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, send your suggestions to: lljerkins@gmail.com. Also find more Southern-made products, featured in the AJC, at Southernfinds on Facebook or twitter@southernfinds1.
Dixie on my mind
Native Southerners Marianna and Micah Whitson moved north to work in advertising. They soon found themselves missing the South. To reconnect, they started Old Try in 2011.
Founders: Micah is from Athens, Ala., and graduated from Ole Miss. Marianna grew up in Raleigh, N.C. and graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They met in Durham, N.C. where they were working at the same advertising agency
Main goods: Prints ($42) and T-shirts ($25), which are made in made La and printed in Atlanta.
Other favorites: Timber collection ($140) is made in Charlotte. Reclaimed wood is used to create your favorite state.
What's popular: General Manners No. 1. The letterpress print is $42, unframed.
Fun request: A Mississippi ex-pat neighbor in Hoboken, N.J., had us overnight an Ole Miss print to give to Eli Manning on the eve of the Super Bowl 2012.
Big break: Design Sponge, a home and garden website, featured Old Try the same week it launched.
Claim to fame: General Manners No. 1 print is hanging in the Peche Seafood Grill in New Orleans. The company has also shipped products to 49 states. Alaska? Old Try is waiting.
Where to buy: theoldtry.com
Clay feats
Julie Silvers is an abstract painter and sculptor. And like the city she calls home, the upbeat New Orleans artist is inspired by everything around her.
Company: Julie Silvers Art started in the early 1990s, with Silvers selling whimsical decorative plates and nudes. She expanded her work to include color-splashed paintings, plus bold hand-built clay totems and coiled vessels.
Background: Silvers earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Tulane University. She also attended the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art for a short time.
Influences: Her mother, artist Susan Wittenberg, and Ida Kohlmeyer, a well-known New Orleans artist.
Main goods: Paintings ($500 to $16,000); vessels ($800 to $1,200); totems ($1,300 to $9,000); candlesticks ($250 to $600); and women sculptures ($950 to $6,000)
What's popular: Paintings, vessels and the relatively new clay totem poles, which range from two feet to eight feet.
Other favorites: Ceramic sculptures of nude, voluptuous women.
Claim to fame: Scott Cowen, president emeritus of Tulane University, purchased three of large floor totems. Arthur Roger of Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans has one of Silvers' vessels.
Where to buy: In Atlanta, at the Tritter Feefer showroom at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, 351 Peachtree Hills Ave NE, Suite 502, (404) 500-3681. In New Orleans, at the Hall-Barnett Gallery (http://hallbarnett.com) and at Feet First (feetfirststores.com)
For information
: Visit juliesilvers.com or Julie Silvers Art on
Sister act
Allison McCall and Sarah White hadn’t planned on going into business together. But when a framing project in a furniture showroom sparked interest – and sales – the creative sisters teamed up and started Antique Curiosities.
The company: Antique Curiosities started in 2012 in Hickory, N.C. The family-owned company sells unique or vintage images in handmade frames or shadowboxes.
The founders: McCall and Sarah White grew up in Hickory and graduated from University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Main goods: Framed and shadowboxed artwork and archival prints in five different categories, and sizes ranging from 11 by 14 inches to 32 by 40 inches. Prices range from $99 to $399.
Best sellers: Constellation maps ($179 to $249) and vintage blueprints ($149 to $249).
Other favorites: Naturalist images, which includes ferns, birds, insects, antlers, butterflies, and moths.
Fun requests: Framing special, one-of-a-kind items, such as antique tools, baby dresses, baby shoes, records and bottles.
Where to buy: www.antiquecuriosities.com. In Atlanta, visit the Atlanta Home Furnishings Market (Jan. 8-12) in Building 1, Floor 7, Booth E 11. In Georgia, check Turner's Fine Furniture in Leesburg, Tifton, Thomasville and Valdosta. In Georgia, check Turner's Fine Furniture in Leesburg, Tifton, Thomasville and Valdosta.
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