Feature Story Sustainable Seafood: On The Bubble Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
Efforts to make sustainable food more visible and available are increasing. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments
get outta town Kendall Lukas Visits Wilmington, N.C. Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
Kendall Lukas has stars in her eyes and history under her feet as she explores the neighboring port city of Wilmington, N.C. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments A Lowcountry Life From Ballet Shoes To Bikinis Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
Poland native Maria Dobrzanska Reeves uses her dance discipline to achieve success in Charleston. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments essay Splashing Through Childhood Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
You can see the shrimp boats from your restaurant table, so that shrimp pasta on the menu has to be fresh and local. Right? Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments homestyle Cooking in the Great Outdoors Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
Customized patio kitchens are made for entertaining. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments just dogs Water Babies Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
More on Megan Westmeyer and Jennifer Smith’s visit to Swimming Rock Fish Farm Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments from the editor Water World Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
I love being in water. I love that clear, cool swishing feeling around my ears. In fact, on a warm, sunny day, I like to go outside and get as hot as possible and then dive into a cool pool. For me, it’s refreshment at its finest. Read More 1 comment(s) / read/add comments distinctively charleston Beach Music Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
The sounds, swells and shagging at Folly beach pier keep fans coming back for more. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments feature story Farm Fresh Fish Tuesday, July 1, 12 00 a.m.
We celebrate what we treasure in the Lowcountry and beyond that gives us an interior smile. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments from the editor Maxximum Style Thursday, May 1, 03 49 p.m.
My 14-year-old niece visited Charleston with her parents in March. She’s from Moscow, Russia, and I had not seen her in more than 10 years. There’s a big difference between 4 and 14! Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments feature story Holy City Style Thursday, May 1, 03 49 p.m.
When Nancye Starnes decided to move out of Memphis, she drew up a list of “must haves” for her new hometown: it had to be a walkable city, located on the water, and sizeable enough to support a vibrant performing arts community. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments delectable delights Beyond Cookie Cutter Thursday, May 1, 03 48 p.m.
Prime ingredients, Nostalgic tastes and creative bakers transform Lowcountry cookies into high-style confections. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments A Lowcountry Life Working for Peanuts Thursday, May 1, 03 48 p.m.
Anthony Wright, the man known throughout the Lowcountry and across the nation as Tony the Peanut Man, never intended to make his living selling boiled goobers. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments just dogs Citadel Charmers Thursday, May 1, 03 48 p.m.
Move aside – bulldog coming through. In January, the American Kennel Club announced that the Bulldog, one of the most recognizable and iconic purebred dogs, has muscled its way into the 10th spot on the organization’s annual list of the most popular breeds in America. Read More 2 comment(s) / read/add comments get outta town Kendall Lukas Visits Charlotte, NC Thursday, May 1, 03 48 p.m.
I had never been to Charlotte … not really. Well, I’ve gotten my kicks at Carowinds because that was part of being a kid in the Carolinas, and I’ve been to concerts at the open-air Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre because it’s a large complex for big-time acts. I’ve visited my sister at UNC Charlotte and have flown through the city’s major transit airport many times. But as for the metropolis of Charlotte, I’d only ever viewed its high-rises from afar. This time I took an up-close look at the interior and found a lot of reasons to relish in North Carolina’s top travel destination. Read More 1 comment(s) / read/add comments distinctively charleston Turning Heads Thursday, May 1, 03 48 p.m.
Bessie is almost 50 and looks as good today as she did in her youth – maybe even better. After all, back then she was hanging from a pole. Now she runs circles around the rest of us, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments homestyle Café Comfort Thursday, May 1, 03 46 p.m.
Banquettes are big. Heidi Walker, Allied ASID, of Walker Design Group, is currently working on three different kitchens that have banquettes. For this kitchen in a young couple’s home on Sullivan’s Island, Walker created a café atmosphere by building on the existing element of the laminated floor. “This promotes a casual impromptu gathering space,” she says. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments ESSAY Lowcountry Style Thursday, May 1, 12 00 a.m.
If you want to experience real Lowcountry style, you need to come to the Hebron Saint Francis Senior Center. Its members are long time Johns Island residents, a hardscrabble group of African-American women who meet every Wednesday for devotion and quilt making. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments essay The Art of Walking Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
The word “art” usually brings to mind pictures of such objects as paint brushes, canvases, pigments, and marble statuary. It does not call up, necessarily, the image of the walker or the bliss and freedom of the path – beaten or unbeaten – that unfurls ahead. But to walk, to enter truly the experience of locomotion merged with one’s surroundings, alert to air and leaf and salamander, is to practice a high and much-forgotten art. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments letter from the editor Go-Go Girl Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
"Go” has practically become my middle name. I’ve always been a fast mover, even when my body isn’t really up to it. A quick climb up three flights of stairs will remind me of this every time. Lately I feel like I’m constantly on-the-go: work; household chores; child rearing; trips to the grocery; trips to Target; trips to the vet to care for Bugsy, my dear aging Westie. It seems that ”going” has become an American pastime; if you’re not crazy-out-of-your-mind busy then you’re not doing something right. I disagree. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments homestyle Jewel Box Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
Although one of the smallest rooms in a house, a powder room is nonetheless important since most of your guests will pay it a visit. Jennifer Rhodes, ASID, principal designer of J. Rhodes Design, took the popular concept of making this room a “jewel box” and ran with it, creating a luxurious surprise in this 3-foot by 7-foot Daniel Island room. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments distinctively charleston Treasure Hunt Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
For some it’s a hobby; for some it’s an obsession; and for some it is all about the experience. Under a table, out of a box of old papers or tucked in a dark corner, you see it. It might have been neglected, someone no longer valuing it, but you know its true worth. Your heart speeds up and suddenly you realize … you found a something you must have.
Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments feature Story Let’s Go! Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
It is official – spring has sprung! As winter wanes, so does our brief tolerance for being cooped indoors. We have a bridge to walk, nature paths to bike, bass to catch, and azaleas that need planting. So dangle off the dock, put the top down, grab the gear out of the garage, or get the dogs ready for a ride. It is time for Lowcountry residents to play outside! Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments get outta town Kendall Lukas Visits Aiken, SC Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
Today Aiken is somewhat old-fashioned, but it is cosmopolitan in its direction. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments delectable delights Spring Fling Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
Mother Nature delivers the first flush of spring in asparagus, onions and peas.
Spring enters life so beautifully,
With love within her tears of rain;
She whispers softly in my ear
Her presence in the world again. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments feature Story Exceptional Educators Saturday, March 1, 12 00 a.m.
Three Lowcountry teachers go beyond the call of duty to make a difference. We see it splashed across the headlines every day. South Carolina schools are struggling. In fact, it’s even become an issue in the upcoming presidential election. And with good reason. Our schools are struggling, dropout rates are hovering in some districts around 50 percent, and the heated debate about the emphasis on testing continues. Read More 0 comment(s) / read/add comments
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distinctively charleston
Treasure Hunt
By Stephanie Burt Williams
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Photo by Brennan Wesley
Antique silver crumbers in the collection of Joe Cicero.
For some it’s a hobby; for some it’s an obsession; and for some it is all about the experience.
Under a table, out of a box of old papers or tucked in a dark corner, you see it. It might have been neglected, someone no longer valuing it, but you know its true worth. Your heart speeds up and suddenly you realize … you found a something you must have.
Antiquing is all about the quest. Charleston provides a wide range of treasure hunting from vintage and junk shops with treasures waiting to be discovered to high-end antique emporiums filled with gleaming tea sets, delicate Chinese vases and Chippendale furniture. And as many different antiques as there are out there, there are just as many people who collect them. For some it’s a hobby; for some it’s an obsession; and for some it is all about the experience.
Kristan Sagliocco, along with her partner Joe, owns the Kings Inn Bed and Breakfast in Summerville. They outfitted the entire inn with antiques, but their love of “old things” was evident long before they purchased the historic home.
“I started loving antiques in college when I had great friends who furnished their apartments in ‘non-college’ style with antiques used in unusual ways,” she says. And Joe also started early, fascinated by his Italian-immigrant grandparent’s heirlooms, which fueled his love of history.
In fact, their love of antiques actually sparked their romance. The two met on eHarmony, and their love of antiquing connected them. Even now, when they are out shopping, their tastes are very similar.
“We have incredibly similar taste on antiques. We can browse in different parts of a store, and we will both fall in love with the same piece,” Joe says.
Kristan is especially attracted to antiques of the federal period, but she has no claims to be an expert. The couple lives with their pieces every day, from functional furniture to nice china and glassware. “We’re not the kind of people who put things behind glass,” she says.
Joe finds antique silver crumbers attractive, stemming from his days as a waiter in college. But they both stress that the act of looking for antiques gives them as much satisfaction as the pieces themselves.
“Buying an antique crumber for $15 is the biggest thrill for me,” Joe says.
“Antiquing for me is truly a way to de-stress,” Kristan adds. “I go into an antique zone, and I don’t have to find something to buy for it to be exciting.”
And for those thinking about joining her in the aisles of an antique mall? “Buy what you love, regardless of what anybody tells you about what you should love.”
Joe and Kristan actually saved on their budget for inn furnishings by purchasing antiques instead of new “furniture store furniture.” Another possible cost-effective option for those interested in antique furniture is quality reproductions, readily available in the area.
“We have a large stock of benchmade, not manufactured, custom reproductions,” says Andrew Birlant Slotin of Birlant on King Street.
The pieces he sells are from reclaimed old timbers and parts harvested from other old pieces. This assures that the quality you are getting in the reproduction is the same as the antique. For instance, old growth mahogany doesn’t really exist in today’s market, but many reproductions are made out of young mahogany, giving the furniture the same look, but less density of wood and durability. By reclaiming old pieces (that might have been otherwise damaged or unusable), quality reproductions are very close to the original.
Slotin says the most popular reproductions are pieces of dining furniture: breakfronts, corner cupboards, tables, and chairs. He says, “By far, these are the categories we see the most requests.”
Signs you might like antiquing
When you were little, did you have daydreams of finding a treasure (i.e. in the woods behind your house, in a relative’s dusty old attic, or buried in pluff mud at the edge of the marsh)?
Do you enjoy history and have a certain affinity for one historical era over another?
If you see something old, do you think it charming with an aged patina instead of old, ugly and in need of a good scrubbing?
Do you harbor a hidden dream of appearing on “Antiques Roadshow”?
Lowcountry Living is a bi-monthly magazine of The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C. 29403-4800. Copyright 2007 by The Post and Courier.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission from The Post and Courier. Printed by R.L. Bryan, Columbia, S.C. Click here to email the editor
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