton’s success can
I was waiting for her in her shop on the
be seen in the amount of cotton that is
fading town square of Moulton, Alabama,
being used each year. The farm produc-
when she came through the barn style slid-
es several thousand bales a year, but in
ing door like a small whirlwind. She flashed
2017, the first year the cotton was used
an amazingly open smile, and in no time
for bedding, only forty-eight bales were
at all it was clear I was talking to a bril-
used. In 2018 that number jumped to
liant, intuitive business woman, who was
four hundred bales. It’s a group effort,
extremely confident in what she was doing.
with each family member making a sig-
It was equally as clear that this was a wom-
nificant contribution.
an who was willing to stand up for what she believed (more on that to come).
Anna described the division of labor her family has worked out. “We play in our
She talked about the red soil the five thousand acre farm is composed
own lanes pretty well,” but there was a tight smile when she told me her dad
of, crop rotation, how Dallas Yeager, her grandfather, bought the farm in the
managed the farming and manufacturing aspects of the business, and she did
1960s, how the USDA classifying office grades cotton, the process of picking
the marketing and design. I was beginning to understand that there was a col-
cotton, ginning, how the cotton is spun into yarn, sent to a mill in South Car-
lision of big personalities behind the scenes. One of her brothers told her once,
olina to be made into cloth, finished in Georgia, and then returned to Moulton
“I don’t know why you argue with dad so much, you know he is almost always
to a cut and sew shop just down the street. She is a buzz saw of information,
right.” Anna was very open about the difficulty of owning a family business.
facts and figures, all delivered with a friendly air of confidence.
She said, “Ask anyone who works with family, we argue about the business,
Anna describes Red Land Cotton as a farm to home business. They make high-end linens from the cotton they grow, what their web site describes as
politics, and everything under the sun.” Red Land Cotton is a family business and it can be contentious , but its
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
IT ALL STARTED THINKING ABOUT GRANDMOTHER’S SHEETS. THERE WAS A CERTAIN FEEL TO THEM THAT COULDN’T BE FOUND IN BIG BOX STORES
foundations are solid. I asked Anna what the business was all about, and she
oysters in Bayou la Batre (that sell in New Orleans’s up scale restaurants
quickly replied, “Family, quality, heritage, and dedication to getting it right.”
for three dollars and fifty cents each), or the fresh stone ground grits sold
Sales are brisk and social media is their primary marketing tool (they have
by the Original Grit Girl in Oxford, Mississippi to restaurants from New York
15,000 friends on Facebook), outside of the considerable attention national
to California. Small farms are making a comeback, but there is nothing old
media has given to them. Most sales are on-line.
school about them.
Red Land Cotton has brought business back to the town square and added
This new South economy is not going to be found at your local Wal-Mart.
a few jobs to the local economy. But there is another story going on here
Anna talked at length about the huge shift in the consumer’s search for infor-
that is beginning to be seen all over the South. Small businesses that are
mation. People are making better choices, choosing quality over price, and
carving out higher end niche markets, whether it is the off-bottom farmed
are in general better informed. Her customers don’t think twice about buying
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ISSUE NO. 6
expensive sheets that have a 140-thread count, they know the quality is in
to Biloxi. Before I left Moulton, I stopped to make a few notes. I wrote down,
the cotton and manufacturing.
“persistent, tough, bright, expressive, and concerned,” that’s Anna Brake-
When I was a kid growing up in north Mississippi, at least half the kids I
field, that’s the new South economy, and that’s Red Land Cotton.
went to school with were the sons and daughters of small farmers. Those days are long gone, but there is a bright horizon in specialty farming. Those that
Red Land Cotton
get into it, and understand the nature of marketing in this small, but growing
558 Lawrence Street
market place, are often successful. Who would have thought that a farm to
Moulton, AL 35650
home concept would work in a small town in north Alabama?
www.redlandcotton.com
When I left my interview with Anna, I got in my car for the long ride back
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
GIFTS
HEIRLOOMED “My Grandmother was the major inspiration for my business,” explains things or pieces that inspire me and then coming up with products, Ashley Schoenith. “I grew up with all things made-from-scratch – it’s packaging or design elements that help to celebrate that little slice of all I knew. I was always cooking and baking with her and my mom.” history. I always carry a notebook with me to jot down ideas or draw Schoenith was looking for a way to spend more time sketches.” with her Grandmother, who was a wonderful seamHeirloomed style is very simple with its muted, neutral stress; they began sewing aprons together around her color palette. There’s something of a farmhouse simkitchen table. That business actually began 12 years plicity but with a nod to vintage craftsman and nostalgic ago as Ice Milk Aprons. In 2012 she rebranded to design. Schoenith loves mixing old with new so things Heirloomed and expanded into more than just aprons. don’t feel dated but instead like they have a story to tell. “The heart of my products have always been special With the success of Heirloomed, Schoenith reflects, details that help people to use them, love them and “People seem to really relate to the nostalgia of our pass them down, becoming heirlooms in their own brand. I think folks connect to the simple days of the family.” past and are trying to find ways to slow down and create Born and raised in the South, this 8th generation Flomemories for their own families, or to find a meaningful ridian, has deep roots here. “This region is truly a gift that someone will really appreciate. I think that is part of who I am. I’ve never lived anywhere else and what really makes us special.” this way of life is engrained in my soul,” she says. The mission for Schoenith is to keep heirlooms around “You can certainly see the influence the South has for another generation. “I like to think that this helps us Ashley Schoenith had on it. I try to be so authentic in what we are putto keep the story and history of things alive and thrivting out there and it’s just who I am.” She remembers ing.” her childhood in a very nostalgic way. History, old things and vintage With all that’s going on Schoenith contemplates, “I’m just really pieces continue to inspire her work. From creating products like bisthankful to be doing what I love and have people connect with it. I cuit cutters, to the content and stories they tell on their website (the think that is what is so great about this community, it is so supportive Southern Kitchen Bucket List series) history continues to play an imand there is so much going on here in the South that should be celeportant role. brated. I’m excited to witness to it all.” Schoenith comes from a background in advertising and brand marketHeirloomed is available through their website in addition to many ining so her approach to design is rooted in storytelling. “I love finding dependent shops and retailers across the country. www.heirloomed.com
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S T Y L E
L I T T L E E NG L I S H Growing up in Memphis and North Mississippi where cotton was The handwork in these countries is truly unmatched. By sewing in king and heirloom sewing was a staple in children’s closets, Shannon Central and South America, we have access to textile mills where Latham truly understands the value of beautiful, hand-sewn, all-cotwe can custom print our own fabrics to add to the custom, signaton garments. “This impacted my passion and now ture look of Little English products. These countries have the products Little English carries. My designs are a been mastering their techniques for centuries and they nod toward an era where families were well dressed truly understand the importance of quality and attention for special occasions in beautiful clothing.” To see to detail. Little English on a child conjures up memories of evModern moms with a classic eye and who feel clothing erything from warm summer evenings sitting on the is not only a representation of their child, but also of porch, to singing carols around the Christmas tree generations of families who came before them, love Little and going to your grandparents’ home every Sunday English. Customers view classic clothes as an investment for supper. for their children. They are searching for clothing that Latham always had a passion for clothing and decan withstand playtime and special memories, while sign and was originally a founding member of a washing well and being worn and loved for years to come. sweater company that sold in 2003. After that, she Latham points out, “We hear time and time again that thought she was going to be a stay-at-home mom, but our look is so effortlessly classic. Meaning, there isn’t couldn’t ignore her love for design and began sketchover-embellishment on the garments. These pieces are Dunn & Shannon Latham ing again. Two months later the idea of Little English well made and can be passed down between siblings and was born. The company launched in 2004 with the generations.” idea of making floor-length, hand-smocked day gowns for girls and Latham’s daughter, Dunn, serves as the Chief Operating Officer for matching two-piece smocked loungewear sets for boys. A talented Little English. “She brings a fresh perspective to our brand with an manufacturer in El Salvador was contacted and a few weeks later incredible eye for design. I love how she has inspired new designs Latham was on a plane with designs in hand. and taken the company on a new journey. We are so lucky to do what Quality and handwork were two things Latham felt were extremely we love! We’re a mother-daughter duo who truly loves what we do!” important for her vision. She had long admired the work she saw in In addition to all collections being sold online, Little English can be other countries, “We work with El Salvador for smocking, Colombia found in numerous boutiques across the United States, with heavy for shadow embroidery and Peru for crochet and pinpoint techniques. concentration in the South East. www.littleenglish.com
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
H O M E
NEEDLE AND GRAIN For husband-and-wife duo, Bryson and Susan Leach, it’s the little dow of their shop in Columbia, TN – Curated Goods for Purposeful imperfections and the stories behind hand-crafted goods that really Living. makes them special. Susan explains, “You can tell stories all you Blending the old and the new with lots of color, comfort and simwant about mass produced goods, but they’re nevple pattern is a hallmark of Needle and Grain. Comfy er as touching and relatable as the ones from small Minimalism is probably the best way to say it! Susan businesses or lone makers burning the midnight oil points out that “most of the quilts I make I’ve pulled to make beautiful things.” the pattern guides from vintage quilting books but I It was that love of handcrafting and the stories that use simple fabrics to really make the pattern the star go with them that led Bryson and Susan to start their of the product. In our house, we have lots of white own company in 2014. “We both got really into our walls and neutral furniture but we use products like own hobbies. We had made enough stuff that we quilts and wood and art prints to bring color and life needed to make room for more so we opened up an to the home.” Etsy shop and now here we are!” Susan laughs. “In Living in a small town that’s brimming with old arour store, we’re able to give a story behind almost evchitecture and design and good people has become a ery product we sell and that’s really important to us.” source of inspiration. It’s a place where they bring new What began as a hobby to preserve the traditions of ideas into a dance with tradition. “The people are also Susan & Bryson Leach quilting and small-scale woodcraft has grown into a a great source of inspiration and feedback. They’ve brand centered on family, hard work and purposeful truly helped our business become what it is today.” living. Bryson and Susan are actively involved with the young people of Bryson had been a full-time designer and creative for a while and their community through the Young Life organization in their homehad a passion for well-made and well-designed things. It naturally town. They volunteer every week with the Christian youth organispread to Susan and their entire home! zation helping youth to grow spiritually. Slowing down a bit may be Both Bryson and Susan truly believe that the things they sell are on the radar for this busy couple – their first baby is due in a few chosen for a purpose. “We want to move away from being a “gift months. In the meantime they continue to make and explore new shop” into a true “mercantile” that meets your family’s needs in patterns for quilts, blankets and swaddles while growing their busimany ways.”They believe in it so much they even put it on the winness. www.needleandgrain.com
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