EDITOR’S LETTER
ESTABLISHED MAY 1, 1990
Savannah magazine’s mission is to celebrate the new and enduring voices of our city’s culture, commerce and creative community. Elegant and relevant. Authentic and fun. That’s your Savannah, and this is your magazine. To subscribe and save up to 78 percent off the newsstand price, go to savannahmagazine.com or call 800.453.1049. For address changes and other concerns, contact savannahmag @emailcustomerservice.com.
PETER MU RRAY
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DURING THE PAST YEAR, when local businesses have temporarily closed, reopened, closed again, reopened again and, sadly, when some have even shuttered permanently, I’ve asked myself, “What can I do to support them? What can we, as a community, do to support them?” Consider this issue a call to arms — ones heavy with shopping bags. The staff and collaborators at Savannah magazine revamped our March/April offering, historically our Style Issue, to become The Shop Local Issue. It’s a theme, but also a simple directive: when you can, shop local. The pandemic’s economic impacts have understandably tightened wallets, and I’m not suggesting to spend for spending’s sake. But when there’s a need — for a gift, a small pick-me-up or even a big-ticket purchase — consider visiting a locally owned establishment before a big-box store. Savannah even has options for essential items. Low on gas? Head to Parker’s. Tired of the lines at CVS? Try Apollo Pharmacy. I’d personally argue coffee is essential, and we’ve got Savannah Coffee Roasters, Blends a Coffee Boutique and Foxy Loxy Cafe, to name a few. Of course, the ways to embrace a local mindset stretch even further. In an illuminating conversation on page 82, Benjamin Simons, new executive director and CEO of Telfair Museums, shares that institutions like the Telfair provide sanctuary, offering a place where people can feel both safe and uplifted. Many of the city’s local businesses fall under this same category, including the inspiring independent bookstores novelist Jonathan Rabb explores in his humorous and heartfelt ode, “Fine Print,” on page 115. As Elondia Harden, founder of ElonWick Candle Co., tells us on page 108, “Your patronage of local businesses means that someone’s lights will stay on, employees are paid and everyone can feed themselves and their families.” With this in mind, buying a candle, a book or anything at all locally isn’t so frivolous. It’s an investment in our community.
Sara Watson Editor
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Find a sampling of local shops across a range of categories — clothing, accessories, antiques, home goods — in our directory on page 153.
