Go green. Favorites include Mason jar lights for summer weddings, furniture made from recycled rubber, and eco-friendly bags.
Night lights
When Crystal San Juan and her husband returned from their overseas jobs as teachers, she decided to skip school and start a business in Asheville, N.C. At first, San Juan imported and sold scarves from Egypt, where they had lived and worked.
In 2009, San Juan wanted to focus on something more local. She started the Sweet Tea Clothing Co., selling “sweeter than the tea” T-shirts packaged in Mason jars. There are now 12 Southern states (including Georgia) in the “sweet” T-shirt collection for Southern girls and women. The next year, she began a T-shirt line for boys and men called “Southern Boys Love Their Toys.” T-shirts range from $22 to $29.
But in 2011, San Juan had another bright idea: Mason jar lights. Her patented design of Mason jar lights features 10 jars to a strand on a 10-foot, super-tough, stainless steel wire. The strand comes with a removable, 10-bulb set of indoor/outdoor G-40 lights. You also can use candles for a softer glow. The jars are clear one-half pints with silver lids. Popular for weddings and other special events, a strand is $42 and available from www.sweetteaclothingco.etsy.com or www.bourbonandboots.com. For information about T-shirts, visit www.sweetteaclothing.com.
Rubber chic
Dwayne Bass has worked as a photographer and sculptor. The University of Georgia grad is also the founder of TWOvital, a company that recovers unused materials from construction sites and turns them into “green” art.
It was his interest and work in recycled sculpture that led Bass to create RUBBLOX, a line of contemporary furniture made in Georgia from recycled rubber. The rubber is cleaned, shredded and organically dyed before it is shaped and molded into durable cubes and cylinders.
Use it indoors or out. With its soft edges, RUBBLOX is perfect for playgrounds and parks. It also can be a smart accent for your home or office. Two black cubes were used as outside patio tables in HGTV’s 2012 Green House in Serenbe. The 18-inch cube and 18-inch cylinder are top sellers, but there are other sizes and colors available. Find them for $485 at Kolo Collection, 1189 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. For information, visit rubblox.com or twovital.com.
Second-life gear
Matt Mahler grew up in southern Louisiana, fishing and exploring the wetlands with his father. Those early years outdoors gave Mahler an appreciation and respect for nature and inspired him to become an environmental engineer.
In North Carolina, where he works as an air quality engineer, Mahler visited an active landfill in 2009. Struck by the waste, the Louisiana State University grad was determined to do something about it. He formed Tierra Ideas, a small manufacturer of eco-friendly bags in Raleigh. The company mostly uses recycled leather and worn aircraft textiles donated by Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines.
Last year, Tierra Ideas launched the Altitude Collection of travel bags, made from recycled aircraft curtains and seat-back covers. The leather Jetstream men’s wallet ($34) and the zippered iPad sleeves ($29) are the company’s most popular items. New gear includes the Altitude Purse ($99) and the leather Piedmont laptop bag ($129). Visit tierraideas.com. Some items also are available at the Re-Inspiration Store, 519 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta.
Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If, so please share them with us. Send your suggestions to: ljerkins@bellsouth.net. In the subject line, write Southern Made. Please include your name and a contact number.
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