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FROM THE EDITOR
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CATHY MARTIN EDITOR editor@southparkmagazine.com
Photographer Richard Israel caught Jay Bilas on a rare break from covering college hoops to photograph the ESPN analyst and his wife, artist Wendy Bilas, at home for our cover story. 8
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rowing up, Valentine’s Day meant cards and candy. Being an arts-and-crafty kind of kid, the highlight for me was in school, when we made those heartshaped, construction-paper folders to hold the diminutive greeting cards we’d choose with our moms at the drugstore. I’d spend hours with those stubby little scissors, cutting and pasting bits and strips of pink and red paper and lace paper doilies, trying to outdo my classmates. When we finished our creations, the teacher would line them along the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. Then, we’d wait to see how many cards we got. If you were lucky, along with all the kitten, Batman and Snoopy cards (showing my age here), you might get a heart-shaped lollipop stamped with LUV U or BE MINE or a miniature box of those chalky candy hearts. The first couple of years, the kids gave cards to all their classmates. But by about the 3rd or 4th grade, some of my classmates’ folders were bulging with cards and candy, while others only had a few. I always felt for the ones — typically the shy kids who rarely spoke up in class — who didn’t get a lot of Valentines. By the time my kids came along, things were a bit more equitable — the teachers and parents did a far better job at promoting inclusion. ALL the kids swapped cards and candy, and they’d decorate shoe boxes instead of folders, which better concealed their bounty (or lack thereof). Plus, the kids weren’t allowed to open their boxes till they got home. I worked hard to create the prettiest little heart folder you’d ever seen, but in the end, it was just a popularity contest. Before social media — before kids measured each other’s worth through likes and views — we measured it by who got the most cards and candy. The more things change, the more they stay the same. For some of us, Valentine’s Day is still about the candy. For others, it’s just another Hallmark holiday, guilting us into buying flowers, champagne, chocolates and fancy dinners for our significant others. As my family can attest, I’m not the most sentimental. I forget birthdays all the time. I’ve admonished my husband for spending too much money on flowers. But I do love a good love story. Christmas isn’t Christmas until I’ve watched Love Actually from beginning to end. And for years, I’ve adored The New York Times’ Modern Love series of essays that spawned the Amazon show based upon it. So perhaps that’s what led us to ask a few Charlotte couples to tell us their love stories (Page 64). We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed working on it. SP
All in a day’s work: SouthPark Contributing Editor Jennings Cool went on a breathtaking sunset balloon ride while researching her story on Statesville, the unofficial ballooning capital of the East (Page 92).
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February BLVD.
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22 | interiors An uber-feminine dining room with bold accents and punchy patterns
26 | style Closet crush: Charlton Alicea Tapp
34 | profile Priya Sircar is Charlotte’s first arts and culture officer.
38 | performing arts Central Piedmont’s new Parr Center is the latest jewel in Charlotte’s crown.
40 | my favorite things Novant Health System Chief of Staff Kim Henderson
42 | givers Local nonprofits support global causes.
46 | cuisine Dinner for two: date-night spots for every mood
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48 | creators of N.C. Jaki Shelton Green captures the beauty and cruelty of humanity in her poetry.
52 | happenings February calendar of events
DEPARTMENTS 57 | simple life Spirit animals and soulmates
61 | bookshelf Notable new releases
98 | swirl Parties and events around Charlotte
112 | gallery Charlotte Ballet’s first show of 2022 is a tribute to its founding.
ABOUT THE COVER Miracle and James Yoder, owners of Not Just Coffee and coowners of Night Swim Coffee, photographed in South End by Richard Israel.
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G E N E R A L C O N T R AC TO R
64 | Love stories by Sharon Smith • photographs by Richard Israel From first sparks to “wow” moments, Charlotte couples share personal stories of enduring love.
78 | Uptown collisions by Michael J. Solender • photographs by Justin Driscoll History, commerce and culture converge at uptown’s Brooklyn Collective.
84 | Light and aerie by Cathy Martin • photographs by Dustin Peck A SouthPark couple trades their big house for big views in their stylish new apartment.
92 | Above the clouds by Jennings Cool • photographs by Jennings Cool and Seth Roddey In Statesville, adventure-seekers enjoy the thrill of hot-air ballooning.
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1230 West Morehead St., Suite 308 Charlotte, NC 28208 704-523-6987 southparkmagazine.com _______________ Ben Kinney Publisher publisher@southparkmagazine.com Cathy Martin Editor editor@southparkmagazine.com Sharon Smith Assistant Editor Andie Rose Art Director Alyssa Kennedy Graphic Designer Whitley Adkins Style Editor Contributing Editors Jennings Cool, David Mildenberg Contributing Writers Michelle Boudin, Wiley Cash, Jim Dodson, Amanda Lea, Page Leggett, Ebony L. Morman, Michael J. Solender Contributing Photographers Mallory Cash, Daniel Coston, Justin Driscoll, Heather Ison, Richard Israel, Amy Kolo, Dustin Peck, Seth Roddey _______________ ADVERTISING Jane Rodewald Sales Manager 704-621-9198 jane@southparkmagazine.com Scott Leonard Account Executive/Audience Development Specialist 704-996-6426 scott@southparkmagazine.com Sarah Fligel Marketing Specialist Brad Beard Graphic Designer _______________ Letters to the editorial staff: editor@southparkmagazine.com Instagram: southparkmagazine Facebook: facebook.com/southparkmagazine Twitter: twitter.com/SouthParkMag
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Published by Old North State Magazines LLC. ©Copyright 2022. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Volume 26, Issue 2
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blvd. people, places, things
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE PLAID PENGUIN
TROPIC FEVER Like the song goes, baby, it’s cold outside — but this island-inspired cocktail from The Royal Tot has us thinking about warmer days ahead. The Queen’s Park Swizzle is made with barrel-aged rum, lime, turbinado sugar, fresh mint and aromatic bitters. The two-story cocktail bar (with a rooftop deck dubbed “The Bird’s Nest”) opened last month in the Belmont neighborhood and claims to have the largest rum collection in the Queen City, with more than 100 varieties. Nearly two dozen tropical cocktails are on the drink menu curated by beverage director Larry Suggs (formerly of The Stanley and The Punch Room). Nosh on small and large plates like ginger soy salmon, smoked seafood dip or Hawaiian deviled eggs from Paper Plane Deli & Market. And if you’re curious about the name: The Royal Tot refers to the daily rum ration allotted to sailors in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy until the practice was abolished in 1970. 933 Louise Ave., theroyaltot.com SP
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Living out loud LORI SHAW DESIGNS AN UBER-FEMININE DINING ROOM WITH BOLD ACCENTS AND PUNCHY PATTERNS. by Cathy Martin • photos by Heather Ison
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TO THE MAX: A Miranda Kerr alabaster dining table from Designers Marketplace is lined with stackable ghost chairs from Houzz and hot pink captain’s chairs from Wayfair. For the ceiling lighting, the designer arranged 10 individual pendants. The floral Milton & King wallpaper on the ceiling complements walls painted in Sherwin Williams Dress Blues.
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hen Lori Shaw’s 20-something client tapped her to design her south Charlotte home, she wanted a vibe that embodied feminine strength with bright colors and bold patterns. No space captures that spirit more than the home’s dining room, where hot pink velvet armchairs and acrylic ghost chairs surround a table set for 12 under a floral-wallpapered ceiling. Shaw enjoyed a successful career as a cookbook author until 2020, when a breast cancer diagnosis followed by six months of treatments made her rethink her intentions. She began studying design, got her master gardener certification and, last year, launched Designed by Lori, an interior and landscape design firm. She says her goal is “to help bring clients the joyful spaces they want to spend their time in, especially now that so many people are spending more time at home.” Nearly a dozen projects later, Shaw says she’s found her calling. “It came so natural to me,” she says. The challenge in this case, however, came in finding furnishings and accessories in the bold palette her client desired amid so many neutral-toned showrooms in Charlotte. She and her client found inspiration in United Kingdom-based designs,
Since the homeowner had a modest budget, designer Lori Shaw found the buffet and hutch at a garage sale and had them restored by Restore 704. The snail bar cart and gold mirror are from Sara Chen Design.
where bold accents and colors are more prevalent. Shaw, who can be found on Instagram @spacesthatbringjoy, says her client isn’t the only one who’s trading a neutral palette for a color-splashed one. She’s noticed a shift among other clients as well. “People used to decorate their houses for other people,” often with entertaining in mind, the designer says. Being homebound during the pandemic has many homeowners craving more vibrant spaces. Her client is proof that a bold and colorful home can be mood-lifting. “[The homeowner] says her serotonin levels go up whenever she’s in the house.” SP
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CLOSET CRUSH:
Charlton Alicea Tapp by Whitley Adkins | photographs by Amy Kolo
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blvd. | style
One inspiration for Charlton Tapp’s dressing room came after viewing a documentary about Raine Spencer, Princess Diana’s stepmother. “When she married Diana’s father, she redecorated the house to suit herself. She took all the furniture and gilded it in gold. … She would use colors outside of the box. ... Her pioneering way of going against the grain inspired me to do something a little more over the top, which included using my own gilded chairs.”
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ne of Charton Alicea Tapp’s most valued possessions is a well-worn suitcase he keeps in the closet of his south Charlotte home, which he shares with his fashion designer husband, Bobbie. When Tapp’s parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in 1966, they packed everything they owned in it. His mother and father initially moved to Patterson, N.J., where Tapp’s uncle lived. “My uncle told my father to come and that he would get them work, and then my uncle decided to move to Charlotte,” says Tapp, 45, owner of Tapp Beauty (formerly Jeffre Scott Apothecary) in Myers Park. “My parents came to visit them here and fell in love with the Carolinas. They thought it was green like Puerto Rico.” The family settled in Indian Land, S.C. After graduating from high school, Tapp pursued a career in ballroom dancing and moved to California. It’s fair to say he is one of those rare few who pursues a passion early and hits the nail on the head, making a career of it. Dancing, however, is quite far from being Tapp’s only passion and talent. After all, does a creative ever really pursue only one outlet? Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MOVE BACK TO CHARLOTTE?
9/11. I was in San Francisco with no money. My dance partner and I had broken up. I was 25 and felt the draw to be closer to family. It was a good time to exit stage left from California. I moved back to Charlotte and continued professional ballroom dancing. Because of the recession in 2007-09, I decided to go to beauty school and switch careers, and everybody thought I was crazy. From that point, I fast-tracked myself to the top of the beauty game here in Charlotte. I started doing hair and makeup on the side for the dancers in competitions. I was always artistic. My husband Bobbie and I call it being an “aestheticist.” TELL US MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BACKGROUND.
I call myself a poor little country boy on a dirt road. We weren’t exactly poor, but we lived modestly. WOULD YOU CALL YOURSELF THAT NOW?
I definitely still know how to stretch a dollar.
southparkmagazine.com | 27
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THIS CLOSET IS A MAXIMALIST’S DELIGHT! TELL ME ABOUT THE DESIGN INSPIRATION.
When we bought the house, I knew I wanted to turn one of the bedrooms into a dressing room. We had a vintage roll of Asian toile wallpaper that had been hanging around in Bobbie’s world for about 25 years, which he got for about $4.99 at a yard sale. I used that as the color template, and kind of let my imagination go. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
As an artist, there are a lot of people living inside of me. Sometimes I want to be flashy, and sometimes I want to be preppy and sometimes I want to be rock ’n roll. I love Lenny Kravitz. He has this kind of edge, and he’s not afraid to wear what he wants to wear, but it is one continuous edge. He doesn’t diversify from the rocker. I don’t want to wear sparkly tennis shoes every day, but yes, most of the days. YES! THERE’S A WHOLE LOTTA BLING IN THAT CORNER. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?
Well, I have a lot of passions — going from full-time dancing to full-time beauty guru, I needed an outlet for self expression. I was introduced to pageantry in 2017, so I figured I’d better do it now before I get too old. In 2017, in my second pageant, I won National Entertainer of the Year. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE DESIGN FROM A FUNCTIONALITY AND STORAGE ASPECT.
I needed more hanging space. That was the key. Even in the shoe closet, I can deconstruct it to create more hanging space. Then, there are large pull-out drawers for capes for my performances. YOUR WARDROBE IS QUITE COLORFUL AND FUN! I AM ASSUMING THIS IS NOT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WARDROBE.
No, my dressing room is the place for all of my party clothes and dressy clothes, ballroom and nightclub clothes. WHERE DO YOU SHOP?
Nordstrom is my go-to place, and the Nordstrom in Chicago is my favorite. It’s got a lot of high-end stuff without being over the top. I’m a big fan of Zara. 28
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blvd. | style
DO YOU HAVE ANY STYLE ICONS OR INSPIRATIONS WHO HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
I like Prince, for sure, and Freddie Mercury. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’VE EVOLVED A LOT IN YOUR CAREER AND LIFE.
Yes, and every phase is a part of who I am. You gotta constantly be striving, and that’s with the physical, spiritual and mental. SP
THIS OR THAT Animal print or floral? The old me would say animal print, the new me is definitely floral. East Coast or West Coast? East Coast. In my 20s I was West Coast, but as I matured, I’m an East Coaster all the way. Sneakers or dress slippers? Sneakers Fur or sequins? Fur Color, pattern or texture? Pattern Sunglasses or crown? Crown! VIntage or modern? Vintage Favorite decade in fashion? Definitely the ’70s and specifically, disco.
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blvd. | profile
Culture champ PRIYA SIRCAR, THE CITY’S FIRST ARTS AND CULTURE OFFICER, WILL SPEARHEAD DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW PLAN FOR SUPPORTING THE ARTS IN CHARLOTTE. by Michael J. Solender
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decades working in philanthropy and nonprofit management and consulting. Her background includes developing cultural plans for cities such as Dallas, Houston, and Louisville, Ky. SouthPark Magazine sat down with Sircar in early December. Her responses are lightly edited for length and clarity. WHY WAS THIS NEW ROLE ESTABLISHED FOR THE CITY?
United Arts Funds like ASC (Charlotte Arts & Science Council) across the country have been on a long trajectory of declining support. Workplace giving has been in decline, not just in the arts and culture sector but in other areas as well. The city felt that model was not working well. The city wanted to try something different and is engaging in a public-private partnership model in collaboration with the Foundation For The Carolinas. WHAT IS YOUR MANDATE?
My mandate coming in is to oversee an inclusive citywide arts and cultural planning process and work with the newly appointed arts and culture advisory board. Part of those responsibilities include advising on funding allocations from the newly established Infusion Fund. I’ll also work to support my city and my colleagues in other areas outside of this process such as city placemaking, transit and public art. … This role is a dream and a confluence of my passions and expertise in bringing together many things I know how to do and care about deeply.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY CITY OF CHARLOTTE
ate last summer when the city of Charlotte announced the appointment of Priya Sircar as arts and culture officer, City Manager Marcus Jones used the moment to emphasize the cultural community’s role in helping shape a more vibrant Charlotte. “A thriving arts community is a priority for the City of Charlotte,” Jones said in a news release. “[The city looks to] ensure that the next chapter for artists and arts organizations here in Charlotte is the most successful one yet.” Arts and cultural organizations have been hit particularly hard during the pandemic as venues were shuttered and creatives were left without performance or exhibition space or viable markets for their work, along with strained philanthropic support. Sircar was brought on to lead the creation of a new cultural plan for the city. The plan, crafted through a collaborative public-private partnership, defines a new chapter in the city’s funding relationship with the arts community. It represents a shift away from the nonprofit Arts & Science Council as the primary fundraiser and grant-maker for the local arts community. Sircar serves as liaison with a new 18-member advisory board, which will oversee public investment of $18 million, matched by an additional $18 million-plus in private-sector funds over the next three years. Six board members are appointed by the City Council, three by the mayor, eight by Foundation For The Carolinas and one by the ASC. Before coming to Charlotte, Sircar served as the director of arts for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami. An artist herself (she’s a dancer and choreographer), Sircar has spent two
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blvd. | profile WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE PLAN, WHAT ISSUES WILL IT ADDRESS AND HOW WILL RESULTS BE MEASURED?
We are very early in the process, though one initial goal is to stabilize the sector. Sustainable funding is clearly a core issue we look to address. A plan like this needs to have local context surrounding the background of arts and culture in our community. How did we get here? What is going on? There also needs to be deep research and analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, and extensive community engagement. Part of the process is also looking across the country to determine what is going on in other places. We’ll likely look at other cities (Austin, Denver and others) to identify potential solutions and approaches to sustainable arts. We’ll be looking beyond funding. One thing the pandemic has highlighted is this whole notion of resilience. In many arts circles the conversation has shifted from sustainability to resilience. … Our plan needs to look at the full ecosystem, including for-profit and nonprofit models. One of the priorities of the city’s public/private partnership is economic impact, certainly. What I also believe is important and don’t want to go missing in this equation is the social impact that arts and culture can have in the community. We saw that become more obvious during the pandemic and during the implications of the racial justice movement. The pandemic certainly underscored many of these inequities. Charlotte became
a nationally significant player and venue for these conversations when the Black Lives Matter mural was installed on Tryon Street last year, for example. We have an unusual opportunity in this moment to talk about return on investment in a more nuanced and holistic fashion. WHEN MEETING WITH ARTISTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WHAT DO YOU LOOK TO LEARN ABOUT THEM AND CHARLOTTE’S CULTURAL COMMUNITY?
I want to connect with people where they are — in different neighborhoods around Charlotte. My goal is to immerse myself as much as possible. With artists and administrators, I’m interested in learning about their partners and collaborators in [supporting their] work, what their revenue sources are, who’s being served, who their audiences are, where is their work performed and consumed, volunteers, what their programing is, and what are the toughest areas to be funded. Themes I’ve already heard are, of course, operating funds, but also space for rehearsals, art-making and performance. Another huge theme I’m exploring is how people get training, education, exposure and opportunities to pursue creative development. Are these resources available here? What are the gaps, how do artists build careers here? Charlotte has shown me there is tremendous creative energy and arts and cultural amenities here. I’m hopeful to help the city build upon that. SP
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blvd. | performing arts
On Parr CPCC’S NEW THEATER — PART OF ITS STUDENT CENTER — IS THE LATEST JEWEL IN CHARLOTTE’S CROWN. by Page Leggett
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hen the new Parr Center, including a library and student center, opens near uptown this April, it will be the largest building on any of Central Piedmont Community College’s six campuses. The 183,000-square-foot center named for long-time benefactors Wilton and Mary Parr is big news for theatergoers because it will also contain a name-still-to-be-announced, 430-seat theater. While the Parr Center, funded by a 2013 bond package, is geared toward students, it’s also likely to become a community gathering spot, according to Jeff Lowrance, CPCC’s vice president for communications, marketing and public relations. “The Parr Center, with its Student Success Center, new Hagemeyer Library and new theater, will become the new front door and signature and landmark facility on the central campus,” Lowrance says. “The new theater will complement the facility well, offering an intimate, yet state-of-the-art experience for live arts programming.” The new ADA-compliant theater replaces the old 400-seat Pease Auditorium, which had been part of Charlotte’s theater landscape since 1972 in the razed Terrell building. The new theater has a gentle, vertical slope and was designed more as a performance and presentation space and less as an auditorium/classroom, Lowrance says. CPCC’s other theater space, the Dale F. Halton Theater, seats 1,022. A lobby featuring a box office, concession stand and the Pauline Dove Gallery, named for Pauline (Polly) Dove, who helped establish Central Piedmont’s printmaking program and initiated the first student art show, are part of the experience and can be rented as standalone or companion spaces for receptions. A rooftop terrace is also available for rent. 38
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The inaugural event planned in the new theater is The Diary of Anne Frank presented by Central Piedmont Theatre. Show dates and times were still pending at press time. In late May, Theatre Charlotte takes over the stage with Detroit ’67, a play that takes place against the backdrop of an uprising that shook the Motor City during the turbulent 1960s. After its home base was damaged by fire, the troupe has been on the move, performing at various venues around Charlotte while its Queens Road theater is being restored. “Having seen the space in its early stages, it is definitely designed for audience comfort,” says Chris Timmons, Theatre Charlotte’s acting executive director. “The seating chart is spacious to maximize distance between rows with plenty of accessible seating and what appear to be great sightlines.” The new theater at CPCC has something many theaters lack: plentiful and free parking. Current theater parking on 4th Street will be available for theater patrons, Lowrance says. In addition, Pease Lane will be open directly in front of the theater entrance for drop off, and there are plans for a limited number of accessible parking spots there. There are other features the audience may not notice, but performers will appreciate — a Steinway piano, Marley flooring for dance, front and rear projectors for state-of-the-art scene projection. The Parr Center was designed by Moody Nolan and Morris-Berg Architects, with construction-management services provided by Rodgers Builders. SP The Parr Center is at 1201 Elizabeth Ave. on CPCC’s main campus. Learn more and buy tickets for The Diary of Anne Frank at tix.cpcc. edu. Tickets for Detroit ’67 are available at theatrecharlotte.org.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CPCC
CPCC’s new Parr Center, named for benefactors Wilton and Mary Parr, opens in April. Wilton Parr is a former Piedmont Natural Gas executive who took classes and tutored students at CPCC.
Your Smile... is Our Passion! Ramel’s Smile by Dr Steven Ghim and dental technician Naoki Hayashi
70 4 - 93 5 - 270 0 d r steve n g h i m .co m
blvd. | people
MY FAVORITE THINGS:
Kim Henderson by Ebony L. Morman
K
im Henderson, system chief of staff at Novant Health, is passionate about community, serving on the Charlotte board of the American Heart Association, as a trustee on the board of The Fletcher School and as executive in residence for the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte. An active arts supporter, Henderson will participate in the Charlotte Ballet’s Dancing With the Stars fundraiser on March 5. Her performance with dance partner Maurice Mouzon Jr. is dedicated to honoring Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, the beloved physician and community leader who died in November after battling cancer. Half of Henderson’s fundraising total will go to the Charlotte Ballet, and the other half will go to the Health Equity Fund at Novant Health Foundation. The fund helps ensure patients from underserved communities get the health care they need. Comments have been edited for length and clarity. DINING OUT
I love BrickTop’s. One of my all time favorite things is their guacamole — I think they have the best guacamole in town. Another place that I really like is Little Mama’s. I love the ambience. It’s quaint, and I love the menu and atmosphere.
Kim Henderson, right, is one of seven community leaders competing in the Charlotte Ballet's Dancing With the Stars fundraiser at Knight Theater on March 5. She's pictured here with her dance partner, Maurice Mouzon Jr.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
I like to be outside in beautiful surroundings. I like to play golf because I can see the beautiful landscape. I also snow ski. I just got back from Colorado. I was skiing in Vail and Beaver Creek. I loved everything about being out in those mountains and the fresh air. SHOPPING
FAVORITE PLACE
I have a 12-year-old who’s going on 13, and we frequent
I have a goldendoodle, Simba, and a Bernedoodle, Annie. I love going to Freedom Park with my dogs, and my daughter plays soccer there. I like walking through the park because I try to get at least 10,000 steps each day. It’s just so beautiful and peaceful. I also enjoy eating lunch there.
Altar’d State and Lululemon. We really like shopping. What’s great is that there’s such great variety, everything from casual to evening gowns and what you would need for a black-tie event. It is like onestop shopping.
LOCAL ARTS
TREATS
My favorite thing is the Charlotte Ballet. I’m a huge arts supporter. I served on the Arts & Science Council board for six years in Charlotte. I served on the Discovery Place and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art boards. It’s a privilege now to raise awareness and funds for the Charlotte Ballet because the dancers are amazing and talented. I did ballet until seventh grade, and the only thing I really remember is a pink tutu. But my [Dancing with the Stars] dance partner, Maurice, is absolutely phenomenal. In the short time that we have been paired, I have an even better appreciation for how the dancers prepare. The one word that comes to mind is discipline. I am in complete awe of these professional dancers.
All my friends would say, “Kim, you love peanut M&M’s.” Everyone knows that about me. When people come to meetings, they bring me a bag of peanut M&M’s. I’m like, how did word get out? My friend says, “Kim, you can sustain yourself on peanut M&M’s.”
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SouthPark Mall often. Some of our hot spots right now would be
TRAVEL
My favorite place to travel is Kiawah Island because of its wide beaches. We go a couple of times each year. It’s just beautiful ... I love when you drive into the island and the moss is hanging from the trees. SP
Charlotte/Pineville, NC • Hickory, NC goodshomefurnishings.com
blvd. | givers Meghann Gunderman Sehorn started The Foundation For Tomorrow to help children in Tanzania get an education.
Aid around the world LOCAL NONPROFITS SUPPORT GLOBAL CAUSES.
t’s not always easy to see beyond the relative comfort of the Charlotte bubble many of us enjoy. But for some Queen City women, learning about the plight of people halfway around the world was so powerful, it prompted them to start nonprofits anchored right here in Charlotte, with help from their local networks.
THE FOUNDATION FOR TOMORROW Meghann Gunderman Sehorn was a lifer at Charlotte Country Day School before moving to the United Kingdom for college. In 2004, as part of her dissertation, she spent two months in Tanzania volunteering at an orphanage where she was struck by the fact that many kids there didn’t have access to school. “I’d been given every educational opportunity, and I was well-traveled, but I’d never been to a developing country and I realized I knew nothing. It was an ‘aha’ moment where you realize you couldn’t possibly understand the reality that exists for most people. It shook me to my core.” Back in the U.S. after graduation, she had a job lined up at an investment banking firm but decided to travel back to Tanzania with a group of girlfriends before starting work. Back at the orphanage, she fell in love with a set of young triplets and wanted to figure out a way to provide an education for them. “I wrote a long email to friends and family asking for help, and I had an overwhelming response. So in 2005, we informally started putting these children in school. I kept talking about them to anybody who would listen. That was the inspiration for The 42
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Foundation For Tomorrow. Being a geography major, I felt like geography shouldn’t dictate how far an individual goes or the quality of education they receive.” In 2006, Sehorn launched TFFT. The nonprofit works to put orphaned and vulnerable Tanzanian children in school and trains teachers and school management teams to create better learning environments. Now, TFFT is building an interactive center (similar to Charlotte’s Imaginon) with a literacy lab, a computer center and more. It’s set to open in March 2023. Sehorn helps oversee that and much of the foundation’s work, splitting her time between her homes in SouthPark and Tanzania. The new mom says she’s grateful her hometown has supported her every step of the way. “It’s pretty cool. Charlotte people really got behind it from the beginning and have stayed a part of it. Groups of people come over with me and run the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon every February to raise money, and we have an annual vision trip every September where people can come and see the lives they are impacting. A group of Charlotte ladies joined me over there right before the shutdown happened in 2020.” Sehorn is still in touch with the triplets. Now 20, they all went through the TFFT program and are thriving. Sehorn says she never imagined a college assignment 20 years ago could have such an enduring impact. “I surrounded myself with a lot of people who knew more than I did, and they helped make this what it is today. I’m the bullhorn, but it’s because of the team.”
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF TFFT
I
by Michelle Boudin
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HEALING HANDS OF JOY Before she moved to Charlotte in 2018, Allison Shigo was working in development for a production company in New York City. She began work on a documentary about Ethiopian women living with fistula, a devastating injury suffered during childbirth that often leaves women ostracized in their communities. “I fell in love with the story, and I begged my boss to let me go to Ethiopia,” Shigo says. “Over eight weeks, we went deep into the countryside trying to find these women in hiding.” Shigo ended up as a co-producer on A Walk to Beautiful, the Emmy-award winning documentary that was bought by PBS and seen worldwide. The work haunted Shigo. “I was a C-section baby born in New Hampshire, breached and upside down, and if my mother had been in Ethiopia, I probably wouldn’t be here.” Fistula was eradicated in America in the last century, so Shigo didn’t understand why women were still suffering. “I could not turn my back when there were so many women suffering needlessly.” In 2009, Shigo founded Healing Hands of Joy, the nonprofit she runs from her Dilworth office that works to help Ethiopian fistula survivors and train them as ambassadors to help prevent
other women in their villages from enduring the same fate. Shigo typically travels to Ethiopia twice a year to meet with her team of 40 there. Thanks to Healing Hands of Joy, more than 2,100 women have received counseling, education, financial help and skills training. Another 1,500 male family members have also gone through the program. Just last year, Healing Hands of Joy opened its fourth training center and launched a partnership with Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health with the goal of eliminating fistula by 2025. “That’s the big-picture dream,” Shigo says. “I never imagined ending [fistula] could happen in my lifetime, but now it really could happen.” Much of the work is happening thanks to a small-but-mighty group of Charlotte women who serve on the U.S.-based board of Healing Hands of Joy — the same women who convinced Shigo to relocate to the South. “I was invited down to Charlotte every year to another nonprofit luncheon, and I liked coming. I had been in New York City for more than 20 years and was ready for a change, and I’m so glad I made the move. The Charlotte community has really embraced this cause, from supporters and donors and our board members. I’m so grateful.” SP
“I could not turn my back when there were so many women suffering needlessly.”
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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF HEALING HANDS OF JOY
Allison Shigo (pictured in the green shirt) started Healing Hands of Joy to help Ethiopian women living with fistula.
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blvd. | food + drink
Dinner for two
Valentine’s Day is approaching — if you’re planning a romantic evening, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite date-night spots. Whether you’re revisiting an old favorite or checking out one of the city’s trendiest new eateries, there’s something for every mood.
Getting to know you:
Stunning setting:
131 Main Blakeney, SouthPark
La Belle Helene Uptown
300 East Dilworth DTR SouthPark SouthPark
Mico at Grand Bohemian Charlotte Uptown
Leah & Louise Camp North End
Supperland Plaza Midwood
VANA South End
RH Rooftop SouthPark
McNinch House
Intimate and cozy:
Old-school charm:
Barrington’s SouthPark
Beef ’n Bottle South Blvd.
McNinch House Uptown Stagioni Myers Park
Lively and modern:
The Fig Tree Elizabeth
Aria Tuscan Grill Uptown
Plates to share:
Steak 48
Essex Uptown
Galentine’s:
Mariposa Uptown
Dogwood Southern Table
SouthPark Mizu SouthPark Peppervine SouthPark
Off the beaten path: Bar Marcel SouthPark Red Salt by David Burke
Uptown Toscana SouthPark Volo Ristorante Myers Park
Mizu
Dot Dot Dot SouthPark Fin & Fino Uptown Foxcroft Wine Co. Dilworth,
SouthPark, Waverly
Splurge: Bentley’s SouthPark Del Frisco’s SouthPark Steak 48 SouthPark The Palm SouthPark
Mariposa
Dinner at home: Babe & Butcher (charcuterie)
Camp North End
Copain SouthPark Your Farms Your Table
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RH Rooftop Restaurant
2210 Westminster Place
Charlotte, NC 28207
Charlotte, NC 28207
AY
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Offered at $1,250,000
Offered at $1,050,000
Eastover Lauren Campbell 704-579-8333
Myers Park Kemp Dunaway Jr. 704-458-6997
13634 Glen Abbey Drive
4423 Mottisfont Abbey Place
Charlotte, NC 28278
Charlotte, NC 28226
G
TIN
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Offered at $889,000
Offered at $585,000
The Palisades Team Severs 704-564-7346
Burning Tree Charlie Emmanuel 704-906-8800
15744 Kensington Palace Lane
2223 North Castle Court
Charlotte, NC 28277
Matthews, NC 28105
AY
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Offered at $305,000 Kinglsey Yvette Tariq 910-968-5315
Offered at $257,000
St. Andrews Lauren Campbell 704-579-8333
ALLEN TATE SOUTHPARK
209 Altondale Avenue
blvd. | creators of n.c.
Red clay and jewels JAKI SHELTON GREEN CAPTURES THE BEAUTY AND CRUELTY OF HUMANITY IN HER POETRY.
T
by Wiley Cash • photograph by Mallory Cash
o read the work of North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green is to know exactly where her inspiration comes from. It comes from the red clay of Orange County, North Carolina, where a little girl leaves footprints in the dirt as she follows her grandmother down to the water’s edge, fishing pole in hand. It comes from the silence of held breath as parents hide their children beneath the pews of a darkened church while the Ku Klux Klan encircles the building. It comes from the peace and grandeur of a community-owned cemetery on a warm winter day when the past, present and future stretch out on a continuum that can be seen and felt. You can open almost any page in Jaki’s numerous collections of poetry and plant your feet firmly on that same red clay, witness the suffocating fear of racial terror and feel the healing energy of the dead as they gather around you. I’ve known Jaki for years, mostly as a fellow writer at various festivals across the state. I’ve also hosted her for my own literary events when I needed the kind of in-person power that only a writer like Jaki can bring. To witness her read her poetry is akin to witnessing a god touching down on Earth to opine on the beauty and brutality of humanity. But I had never visited Jaki’s home, nor had I ever joined her on her native soil in Orange County. When my family and I pulled into the driveway of the neatly kept ranch home where Jaki lives with her husband, Abdul, she immediately opened the door to her writing room and welcomed us with a wide smile. Inside, morning light poured through the windows on the east side of the room. In the center sat a long table where Jaki’s laptop was open as if she’d just paused in her work. Books were stacked throughout the room, not as if they were being stored, but as if they were being read, the reader having taken a break here to pick up another volume there. Art adorned the space: paintings, framed jewelry, sculpture, photographs. I smiled as my eyes took in the room. “Jaki, this is exactly where I thought you’d live,” I said. “You should’ve seen it when I bought it,” she said. “I think it had been condemned, but this was the house I wanted. My family begged me not to buy it.” It was nearly impossible to believe that this place so clearly suffused with peaceful, creative energy had ever been absent of life, but perhaps that speaks to the regenerative power of Jaki’s spirit. “Years ago, I bought this house just before Thanksgiving,” she said, “and then I got to work on it. By 48
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the holidays I was ready to host our family Christmas party.” Jaki took a seat at her writing table while my wife, Mallory, unpacked her photography gear. I followed my daughters into the living room, where Abdul set down a small cradle full of handmade dolls for our daughters to play with. He and Jaki have a 3-year-old granddaughter, and they are used to having small children underfoot. Later, as Abdul prepared breakfast for Jaki’s 105-year-old mother, who lives with the couple, he patiently listened as my first-grader shared with him the moment-by-moment intricacies of her school day while my kindergartner crawled on the kitchen floor, answering only to the name “Princess Kitty.” “How did you and Jaki meet?” I asked him. He smiled. “I was working in a furniture store, and Jaki came in. It didn’t seem like anyone else was interested in helping her, so I asked her what she was looking for. She said, ‘I don’t need help, brother. I know how to look for furniture.’” He finally got Jaki to share that she was in the market for a fainting couch, and that only made him more interested in her. “I found out she was a poet,” he said, “and I went to the bookstore and bought some of her books, and then … ” He smiled and shrugged as if nothing more needed to be said. Throughout the house, framed photographs of family members line the walls, some of them recent pictures of grandchildren, others weathered black-and-white portrayals of family members who have been gone for decades. Jaki’s voice drifted into the living room, and I could hear that she was talking about her daughter Imani, who passed away from cancer in 2009 at the age of 38. I never met Imani, and I only know her through Jaki’s heartrending poem “I Want to Undie You,” but as I looked at the photographs throughout the house, I wondered if I was seeing photos of Imani at the same moment her mother was evoking her name. Jaki, as if sensing my search, called to me from her writing room. “Do you want to go out to our family’s cemetery where Imani is buried?” Jaki asked. “Of course,” I said, sensing that we were being invited into a sacred space. “Will it be OK if I ask you some questions out there?” “That’s probably the best place for it,” she said. We left Abdul behind to serve breakfast to his mother-inlaw, and Jaki climbed into the passenger seat while Mallory squeezed between the girls and their car seats in the back. Jaki turned and looked at them. “So, you girls like jewels?” They nodded, and she opened her hand and dropped gorgeous, polished rocks into theirs. The private cemetery where Jaki’s ancestors and other community members are buried sits just a mile or so up the road. Forests bordered the cleared land on both sides, and across the gravel road a crane stacked felled trees in a lumber yard, the low rumble of its engine edging through the air. Jaki and I sat down on a bench that had been placed
by Imani’s headstone by Jaki’s two surviving children. Jaki looked at the markers around her, the names on them so familiar that she didn’t even have to read them to know who rests there. “I will never forget standing out here when my father was being buried, and my mom looked at Sherman (Jaki’s first husband) and me and said, ‘It’s all right, because y’all are going to have a baby next year.’ And we did.” Jaki grew up in a close-knit community called Efland less than 7 miles away, where two A.M.E. churches anchored the community. Her family members were active at Gaines Chapel A.M.E., and it was there that Jaki was first encouraged to write by her grandmother, even though she wanted to be a scientist or an oceanographer. “I was fascinated by the stories around me,” Jaki said, “especially what was happening on Sunday morning. As a child, I would sit there and make up stories about people, and my grandmother gave me little notebooks to write in. I was very nosy, but I’ve come to understand that writers should be nosy. We should be nosy about everything.” According to Jaki, she was not only nosy about the people in her congregation, she was nosy about the world around her, constantly asking questions like, “Where does the rain really come from?” and, “What makes dark dark?” You can see the questions in her poetry. In “I Wanted to Ask the Trees,” about the trauma of lynching in Black communities, she writes: I wanted to ask the trees. do you remember. were you there. did you shudder. did your skin cry out against the skin of my great uncle’s skin. “I want to tell stories of the South that are being erased and forgotten while reminding people that what’s nostalgic for some Southern writers is absolutely terror for others,” Jaki said. “White people talk about hound dogs in one context, but when we think about hound dogs we think about full moons and lynchings. When people talk about coon dogs, the coon was us.” When I asked Jaki why she left the South as a young person, she made clear how complicated her exodus was for her and her family. She was kicked out of public school in Orange County for organizing and participating in a walkout after Black students demanded equity during school desegregation. Before readmitting her, the board of education insisted that she sign an affidavit promising that she would not participate in or encourage any acts of civil disobedience. Her parents, themselves active in political and social issues, saw the board’s demand as an infringement on their daughter’s rights. She was readmitted, but being branded a troublemaker made life harder than she deserved. After being offered an academic scholarship to a Quaker southparkmagazine.com | 49
blvd. | creators of n.c.
A TrAdiTion of Knowledge And TrusT GAY DILLASHAW 704-564-9393 6700 Fairview Road, Charlotte, NC 28210
gay.dillashaw@allentate.com
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QUESTIONS? VISIT WWW.CAREGIVINGCORNER.COM, OR CONTACT US AT 704-945-7170
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boarding school called George School in Bucks County, Pa., Jaki headed north. For the first time in her life, she was living outside the South and away from her family, surrounded by young people from all over the world, from different backgrounds and classes. “It took me leaving to really look back and see the entire landscape,” she said. Although she’d written poetry from an early age, leaving home and encountering the work of Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez and Nikki Giovanni made clear to Jaki the urgency of putting herself and her people on the page. Though away from home, she understood that life continued on in rural Orange County, the cycles of birth and death and political upheaval and cultural change never ceasing. “If we don’t tell ourselves who we are, then someone else will tell us who we are,” she said. Jaki and her first husband returned to the South after starting a family because they wanted their three young children to know their great-grandparents, to experience their wisdom and love, to know the place that had forged the lives of their ancestors. Sitting in the cemetery where so many of those ancestors and Jaki’s daughter have been laid to rest, Jaki is clear-eyed about the journey that saw her exiled from public school in Orange County to visiting public schools across the state as North Carolina’s first Black Poet Laureate. (She was appointed to the role in 2018 and reappointed in May 2021.) “There’s nothing magical about how I’ve arrived at his place,” she said. “It’s called working hard. It’s called having determination about what you want, and really knowing who you are.” The little girl who wanted to be an oceanographer became a writer instead, still asking questions about the world around her, still investigating it, continuing to draft poetic reports on the place she has always called home, the landscape where inspiration takes root and ideas are born, nurtured and recorded. SP Wiley Cash is the Alumni Author-in-Residence at UNC-Asheville. His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, is available wherever books are sold.
HU N T ER S V ILLE A LDER SGAT E SOU T H MI NS T ER
When tomorrow... becomes today. Caring for someone with acute medical needs can feel overwhelming. When faced with difficult decisions about your loved one’s care, our hospice house teams are there to support you today and each day after.
Be sure to ask for us by name. Levine & Dickson Hospice Houses are exclusively for patients of Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region.
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southparkmagazine.com | 51
blvd. | calendar
Pleasant Plains School - Hertford County, North Carolina 1920-1950 Photograph by Andrew Feiler. The photo is part of A Better Life for Their Children, an upcoming exhibit at Charlotte Museum of History that tells the story of the Rosenwald Schools program.
February HAPPENINGS Events + activities Joss Stone and Corinne Bailey Rae Feb. 2 The Grammy Award-winning British singer-songwriters are teaming up as co-headliners on a three-week tour of Southern venues. The Charlotte stop is at Ovens Auditorium. Tickets start at $39.50. ticketmaster.com
Don Giovanni Feb. 3-6 Opera Carolina presents Mozart’s two-act opera based on the fictional playboy and seducer Don Juan. Expect new sets and costumes in this original production at Belk Theater. Tickets start at $22. operacarolina.org
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The Edit Home Sale Feb. 4-13 The favorite preloved goods sale is back — this time with finds for the home. Shop for furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories. Follow @edit_charlotte on Instagram for location, hours and updates.
Frigid Trail Race & Plunge at the Whitewater Center Feb. 5 Brave the cold and conquer the trails in a 5K or 10K, then take an icy plunge in the Deep Water Solo pool. Registration cost varies by signup option. whitewater.org
We Are the Movement: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II at Knight Theater Feb. 4 The Harvey B. Gantt Center for AfricanAmerican Arts + Culture hosts Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II as the inaugural Initiative for Equity and Innovation speaker. Tickets are $15 for members or $20 for the general public. ganttcenter.org
Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s The Inexplicable Universe Feb. 8 The astrophysicist and author lectures on “all the stuff we know nothing about in the universe.” Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Tickets start at $25. blumenthalarts.org
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SAME DAY CROWN REPLACEMENT • DENTAL BRIDGES • DENTAL IMPLANTS DENTURES • PARTIALS • PORCELAIN VENEERS • PERIODONTAL TREATMENT Feel and look amazing every day with safe, innovative restorative and aesthetic dentistry. Dr. Frederick M. Joubert, of Arboretum Dentistry, is the only certified dentist of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health in the Charlotte area. Dr. Joubert and his professional team provide individually tailored treatments to help clients feel healthier and happier for years to come. A different kind of dentistry. Don’t hesitate to contact us today at (704) 544-9199 if you have any questions or would like more information on how we can care for your teeth and mouth. 3135 Springbank Ln #210 | Charlotte, NC 28226 | Phone:(704) 544-9199 | arboretumfamilydentistry.com southparkmagazine.com | 53
blvd. | calendar The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Annual Valentine’s Orchid Sale at McMillan Greenhouse Feb. 10-12 Orchid blossoms will brighten your day and the “Ganache in the Gardens” chocolate-making session sweetens the deal. Houseplants and succulents are also available to purchase, as well as artisan chocolate by local chocolate maker Esa Weinreb of The Underground Truffle. Admission to the greenhouse is free; plants range from $5-50. gardens.charlotte.edu
Dragons Love Tacos at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte Feb. 11-March 6 Enjoy a live performance of the deliciously hysterical children’s bestseller. The story comes to life as the taco party of all taco parties literally brings down the house. Tickets start at $15. ctcharlotte.org Russian Ballet Theatre Presents Swan Lake at Ovens Auditorium Feb. 23 This new production of Tchaikovsky’s classic features new choreography, new hand-painted sets and 150 hand-sewn costumes. Tickets start at $43. boplex.com
The Colored Museum at Brooklyn Grace Feb. 23-March 5 Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe’s groundbreaking comedy electrifies, discomforts and delights, confronting stereotypes and redefining what it means to be Black in contemporary America. Tickets are $25. blumenthalarts.org Charlotte Symphony Presents Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No. 1 Feb. 25-26 Paolo Bortolameolli, associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, leads CSO and cellist Christine Lamprea in this hauntingly poignant piece. Ticket costs vary. charlottesymphony.org
Museums + galleries A Better Life for Their Children at Charlotte Museum of History Feb. 5 - June 18 This photo exhibit that premiered at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta last May comes to Charlotte. The exhibit tells the story of the Rosenwald Schools, which were built to educate Black children across the South between 1912 and 1937. A free community day is scheduled for Feb. 26 in tandem with the museum's African
American Heritage Festival. Included with regular museum admission. charlottemuseum.org
Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things at Mint Museum Uptown Opens Feb. 12 This project pulls back the curtain on the creative process and examines how craft artists and designers use science and math concepts when creating works of art. 500 S Tryon St. mintmuseum.org Lee Hall Quarry Paintings at Jerald Melberg Gallery Through Feb. 19 A North Carolina native, abstract impressionist Lee Hall’s works focus on American and Mediterranean landscapes that evoke the feeling, light and emotion of her surroundings. This exhibition features paintings Hall created more than 50 years ago of a craggy quarry in Maine. 625 S Sharon Amity Rd. jeraldmelberg.com SP — compiled by Amanda Lea
Scan the QR code on your mobile device to view our online events calendar — updated weekly — at southparkmagazine.com
A SYMPHONY FOR THE ROAD Avett Brothers fans can revisit moments from the band’s rehearsals, recording sessions and concerts in a new photo exhibition in Shelby. A Symphony for the Road: An Avett Brothers Retrospective Featuring the Photography of Daniel Coston, opens Feb. 8 at the Earl Scruggs Center. Coston, a local writer and photographer (and SouthPark contributor), has documented the growth of the Avett Brothers since 2001, when he photographed members of the band in the Avett family garage. “Working with them was always fun,” Coston says. “I learned early on to work around them as they created. Some of my favorite pictures are of them being themselves in a creative space. I feel that these photographs show my journey as much as theirs and documents our changing relationship.” More than 50 photographic prints are on view, including The Avett Brothers outside the Avett family’s garage in 2001. Photo by Daniel Coston. images from early concerts and recording sessions. The center, which celebrates the history and culture of the region where Scruggs, an acclaimed bluegrass banjoist, was born and raised, is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
A Symphony for the Road: An Avett Brothers Retrospective Featuring the Photography of Daniel Coston, will be on view Feb. 8-Aug. 6. earlscruggscenter.org
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First closing of the new year – Off to a great start!
SOLD $2,199,000 Buyer Representation
5924 Saint John Lane Charlotte, NC
A time-honored brand. An elevated experience. Call me today for a private consultation.
Leslie Fisher Broker Associate
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
leslie.fisher@premiersir.com 704.906.4749 Each office is independently owned and operated
Be a Hero... Mentor!
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On view through May 1, 2022 Mint Museum Randolph
One of New York’s most beloved and accomplished fashion designers, Anna Sui is the subject of a new exhibition at The Mint Museum that’s more than an installation of clothing. It’s a look inside the creative process of one of fashion’s greatest minds, known for creating contemporary, original clothing inspired by spectacular amounts of research into vintage styles and cultural arcana — from mod to punk, surfer to bohemian. mintmuseum.org
THE WORLD OF ANNA SUI IS GENEROUSLY PRESENTED BY PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES. EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY THE FASHION AND TEXTILE MUSEUM, LONDON. GENEROUS INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY DEIDRE AND CLAY GRUBB, WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE MINT MUSEUM AUXILIARY. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA SUI. PHOTOGRAPH ©JOSHUA JORDAN
|simple life
The chosen one A RED-TAILED SENTINEL, THE DISCOVERY OF A SPIRIT ANIMAL, AND A FAITHFUL, FOUR-LEGGED SOULMATE by Jim Dodson
ILLUSTRATION BY GERRY O'NEILL
L
ate in the afternoon on an unnaturally warm New Year’s Eve, I hauled the last of autumn’s motherlode of leaves to the curb and sat down to rest on an iron bench at the back of the new shade garden I’ve spent hours building during the pandemic. My dog Mulligan walked over and sat down beside me. Mully, as I call her, is a wise old border collie of 16 who still walks a mile with us every morning before sunrise before spending much of her day in the garden keeping a sharp eye on things, including the head gardener. I call her my “God Dog,” the perfect palindrome for the joyful young stray I found running wild and free back in 2006. Our journey together has been a gift from the universe, which is why I officially named my garden for the old girl on Christmas morning. As we sat together beneath the old oak trees that arch over the yard like the beams from some ancient Druid’s lost cathedral, watching the final rays of the old year slip away, I followed her gaze up the huge white oak I call Honest Abe and discovered — rather startlingly — a large female red-tailed hawk sitting on a limb, not 20 feet above us. I’d seen this same handsome hawk several times that week. But never this close. Perhaps, like me, she was merely resting from a long afternoon of hunting and being harassed by a murder of pesky crows that behave like drunken teenagers in our neighborhood, enjoying a moment of peace and quiet to contemplate the end of another challenging year on the planet. Or maybe she was simply waiting for an early supper to appear, which could explain the sudden scarcity of squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks that normally scamper around our backyard at that hour. Given the timing of the moment, however, and the dramatic presence just feet above our heads, I had a slightly nobler thought. In Native American lore, hawks are considered sacred creatures that frequently appear as messengers from one’s ancestors, benevolent spirit animals sent to warn or offer a blessing. Almost every ancient culture on the planet, in fact, holds some version
of this interpretation of hawks — noble creatures that symbolize clear-eyed sight and the urge for freedom. The knight-hero Gawain mentioned in the legend of Arthur, for instance (whose very name contains the Celtic word “gwalch” that means hawk), sets off in search of the Holy Grail. Was this a message from my ancestors? A simple New Year warning or blessing being sent as the three of us — man, dog and scary mythic bird — sat calmly eyeballing each other from close range in the lengthening shadows of an unnaturally warm winter afternoon? Was it a final warning about the rapidly vanishing Arctic ice? Or welcome news that liberation from the killer virus might finally come in the days and weeks just ahead? Impossible to say. But either way, old Mully appeared to have her doubts about our visitor, keeping a wary custodial eye on the big bird in case she tried some funny business in her garden. In the meantime, I took out my smartphone to sneak a photograph and do a quick fact check on spirit animals over the internet. I was surprised to find several websites designed to determine one’s own spirit animal through various lifestyle questions that sounded more like a personality test for a dating website. The first quiz I took revealed my spirit animal to be an owl. Not quite what I expected. The second, a turtle. Seriously? Finally, I became the 7,437,375th person to take the animated You Tube “soul animal” test that revealed my spirit animal is a bear. I’ll admit to being kind of bummed that no red-tailed hawk made my spirit animal menagerie. All three sites did agree on one thing, however — that spirit animals choose us rather than the other way around. When I finally glanced up from my phone, the red-tailed hawk had flown away. Maybe she was looking for an early New Year’s Eve supper, after all. I’ve never seen her since. Mully, on the other hand, was still by my side. After 16 years together, whatever lies ahead in 2022, it was comforting to still be chosen by such a spirited animal. SP southparkmagazine.com | 57
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|bookshelf
February books NOTABLE NEW RELEASES compiled by Sally Brewster
The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont The Christie Affair is riveting reimagining of actual events in the life of Agatha Christie on her mysterious, 11-day disappearance in December 1926, shortly after Christie’s husband revealed he was having an affair and wanted a divorce. The story is narrated by Nan O’Dea, the ‘other woman.’ She disappears around the same time as Christie, and the two end up becoming friends of a sort. Christie eventually returns home, but her life — and Nan’s — have changed dramatically. The Nineties: A Book, by Chuck Klosterman It was long ago, but not as long as it seems: The Berlin Wall fell and the Twin Towers collapsed. In between, one presidential election was allegedly decided by Ross Perot while another was plausibly decided by Ralph Nader. In the beginning, almost every name and address was listed in a phone book, and everyone answered their landlines because you didn’t know who it was. By the end, exposing someone’s address was an act of emotional violence, and nobody picked up their cell phone if they didn’t know who was calling. The ’90s brought about a revolution in the human condition we’re still groping to understand. Chuck Klosterman makes a home in all of it: the film, the music, the sports, the TV, the politics, the changes regarding race and class and sexuality, the yin yang of Oprah and Alan Greenspan. Mercy Street, by Jennifer Haigh For almost a decade, Claudia has counseled patients at Mercy Street, a clinic in the heart of the city. The work is consuming —
the unending dramas of women in crisis. For its patients, Mercy Street offers more than health care. For many, it is a second chance, but outside the clinic, the reality is different. Anonymous threats are frequent. A small, determined group of anti-abortion demonstrators appears each morning at its door. As the protests intensify, fear creeps into Claudia’s days, a humming anxiety she manages with frequent visits to Timmy, an affable pot dealer who is dealing with his own existential crisis. At Timmy’s, she encounters a random assortment of customers, including Anthony, a lost soul who spends most of his life online, chatting with the mysterious Excelsior11 — the screenname of Victor Prine, an anti-abortion crusader who has set his sights on Mercy Street and is ready to risk it all for his beliefs. Don’t Cry For Me, by Daniel Black As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know: Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob’s tumultuous relationship with Isaac’s mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob’s role as a father and his reaction to Isaac’s being gay. But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace. SP Sally Brewster is the proprietor of Park Road Books at 4139 Park Rd. parkroadbooks.com southparkmagazine.com | 61
Your Favorite Neighborhood Date Night
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Lovestories In the spirit of this month’s romantic holiday, we asked some Queen City couples
to share their love stories: How did they meet? Was there a “wow” moment or special gesture that stands out? You get the idea. Reading their love stories made us smile,
even laugh out loud, in some cases. In all, there’s a common thread of mutual admiration and respect. What’s not to love about that?
by Sharon Smith photographs by Richard Israel
It started with a campfire conversation Miracle & James Yoder Miracle: It was a Friday afternoon on 4/20. I was in overalls, and James had bleach blond hair. We were both camping out on the beach at Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina with siblings and friends. It was a beautiful night, and we started talking around a campfire. The conversation got deep (as it would with an Aquarius and a Gemini). I still remember him leaning up against a tree with the fire embers floating around us. We talked a lot and exchanged emails and phone numbers, and said we would keep in touch. We did. That summer I came up to Charlotte for a concert over the Fourth of July weekend, Uncle Sam’s Jam with Third Eye Blind and Billy Idol. James and I went together. Interestingly enough, it was held in the parking lot where, 10 years later, our 7th Street uptown location would be born. I don’t know that there were any particular “aha” moments, but I do know we have chosen each other over and over the past 20 years. Three kids and six-plus locations later, we are still choosing each other. That is the best way to keep love alive.
Miracle and James are the owners of Not Just Coffee and the co-owners of Night Swim Coffee.
“It was love at first Samsonite.” Page & Jake Fehling Jake: OK, I’ll go first… In 2005, I moved to Hoboken, N.J., knowing only a few people. One of those people was Lindsay Shookus. After we connected in March of that year, Lindsay was convinced I was perfect for her roommate, Page. We were all UNC grads, so a couple of weeks later, Lindsay arranged for me and Page to meet at an alumni event in Manhattan. At the event, Page and I faintly recognized each other — I thought, “Isn’t that the girl that always wore baggy sweatsuits in J-21?” Page: OK, my turn… and I thought, “Isn’t that the goofy kid that always puts Sun-In in his hair?” We said hello and then immediately connected over… Dumb and Dumber movie quotes. It was love at first Samsonite. About an hour into the event, my girl Lindsay walked up, surprised to see us chatting away. “I see the two of you have already met!” We looked at each other — not realizing that we were already hitting it off with the person we were being set up with. Jake: OK, I’ll bring us home... Nine months later, we were engaged, and six months after that, on a blustery Labor Day weekend in 2006, we were married. Page: Lloyd Christmas would have been proud. Jake: You had to get the last word, didn’t you?
Page is a speaker and professional development facilitator. Jake is vice president of marketing at Movement Mortgage. Page and Jake also co-host the “Date Night with Jake and Page” podcast and co-authored a book, Holy Crap, We’re Pregnant.
Starting out as study partners Joya: We met circa-2004 at an enrichment program for students who were interested in dentistry. Out of the hundreds of students that attended the program, we were somehow put into the same group of three to practice our interview skills. Other than first-name introductions and sneaking stares of admiration toward one another, nothing more came from that day. Drew: The “wow” moment that stuck with me was that she’s the only person I can remember everything about from the first time we met. Everything from what Joya was wearing, to how her hair was that day and her overall presence. We both thought we would likely never cross paths again. To our surprise, we did meet again two years later during our first day of dental school at Meharry Medical College. We quickly recognized each other and became immediate friends, study partners — then the rest is history.
Joya and Drew own Smile Savvy Cosmetic Dentistry.
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PHOTOGRAPH LEFT BY BRANDON GRATE
Drs. Joya and Drew Lyons
Designing life together Regina & Robin Reaves Robin: Regina and I met working in a home design store when we were in college. I remember leaving my department every morning to find her and have a quick conversation before the store opened. She had a quiet confidence about her that was very attractive and made me want to learn more about her. Regina: Robin was the “new guy” on the team, and it was pretty obvious that he liked me. We randomly ran into each other at the apartments we stayed in and played a quick pickup basketball game, one-on-one. I beat him — he won a date! Robin: We always enjoyed spending time together and often joked about starting our own business. It’s surreal to see that we have been married for 13 years, have two amazing daughters and are owners of a thriving interior-design business. Our marriage and business relationship intertwines often. I think that’s part of the secret sauce that makes us successful. To be able to do what you love, with the person you love, is a blessing.
Regina and Robin are the owners of R&R Interior Design 365.
“My family got it wrong…” PHOTOGRAPH RIGHT BY NATHAN BINGLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Becky & Tony Santoro Becky: “People first. Coffee Always” is Enderly Coffee’s motto, and for us it’s a love letter to each other, our family and community, too. In 2004 at Michigan State University we met over coffee and haven’t stopped drinking it together ever since. But not everyone agreed that we were destined to be a couple. In fact, when I first introduced Tony to my parents and sisters they sat me down afterward and said, “Great guy, but I don’t think he’s into you.” Two weeks later, over coffee of course, Tony asked me on our first official date, and in the summer of 2006 we were married. Soon after that, we moved from Michigan to the west side of Charlotte. We still reside in Enderly Park and have four children ages 10, 8, 6 and 4. We’ve been brewing up a great cup of coffee together every single day for over 15 years, so it’s safe to say that my family got it wrong on that one!
Becky and Tony own Enderly Coffee Co. Becky is also the co-founder and director of programs and development for Foster Village Charlotte.
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They matched on the first date Wendy & Jay Bilas Wendy: You could say our love tipped off on the floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium, where Jay was a Duke basketball player and I was a cheerleader. We exchanged some flirty glances freshman season, but we didn’t have our first date until March 1983 at a campus formal. I borrowed my roommate’s pink dress, and he showed up in a pink dress shirt. We knew that night we were a perfect match. Thirty-nine years later, we still are, and my heart still skips a beat every time I look at him. He was, is, and always will be my whole world, and I cannot believe I got lucky enough to call him mine. Jay: I first saw Wendy’s picture in a magazine. She was so beautiful. When it hit me that we went to the same school, I was determined to meet her. On our first date, I was hooked. I knew I was supposed to play it cool following our date, but I couldn’t help myself. I called her the very next day, and asked her out the next night. From there, she was the one for me. I soon learned she was not only stunningly beautiful, but she was the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful person I had ever met. Since we’ve been married, I have found her to be even more. She is fiercely loyal to and protective of family, and completely immersed in and totally aware of her environment and community. Nobody I know is more comfortable in her own skin than Wendy. She has always been the one. Now, more than ever. I’m lucky I thumbed through that magazine.
Jay is an ESPN basketball analyst and lawyer. Wendy is an artist.
Writing their own story Nick: We first met working at rival TV stations in Lubbock, Texas, and hated each other. Naturally, we ended up married. The initial spark was lit while we covered the trial of a now-convicted terrorist who was a student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The trial was out of town in Amarillo, and we were the only two local reporters sent up the road to cover the entire case. That’s when we each discovered the other wasn’t half bad. A friendship turned into a relationship and, as the old saying goes, when you know, you know. To the surprise of many, especially Sarah Blake’s mom, we got engaged just six months after we started dating; I popped the question on my birthday, while we sat on the lawn of a John Mayer concert. Reporting jobs at WBTV eventually brought us to Charlotte, where we’ve lived since 2014 with our two dogs, Murrow (adopted in Lubbock), and Zara (brought to the U.S. from an animal rescue in Afghanistan).
Sarah Blake is a journalist at the Associated Press and an officer candidate in the U.S. Army Reserve. Nick is chief investigative reporter at WBTV.
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PHOTOGRAPH LEFT BY CASS BRADLEY CREATIVE
Sarah Blake Morgan & Nick Ochsner
Chasing different dreams, together Jen Hill & Vince Giancarlo Jen: In 2008, Vince came to Charlotte to attend Johnson & Wales University. I moved to Charlotte in 2011 to escape corporate life in Raleigh. We first met in 2012 through mutual friends. In 2015, our paths crossed once again and our relationship began. We had each met our match when it came to passion in our careers. At that time, Vince was running prominent kitchens, and I had just begun to make strides in my art career. With our entrepreneurial energies, we were able to motivate and encourage each other to chase our dreams. We had an opportunity to spend six months in Los Angeles while each of us worked alongside our creative role models. When we returned to Charlotte, our dreams fell into place. I started doing my art full time and Vince opened his own restaurant. Then the pandemic came. Our plans were halted, but God had a mysterious way, or maybe a sense of humor, when lining things up. We found out we were pregnant one week before the world shut down. The adversity and our pregnancy brought us closer together while I grew bigger, then Hendrix Hill Giancarlo arrived on Dec. 6, 2020, closing out the year with a bang.
Vince is an executive chef. Jen is an artist.
Beyond the honeymoon
PHOTOGRAPH RIGHT COURTESY THOMAS AND KELLY DAVIS
Kelly & Thomas Davis Kelly: Thomas and I have been married 14 years this March. We have four kids, and we thought the honeymoon phase would last forever — boy, were we wrong! From diapers to choosing colleges and from living the crazy NFL Life to being newly retired, it became tough to find or even want time to dedicate to us. One thing that remained the same is how Thomas manages to still show me love in my love languages by the help he gives me with the kids and family. When I’ve had a long day, no matter how tired or sore he feels, he still manages to give me personal foot and back massages! These simple things show me he cares, appreciates and loves me. Thomas: What I love about Kelly is she is so dedicated, determined, driven and loving. When I am at my worst, I know that she is still going to love me. Even when I don’t show it, I love how she is always trying to help me. Not being on the field anymore makes you need a lot of support, and Kelly loves me through that which has made our relationship even stronger.
Kelly is a licensed mediator, co-owner of Skye Salon Suites and executive director of the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation. Thomas is a retired NFL player, retired player coordinator for NFL Legends and founder of the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation.
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College sweethearts doing life together Dominique & Coty Sensabaugh Dominique: Our love story is simple. Two stubborn kids, madly in love, determined and committed to fighting through life’s most challenging battles together. My husband Coty and I met at Clemson University in 2008. I was a freshman, and I vividly remember the day this confident and handsome guy walked up to me, flashing a beautiful smile. From the moment we met, I felt a spark, a powerful connection, and still to this day, we love each other deeply. We have done life together for 14 years, and as college sweethearts, we grew up together. Now, we have the honor of raising three beautiful children, Jamaar (4), Journei (2) and Justice (1), to be prolific leaders and kind human beings. Throughout Coty’s career in the NFL, we have seen insurmountable highs and devastating lows, but God has allowed us to serve as a landing pad for each other throughout our journey. Now that he is retired from the league, we genuinely enjoy the simple treasures of life — spending quality time with each other and our children. Relationships can be complicated, and even if you love someone, no union is immune from experiencing hardship. Throughout our marriage, we have encountered sadness, stress, frustration, anger and loneliness. However, within this powerful union, with my soulmate, we have come to know forgiveness, joy, triumph, peace and a love so deep it suffocates yet simultaneously gives life. Every day, my perfectly imperfect marriage pours true love into my heart, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Coty is a retired NFL player, philanthropist and real estate investor. Dominique is a philanthropist and chief curator of Dominique Sensabaugh Lifestyle Brand.
Opposites attract A Match made in… well…. Match. We met online, as many professionals do these days, and we’re convinced our paths would never have crossed otherwise — unless Ryan wound up in the hospital with an infectious disease. (Match was far preferable.) We were both hesitant about online dating and exchanged a lot of emails getting to know each other before we met in person. Despite completely different jobs and interests, we hit it off right away. On our first date, we closed a restaurant and then a bar, which sounds impressive, until you learn both places closed at 10 p.m. Fast forward nine years full of laughter, love and (adorable) shared furballs, and we are still going strong. A few standout memories include recording our annual “Sullaretti” holiday videos, where we mangle seasonal favorite songs on our guitars, an amazing marriage proposal on a private sunset cruise in Aruba, a Valentine’s Day reenactment of the Love Actually “To me, you are perfect” poster board scene recorded on our Ring video doorbell, and surviving our first — and hopefully last — pandemic together. More important are all the ways we seek to make each other laugh and to show one another love and respect every day.
Katie is vice president, enterprise chief epidemiologist at Atrium Health. Ryan is managing director, applied insights at Hartford Funds.
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PHOTOGRAPH LEFT BY CASS BRADLEY
Dr. Katie Passaretti and Ryan Sullivan
Date night with Mr. Death Gavin Edwards & Jen Sudul Edwards When we agreed to go out on an official first date, we were both so excited that we weren’t thinking straight — that’s how we decided that we would go see the movie Mr. Death. We were both fans of the director, Errol Morris, but we didn’t consider how the subject matter of this documentary (a man who specialized in designing execution machines for American prisons and then became a Holocaust denier) might not be so romantic. Not only was the subject matter dark, but the audience had a weird vibe, especially the guy one row behind us who talked back to the screen about what life was really like in prison. You could say that the fact that we enjoyed it anyway showed we were a good match — but honestly, we were so crazy for each other, it didn’t matter what movie we saw. When we got married, our wedding announcement in The New York Times mentioned this unusual first date. A few weeks later, we got a package from Errol Morris: It contained an autographed DVD of Mr. Death and a note saying how glad he was that his movie brought us together.
Jen is chief curator and curator of contemporary art at The Mint Museum. Gavin is a public speaker and a New York Times bestselling author.
Unexpected happiness Liz Hilliard & Lee Kennelly Liz: You might be surprised where you find love. For us, it was right in front of our eyes, but we were friends, women, heterosexual — oh, and employer and employee! Wait, one more thing: I’m 26 years older than Lee. So that sounds reasonable, right? Initially, I went on a rampage of denial, citing all the very solid facts about why this relationship should not, would not go forward. But Lee was persistent, yes Lee! Sweet, rule-following, sorority-president, never-got-in-trouble-with-anyone Lee. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but instead, our relationship has become the recipe for a happiness that I never knew existed. Every day is a new “wow” moment for me. I have so much respect for the both of us for finding the courage to act on something that seemed so far out of reach. Letting go of any preconceived notions about what love should be or should look like allowed us to finally find ourselves and the joy and happiness we never expected.
Liz is the creator and owner of Hilliard Studio Method. Lee is director of training at HSM.
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Artist Abel Jackson painted the mural between the Mecklenburg Investment Co. building and Grace church in 2019.
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Uptown collisions HISTORY, COMMERCE AND CULTURE CONVERGE AT UPTOWN’S BROOKLYN COLLECTIVE. by Michael J. Solender photographs by Justin Driscoll
W
hen Charlotte entrepreneur and consultant Jason Wolf began his search for a commercial real estate investment several years ago, he didn’t set out to create a hotbed for creative collaboration, neighborhood development and economic mobility. Yet nearly eight years later, Wolf’s development foray is blossoming into the nonprofit Brooklyn Collective, an entrepreneurial, artistic and cultural hub spawning a creative rebirth in the heart of uptown’s Second Ward. Wolf closed on his purchase of three contiguous Second Ward properties in 2014, including the historic Grace A.M.E. Zion Church built in 1902 and the Mecklenburg Investment Company building (M.I.C.) built in 1922, along with the more contemporary 229 South Brevard building. “I didn’t know the backstory of the properties or the neighborhood,” Wolf says. “I was drawn to the architecture and the sense that this corner of uptown had great potential as a [catalyst] for growth. When I learned what was accomplished here, I became energized at the prospect of taking a part of Charlotte and leveraging it intentionally for purposes to promote inclusivity and entrepreneurial activity.” Today, the space includes an art gallery, a performing-arts venue and an entrepreneurial hub housing more than a dozen small businesses. But to understand the philosophy behind Brooklyn Collective, it’s important to understand the area’s history.
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Poet and writer Boris “Bluz” Rogers, director of creative engagement at Blumenthal Performing Arts, came up with the idea of using the former Grace church sanctuary as a performance space for acoustic concerts.
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Pedigreed space
The properties stand at what was, a century ago, the core of Charlotte’s thriving Black community known as Brooklyn. Several blocks here were home to thousands of Black residents, including some of the city’s most influential Black leaders. “The Brooklyn name began to come into popular use around the turn of the 20th century,” says Willie Griffin, staff historian at the Levine Museum of the New South. “Most of the African Americans who came to Charlotte after slavery found refuge in what was then called ‘log town’ — low-lying, undesirable land where they began to build log homes. Many African American communities throughout the South began to name themselves after Brooklyn, New York, which had a long history of free African Americans living there and looked to become recognized as a borough of New York City.” Also contributing to the Brooklyn moniker, Griffin says, Monique and Kevin Douglas own CBK Branding and Consulting, which operates out of Studio 229 on Brevard. Monique is the Brooklyn Collective’s director of community engagement. southparkmagazine.com | 81
Entrepreneur Jason Wolf, right, with Justin Ellis, an artist resident at Brooklyn Collective.
“There’s an unwritten story of what brings us all to this place. That is the idea to set aside personal agendas to create impact together.” — Lindsey Braciale, founder and CEO of Advocations
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was the relocation of the A.M.E Zion headquarters from Brooklyn to Charlotte in the late 19th century. The area was mostly razed in the 1960s, and nearly 1,500 buildings were demolished. A 17-acre redevelopment is planned nearby, including residential, office, retail and green space. While Wolf admits he’s not a commercial real estate developer, he says he’s looking at the “long game” vision of how the nonprofit collective can contribute to the city and help build community. “From day one I’ve envisioned the collective as a place where people come in and have collisions — where conversation, idea exchange, collaboration and inspiration happen.” To that end, he has transformed the M.I.C. building into a hub for entrepreneurs, artists and makers. M.I.C.’s main-floor art gallery, coffee and cocktail bar offer natural convening space. Studio 229, a photography and videography studio, bar, and event space, has become a magnet for local creatives. Grace A.M.E. Zion Church has been made over into a boutique performance space managed by community partner Blumenthal Performing Arts. Hosted events with artists and other community partners such as the Levine Museum of the New South and SOZO Gallery make for vibrant collisions throughout the Collective’s space. Monique Douglas and her husband, Kevin, own CBK Branding & Consulting, which operates out of Studio 229 on Brevard. Monique serves on the Brooklyn Collective’s board and is the non-
profit’s director of community engagement. “The Brooklyn Collective is a group of like-minded individuals who have come together from diverse backgrounds and situations with the mission of inclusivity, culture and collaboration,” says Douglas, who notes somewhat ironically the pandemic played a large role in activating the space and extending the collective’s outreach. “What unfolded early on in the pandemic was that many venues where people gathered for live music were closing,” Douglas says. “Local musicians expressed concern regarding the lack of opportunities to play. We opened our doors and had musicians live stream virtual concerts, including singer-songwriter Gena Chambers, musician El Lambert and others.” “We opened at no charge for creatives to shoot [photography-videography] using our infinity wall to help them get their projects done,” Douglas says. The resulting buzz and goodwill surrounding Studio 229 and the Brooklyn Collective inspired local artists and enthusiasts to further explore the destination as lockdown requirements eased. “From the beginning, I saw art and creatives playing a huge role in what we are looking to achieve here,” says Wolf, who holds new art installations in the gallery space quarterly. Last fall, Wolf teamed with Dear Frontline, a national group of artists creating work to honor and recognize essential workers during the pandemic, hosting a special exhibition and series of receptions for Charlotte frontline workers. Teams from different medical facilities were toasted with champagne receptions in their honor. “I underestimated the impact and joy it brought people,” Wolf says. “It was an opportunity for them to exhale and simply relax.” A key supporter of the Brooklyn Collective’s visual arts programming is SOZO Gallery’s Hannah Blanton. In 2017, About Face CLT, a nonprofit founded by Blanton and artist Scott Gardner, brought the massive Wall of Compassion, an art installation made from 2,500 Blessing Boxes symbolizing over 100,000 acts of kindness by the community, to Grace A.M.E. Zion Church, helping activate the space for the Brooklyn Collective. SOZO also curated the Collective’s inaugural gallery show in spring 2020. “SOZO is and has always been about connection and inspiring others,” says Blanton, the gallery’s owner and director. “We’ve always focused on relationships, community and art. Art can facilitate thoughtful conversation and help people get to know one another.”
Brooklyn Grace
Architecturally, the historic Grace A.M.E. Zion Church is the Brooklyn Collective’s crown jewel. The Grace, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, is showcased by a front facade with crenellated towers and matching Gothic arched entrances. Stunning stained glass windows bathe the former sanctuary, now one of the city’s most unique performance spaces, in kaleidoscopic multicolored hues. The windows depict the likeness and names of many of Charlotte’s early Black leaders. “Many of us realize we need to find better ways to acknowledge the heritage of this neighborhood,” says Tom Gabbard, president and CEO of Blumenthal Performing Arts. “What the Brooklyn Collective is doing to continue to tell that story is important.” Upon an initial site visit to the Collective, Gabbard immediately saw how BPA could help with its mission. “We saw a genuine opportunity to
activate the space. We leaned into this and said, ‘How can we help you succeed here by bringing activity.’ Even during the pandemic when we had gathering limitations of 25 people, we began doing concerts. Poet and writer Boris ‘Bluz’ Rogers, BPA’s director of creative engagement, came up with a programming concept called Acoustic Grace and began doing acoustic concerts there, along with writer workshops and other performances.” BPA has helped bring facilities expertise and has supported the Collective with donated time and programming costs, Gabbard says. “With Spirit Square closing down [due to a long-scheduled remodel], we knew there would be quite a few groups needing to find alternative space,” Gabbard says. “For some groups we’ve seen, the Grace is a good alternative, and many demonstrate interest in the heritage of what the site represents.”
Beyond transactional relationships
Lindsey Braciale, founder and CEO of Advocations, a Charlottebased organization that helps companies hire people with disabilities, was the first tenant Wolf brought into the Collective under its present structure in 2018. She serves on the Collective’s board of directors and is excited by the relationships that are beyond transactional and encourage collaboration between groups that might not otherwise have opportunities to work together. “I met Jason and learned about his vision for the space and realized how it aligned with what our values represent,” Braciale says. “It seemed right to be here. There’s an unwritten story of what brings us all to this place. That is the idea to set aside personal agendas to create impact together.” Having people with disabilities as part of the discussion is affirming, she says. “We often stop [engaging] at the superficial when dealing with others. Being around people [with differences] every day in a way that is more than just a wave and a nod, where we get to know each other on a personal level, allows us to grow individually and professionally outside of the space itself.” SP
Centennial celebration To honor the 100-year anniversary of the M.I.C. building in 2022, owner Jason Wolf has a yearlong celebration planned. A special exhibition curated by Charles Edward Williams, a contemporary artist from Georgetown, S.C., is scheduled for this spring. Wolf commissioned Williams to create the Collective’s history exhibit, a mixed-media installation in the lobby of the M.I.C. building that shares the backstory of the space, its founders and the Brooklyn neighborhood. “Charles is working with several artists and having them create original art that showcases the history here and what Brooklyn represents,” Wolf says. “We’ll also be activating all the space here throughout 2022 in celebration and look to include special performances at the Grace to give people a taste of the power of community found here.”
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Light & aerie A COUPLE TRADES THEIR LONGTIME FAMILY HOME IN SOUTHPARK FOR A MAINTENANCE-FREE APARTMENT WITH SWEEPING VIEWS. by Cathy Martin • photos by Dustin Peck
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hen Harold Mull retired last year after a 54-year career in the textile industry, he and his wife, Joy, knew they’d be spending more time at their family’s mountain house near Blowing Rock. After living in Morrocroft Estates for 28 years, the couple, who have two older children, also were ready to downsize. “It was a bigger house than we needed,” Harold says of the couple’s 6,000-square-foot Morrocroft home, which they started building in 1991. Still, the empty nesters weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to Charlotte and the SouthPark neighborhood where they’d been rooted for so long. And since they’d be spending less time in Charlotte and more time in the mountains, the couple wanted a home with minimal upkeep. The search ended when they found a two-bedroom, 10th-floor apartment at Element SouthPark with panoramic views of the city and a clean, modern aesthetic. Since the design of the Element is streamlined and contemporary, the Mulls wanted the decor to match. To accomplish this, they turned to Lisa Britt and Hadley Quisenberry, the mother-daughter design duo at West Trade Interiors. “Our Morrocroft house was very traditional,” Harold says. “We had traveled a lot over the years and had collected antiques from France and England.” After purchasing their mountain cottage in 2016, they had begun moving keepsakes and antique pieces there, allowing the designers to start with a blank slate. “When they were ready to move, they really wanted a different look,” Britt says. And with floor-to-ceiling windows offering unobstructed views of the city and treeline, the designers had a magnificent backdrop around which to work. “It was important to the client that none of the décor take away from the sweeping views, so we did minimize artwork and window coverings as well as our typical use of color to achieve that,” Quisenberry says. One exception is the antique mirror Joy wanted to keep as a focal point in the entry hall, where it hangs above a demi-lune cabinet by Century from A. Hoke Ltd. “Everything else is new or repurposed,” Quisenberry says. The living room is centered around a handcrafted banana-bark console from Made Goods that brings warmth and needed storage in the space.
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The other elements in the room — including a custom sofa by Charles Stewart, acrylic chairs from Isabella and a Stark rug — are lighter and monochromatic, in a style Quisenberry calls “transitional with a slight bend toward contemporary.” Since the apartment is a rental, many of the finishes — flooring, countertops and hardware — couldn’t be changed. But the designers were able to install new lighting, including the kitchen island pendants and dining room chandelier from Circa Lighting. An added perk of leasing the corner-unit apartment is a spacious outdoor living area, which the designers furnished with all-weather lounge chairs and a sofa from Summer Classics. The Mulls also enjoy other perks at the amenity-rich complex, which include a saltwater pool, lounge area with TVs and pool table, private conference rooms and a TopGolf simulator. And while the Mulls’ two-bedroom unit lacks space to accommodate overnight visitors, the southparkmagazine.com | 87
The Mulls chose a corner unit on the 10th floor at Element SouthPark, where they can enjoy the panoramic views of the city above the treeline. The furniture on the terrace is from Summer Classics.
Element offers a guest suite that can be reserved for out-of-town guests. Guests and family members have also enjoyed staying at the nearby Hyatt Centric and Canopy hotels, Harold says. The Mulls say their favorite things about living in their new apartment include the low maintenance, the increasing walkability of the SouthPark area and those stunning 10thfloor views. “We were really edited and intentional with our selections to let the view speak for itself and allow them to just enjoy their surroundings.” Quisenberry says. SP
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The antique mirror in the hall is one of the few pieces the Mulls brought from their previous home. The Century demi-lune cabinet is from A. Hoke Ltd. and the marble lamp is by Arteriors.
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Couples in business
David & Kristi Smith
Building a home you will love coming home to David and Kristi Smith know what it’s like to build your own home. Just four years ago, they did that. And so much more. They got married. Kristi adjusted to a new career in residential real estate. David founded his own company, luxury home builder Barringer Homes. Now, throw in several years of tremendous growth for the company, a baby girl named Campbell, a golden doodle named Connolly (the Uptown spot where the Smiths met), and a chaotic industry hampered by astronomical prices for home-building supplies and monumental material delays, and you get a feeling there’s nothing the couple can’t juggle. “People choose us because of our story,” says Kristi, now Barringer marketing and sales director. “We have gone through what our clients are undertaking,” she says. “We’re a family business that’s with our clients every step of the way, from myself who handles sales in the beginning to David who focuses on the concepts, architecture and vision to the end.”
Barringer Homes specializes in luxury homes ranging from $1 million to $3 million in neighborhoods about 10 miles from Charlotte’s center, such as Myers Park, Dilworth and Barclay Downs. They recently built Cambridge Square, a 19-home gated community in Cornelius with only a few left to sell. David’s passion for real estate began long ago, playing Legos as a child and designing home plans with scraps of paper and tape. His experience with flipping homes and lessons learned in land development and funding for builders led him to create Barringer Homes. His talent and expertise, along with Kristi’s industry knowledge and thoughtful approach to planning, ensure clients have a home that makes sense for their lifestyle. “In the past, we used to wonder why builders made certain decisions when designing homes,” David says. “Now we create beautiful ones ourselves that make sense and fit the families we work for.”
1341 E. MOREHEAD ST., #202, CHARLOTTE, NC 28204 | 980.284.7007 | BARRINGER-HOMES.COM SPONSORED MESSAGE
Couples in business
Tim & Suzanne Severs
Proven real estate experts dedicated to client success For Tim and Suzanne Severs – native Charlotteans and high school sweethearts – relationships are the heart of their successful real estate business. Raising their three children here, the husband-wife team has built a business that includes clients from several generations. It’s that loyal clientele, along with referrals, that makes finding the right home for each person so special. “A house is one of the largest investments someone can make,” Suzanne says, “but we believe it’s much more personal than that. The house you select should be about where you want to spend your time and what is reflective of your lifestyle. That is what makes it a home, and we’re in the business of finding you a home.” Matching clients’ lifestyles to the right home and neighborhood is one of Team Severs’ greatest strengths. Tim and Suzanne first worked together at her father’s company during summers home from college.
Suzanne became an agent shortly after, with Tim joining her in 2000. Throughout, they’ve had a front-row seat to the many changes and booming growth of the Charlotte region, weathering the inevitable ups and downs of the industry. It’s this experience and knowledge that translates into confident clients whose needs are met. Service is a priority for Team Severs, who offers expertise for any home purchase or sale in the Carolinas. Along with Patty Smith, a licensed agent with the team for more than 20 years, Tim and Suzanne are able to respond quickly to the ever-changing, unique market that so often relies on technology and time. “Each one of us brings individual strengths and talents to our transactions,” Tim says. “But we are all involved in every aspect of the process. We are committed to our clients’ success and satisfaction while always keeping their best interests in mind.”
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Taking flight JUST NORTH OF CHARLOTTE IN STATESVILLE, ADVENTURE-SEEKERS ENJOY THE THRILL OF HOT-AIR BALLOONING. by Jennings Cool • photographs by Jennings Cool and Seth Roddey
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t sunrise and sunset, drivers of trailers hitched to SUVs and pickups with large beds sit and wait for their pilot’s signal while hot-air balloons paint the sky in Iredell County. Pilots use wind navigation and expertise to find a safe landing, steering clear of trees, power lines and roadways, all while communicating where they are headed to their chase crew. A flat, empty patch of grass in a resident’s backyard will work fine. It’s not an unusual sight in Statesville, which has developed a reputation as the hot-air balloon capital of the East. Modern hot-air ballooning in the U.S. started in the early 1960s when Ed Yost, a South Dakota manufacturer, fastened a couple of propane tanks to a chair that was attached to a 40-foot-wide balloon. He took his first flight in 1960, eventually earning recognition as the “father of modern hot-air ballooning.” By 1965, hot-air balloons were standardized for Federal Aviation Administration certification, marking a monumental step in recreational ballooning. Ballooning pioneer and legend Tracy Barnes moved to Charlotte in the late 1960s and founded a manufacturing business called The Balloon Works. In the early 1970s, Barnes moved the operation, now FireFly Balloons, to Iredell County. Barnes hired Statesville native and expert balloonist Bill Meadows as his national sales manager. Meadows had founded a business in December 1969 in Statesville that taught balloon piloting. In 1974, Meadows founded the National Balloon Rally in Statesville as a reunion for the pilots he trained over the years. That rally, now called the Carolina BalloonFest, has been a highly anticipated event in Iredell County for more than 45 years. It is the secondlongest consecutive hot-air balloon festival in the country, organizers say. (The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico is the longest-running.) About 40,000 people attend the three-day event in October, depending on weather conditions, according to Bud Welch, the festival’s executive director. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit local nonprofits. But ballooning isn’t just a once-a-year event in Statesville.
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Floating above the tree line is arguably part of the town’s culture. Residents wear hats, shirts, sweatshirts and other apparel with balloons stitched on them. Pickups with balloon baskets in the beds are frequent sights. “The ballooning family we fly with most often is really tight. We all take care of each other and support each other,” says Kristie Darling, co-owner of Big Oh! Balloons, which was established in 1981. Darling and her husband, Charles Page, first attended the Statesville balloon rally about 40 years ago. “People would roll out their pickup trucks and put their balloons up in the misty morning. It was magical.” The couple lives in Page’s childhood home, which doubles as their balloon launch pad for Big Oh! Balloons. Darling counts about 14 active balloon pilots in the region. One is Marc Klinger, who has been flying balloons for 32 years, he says. He and his wife, Ursula, learned to fly in south Florida and started Airtime Balloon Co., offering trips in the Charlotte region year-round. While Ursula doesn’t fly as much anymore, Marc and his crew fly just about every weekend, weather permitting. Stateville’s year-round temperate climate allows balloonists to fly throughout the year. County roads that connect agricultural, rural areas to towns also make it easy for the pilots’ crews to access them once landed. Big Oh! Balloons hosted about 75 balloon flights from April to November last year, which tops its average of about 50 per year. Flights range from about $300 to $325 per person, providing what Darling calls a priceless adventure. “It is beautiful here,” Darling says. “On a really clear day, you can see the skyline of Charlotte and Winston-Salem. You can see Pilot Mountain. You can see the Brushy Mountains. And if you fly just south of Statesville, you can see Lake Norman.” SP
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OUT AND ABOUT IN STATESVILLE Statesville is about a 45-minute drive from Charlotte — it’s a straight shot up Interstate 77 North. While the area is well-known for ballooning, here are a few other local attractions to check out while you’re in the area. Stay at the Yellow Bow Tie Bed & Breakfast, a circa-1881 Victorian charmer where innkeepers Kevin and Cindy Drako have created a cozy but elegant atmosphere that’s a short walk to downtown shops and cafes. Sample Southern Distilling Co.’s award-winning bourbons at their modern craft distillery. Visit local downtown shops including Roots Outdoor NC, which stocks clothing and gear for outdoor adventures. Enjoy coffee, tea, wine and beer at Lake Mountain Coffee, a two-story coffeehouse and craft-beverage cafe in downtown. Grab a bite to eat at Broad Street Burger Co.— don’t miss the cheese curds, a local favorite, and the onion rings with their signature wildfire sauce. Other local hangouts include The 220 Cafe (salads, wraps, small plates and more), The Bristol Cafe (brunch benedicts and omelettes, burgers and sandwiches), Davesté Vineyards (in nearby Troutman) and Red Buffalo Brewing Co.
For more information on Statesville, including a list of companies offering balloon tours, go to visitstatesville.com/outdoors-adventure.
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Located in the Backlot of Park Road Shopping Center, one of Charlotte’s hidden gems, ROCKSALT Charlotte offers a revolutionary dining experience in the Queen City. The restaurant features a wood-fired grill and an oyster bar, serving up oysters and clams from the Rappahannock Oyster Company and features daily fresh fish and chef’s cut specials. ROCKSALT seeks out produce, seafood, meats, and other artisanal products from small farmers within close proximity to Charlotte. Sustainable food is the central focus of ROCKSALT’s menu along with a curated selection of local beers, ciders, wines, and spirits, as well as seasonal craft cocktails. Dishes evolve throughout the year to reflect the best of the local market and our innovative chefs. Come experience the mouthwatering flavors of local artisanal farms for yourself.
Tuesday - Friday .................. 4pm – 10pm Saturday ............................ 12pm – 10pm Sunday .............................. 12pm – 9pm
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Mingle at The Mint Mint Museum Randolph Dec. 2, 2021
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KELSIE ELIZABETH PHOTOGRAPHY
SouthPark Magazine hosted a holiday shopping event with dozens of local retailers and artisans, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Myers Park High School Chamber Orchestra, which provided music. Reid’s Fine Foods, Chetola Resort, Ziba Luxury Salon & Spa, Henderson Ventures Inc. and Chez Marie Cafe were presenting sponsors.
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Every school has a story...Welcome to Ours. Under Contract in Eastover
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At Carmel Christian School we offer an excellent education built on biblical truth, which equips students to reflect Christ to the world. Our students participate in a challenging college preparatory curriculum taught through the lens of a biblical worldview. We are a community in which academic excellence, artistic expression and athletic distinction are marked by intentional discipleship. We partner with Christian parents to nurture and challenge the potential of each student. Sign up online for a campus tour and discover Our Story!
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|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte for The Pink House Benefiting Carolina Breast Friends Nov. 6, 2021
Audrey Hood
Joddy and Jo Ann Peer
Lynn and David Erdman
Bill Diehl, Todd Ashworth and Jennifer Jackson
Parker and Amy Marsh, Michael Yeary, Lindsay Mayer
Claire Talley and Kurt Coleman
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Mary Margaret Beaver, Claire Talley, Molly Grantham and Lynn Erdman
Audrey Hood
Jim and Laura Thomas
Perry Swenson and Mary Mac Stallings
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL COSTON
Kathryn Shannonhouse Huffman and Ione Rucker Jamison
This friendly ballroom dance competition at Knight Theater raised money to support programs that empower and connect people impacted by breast cancer. Kathryn Shannonhouse Huffman took home the prize for highest fundraiser, Audrey Hood won the fan vote and Ione Rucker Jamison won the Judge’s Choice award.
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|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
SOS Gala
Benefiting The Foundation For Tomorrow Founders Hall Nov. 12, 2021
Sarah Bharti, Micheline Healy and Aundrea Wilson
Lisa Wilfong, Stephanie Guffin, Shelley Wilfong and Kellen Seymour
The SOS Gala celebrated The Foundation For Tomorrow’s 15th anniversary by sharing success stories about student scholars. Founded by Meghann Gunderman Sehorn, TFFT helps educate vulnerable children across Tanzania.
Sara and Jim Delaney
Noy Vang, Irina Toshkova, Paige and Erik Johnson
Gaurav Bharti and Fady Sidhom
Renata Gasparian and Caio Lima
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Roy and Nehal Morejon
Patrick and Heather Bartels
Candace Smith Donley and Meghann Gunderman Sehorn
Walter and Valerie Dolhare
Jason Sehorn and Dan Lyles
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL COSTON
Allyson Colaco and Jennifer Everett
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Home for the Holidays Tour with In Bloom Ltd. The Terrace at Cedar Hill Dec. 15, 2021
June Rhyne and Henrietta Palmer
Lise Hain, Cindy Smith
Lynn Hodges, Elaine Henderson, Robin Wriggins
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Opera Carolina Chorus Singers
Beth Benfield, Ruth Brenner, James Benfield
Heather and Danny O’Brien
Rachel Solka, Jay Lugibihl, Erin Breeden, Charlotte Guice
Wendy Kenney, Elizabeth Carson, Betsy Weathersbee, Pamela Gray
Caroline Stedman, Kim Mauney, Leigh Goodwyn
Jay Lugibihl and Helen Peery
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Jan Foster, Bessie King Tate
A cocktail celebration to launch the inaugural, selfguided Home for the Holidays Tour was hosted by Jay Lugibihl, owner of In Bloom Ltd. The event also supported efforts by The Learning Collaborative, a local nonprofit which helps underserved children succeed in school.
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|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
Jerseys & Jewels: Huddle for the House
Benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte Bank of America Stadium Nov. 13, 2021
Brad Anderson and Emily Hudgens
Denise Cubbedge, Leonard Wheeler and Marnie Schneider
Scott Salzman and Alisa Dent
Joe Fisher and Sue Fisher
Whitni Mungin and Leticia Foster
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Pediatrics Symphony Park
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Janice Anderson, David Bell, Maia Cooper and Allen Anderson
The Ronald McDonald House rebranded its annual gala and took to the field during Jerseys & Jewels. Patrons enjoyed food, drinks, and live and silent auctions, plus entertainment with Sir Purr and Panthers cheerleaders. The event raised more than $249,000 for RMHGC families.
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|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
YAM Fall Ball: The Queen is Back Mint Museum Uptown Nov. 20, 2021
Michael Forster and Katie Hinderliter
1300 Baxter St, Ste 114 Charlotte, NC
Amishi Shah, Lori and David Brantner
Will Motchar
Andrea and Chris Blosser
70 Lake Concord Rd NE Concord, NC
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL COSTON
Robert Byrd, Satie Munn, Amorette Reid and Juan Rios
The Young Affiliates of the Mint welcomed back its Fall Ball with a formal evening of dining, dancing, signature cocktails and a silent auction. Proceeds from the event help provide free museum tours for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students.
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|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
Patriot Gala
Benefiting Patriot Military Family Foundation The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte Nov. 6, 2021
Ryan Repp and Kelly Ralston
Ana Brooks and Sgt. Robinson Brooks
Charlene and Jim Miller
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Ralph Coppola, Lisa and Dan Riso, and Kimberly Coppola
John Falkenbury and John Gallina
Michael and Neely Verano
David and Joyce Laws
Jimmy Alexander and Natalie Terry
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The Patriot Gala returned to support military-connected families and veterans at the Ritz-Carlton, with many patrons wearing their dress blues. Attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour and dinner and bid on auction items.
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DANCE A LITTLE DREAM ittle did they know back in 1970 that these photographs would tell part of Charlotte Ballet‘s story on stage in 2022. That’s Robert Lindgren, dean of dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts (now UNC School of the Arts) in Winston Salem, pictured with dancers who formed a company under his guidance that would one day become Charlotte Ballet. Innovative 1970, the company’s first show of the year, is a throwback to that time and a tribute to its founding. It’s also a landmark production for Interim Artistic Director Christopher Stuart, who took the helm after Hope Muir’s departure last year. (Muir stepped down after five years to join the National Ballet of Canada as artistic director.) “It’s really been about teamwork,” Stuart says of the collaboration. “Expect beautiful, brand new choreography, costumes and music (some ’70s hits) inspired by our founding year,” he says. Stuart’s own connection to Charlotte Ballet began years ago as a student at UNCSA. “I used to come down to Charlotte and see the company perform. I’ve also either worked with or danced choreography with almost every previous artistic director, so now to have my current position it all just seems very surreal and full circle.” A new beginning with a nod to the past. In 1970, the founding dancers on that bus likely dreamed up big plans for their beloved North Carolina Dance Theatre. The name and faces have changed over time, but the dancing never stopped. SP
Charlotte Ballet presents Innovative 1970 from February 4-26. New works will be presented by 2019 Princess Grace Award winner for choreography, Rena Butler, along with NCDT Alumni, Ja’Malik, and Charlotte Ballet Company Artist, Andrés Trezevant. charlotteballet.org
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In 1970 Robert Lindgren founded North Carolina Dance Theatre, which would move to Charlotte and become Charlotte Ballet. He’s pictured here with members of the original company and the famous bus.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY CHARLOTTE BALLET
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by Sharon Smith
CUS TOM FU R NI T U R E I N FR E SH FA B R I C S, AL L M AD E I N OU R NO RT H C A RO LINA FAC I LIT Y WI T H UN BEATABL E LE A D T I ME S A ND NO MIDDLE MA N. COLEYHOM E.COM
