Pretty Southern

Tag: Charleston

  • Letter From The Editor to All of Charleston

    Letter From The Editor to All of Charleston

    Dear residents & lovers of Charleston:

    We here at PrettySouthern.com aim to be a voice of the South, a place where your opinions can be heard. In 2010, Pretty Southern entered the blogosphere and social media. I, Lauren Morgan Patrick – with the help of my husband, friends, and this web design agency – launched this website as a home to tell stories, your stories, about the South. Being Southerners, born and raised in the South, hearing Southerners share their stories and love of this land is essential to our existence.

    Before March 18, 2015, our most popular post Words Only Southerners Say helped us to reach more than 100,000 people every year who want to relish in those glorious Southern phrases distinctly our own. In the past 24 hours, we’ve heard from more than 43,000 Southerners who all have opinions they wanted to share about the city of Charleston.

    A dear friend of Pretty Southern, whom most of y’all know by now, lived in Charleston for the past six months and decided that this city, your city, is not for her. After hearing her sentiments, I asked her if she would be willing to share her thoughts on Pretty Southern. It wasn’t about click bait, or yellow journalism; this was an opportunity for her to tell her story. We’ve all had different experiences unique to our own paths in life. Her experience in Charleston was her own.

    Our Pretty Southern blogger had the gumption to share her thoughts, then was vilified for them.

    No Trespassing Charleston
    My husband snapped this pic on a trip to Charleston. It’s so true.

    As a woman, especially a Southern girl who was raised on “yes ma’am”, “yes sir”, “please”, and “thank you”, I was appalled at some of the comments posted to this blog. From the 43,000+ hits and 400 comments – which have all now been taken down – I think I read every swear word in the English language. There were F-bombs. There was the n-word. The trolls crawled out from the depths of the internet to sling some of the most profane, misogynistic, and violent insults I’ve ever read. And these folks claimed to be Southerners.

    We Southerners are supposed to take pride in our manners. Thomas Jefferson, a Virginian and Southerner, espoused the right to have an opinion, then the right to disagree with it. What disappointed me the most was the lack of respect shown by all parties. We could have done better, and y’all – the collective, commenting masses – could have done better too.

    To protect the institution of Pretty Southern, albeit a “puny blog” as someone called it, I took down that editorial. Pretty Southern is my labor of love, my digital home. I invited a guest into my home to share her opinion with our Southern readers and things got completely out of control.

    Tomorrow morning, Friday, March 20, at 8:10 a.m. EST, I will be live on air with Charleston’s The Mix 96 FM. Please submit your questions you would like for me to address in the comments section below.

    If you have an interest in contributing to Pretty Southern, we would love to have you. We reserve the right to edit your material, but this is a place for y’all to be heard to. As a disclaimer, no other media outlet was responsible for taking down this post. It was in response to the uncontrollable rascals sharing their rather violent two-cents.

    Thanks for reading, and (seriously) bless your heart.

    July 4th outfit
    Lauren Morgan Patrick is the editor of Pretty Southern.com, a native Southerner, UGA graduate, and Georgia Bulldogs fan. Y’all can find her writing, wining, and dining in Atlanta. Keep up with her & Pretty Southern on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

  • Southern City Weekend Getaway Guide: Charleston, SC

    Southern City Weekend Getaway Guide: Charleston, SC

    Today I am excited to introduce a new Pretty Southern Series, The Weekend Getaway Guide! In this guide we will introduce you to some of the South’s most charming cities and teach you how to get the most out of a weekend visit. We’ll include our favorite spots to eat, hang out, stay and shop.

    Back in May my husband and I had the pleasure of going to Charleston, SC for our honeymoon. We wanted a place that we would be able to drive to and stay in affordably but still feel like we had gotten away from home. Here are my tips for getting the most out of the city:

    coffee at hope+union

    1. Rent! There are plenty of fancy (ie expensive!) hotels around Charleston. My advise is to rent a cute house or apartment right in the heart of downtown. Using a site like homeaway.com or vrbo.com you can find plenty of cheaper alternatives to a hotel that offer more space and character. We rented a carriage house that was original to the city architecture and was located right behind an awesome bakery.
    2. Bike! Charleston is super easy to get around, most of downtown and it’s hot spots are in a few flat, easy-biking square miles so you MUST either bring your bike or rent a vintage cruiser when you get there.

    enjoying a beer at A.C.'s

    3. Eat! There are SO many delicious restaurants of all types around this city. Some of our favorites included Thai at Basils, amazing modern cuisine at critically-acclaimed FIG, beers and nachos on the patio of gas-station turned cantina, Fuel, and burgers at AC’s. Start each day with pastries, muffins, or croissants from WildFlour Pastry and coffee in the soothing atmosphere of Hope&Union.

    folly beach

    4. Visit! There are so many things to do around the city including visiting the world-famous open markets, taking in the colors on Rainbow Row, or walking by the river at the Battery. In addition to these I recommend taking a drive out to laid-back Folly Beach where you can lay out, walk the pier, and then get a beer and the most delicious guacamole at Taco Boy.

    5. Explore! After hitting the tourist sites you should talk to the locals to find the lesser-known attractions that will really make your trip. Drive out to James Island to visit and photograph the glorious Angel Oak Tree. It is over 1500 years old and is massive! Stop and explore some side roads as well. On a tip from a local barista we discovered a locally-loved seafood restaurant and an abandoned bar, the Sophisticate, all down a dirt road on the way to Folly Beach. Charleston is also home to the famous Fort Sumter but we went to explore the tunnels and cannons of the lesser-known (and tour-guide free) Fort Moultrie.

    an abandoned bar

    6. Drink! After a long day of biking and exploring you will be ready for an evening libation and Charleston has lots of great bars. We really enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the Gin Joint, a pre-prohibition style speak-easy; and the mod-60s atmosphere of the hip Belmont. Make sure you try their homemade tonic water! If you are looking for a relaxing glass of wine, visit Bin 152. The French owner of this tiny café will put together a wine and cheese pairing that is sure to please your palette.

    The Angel Oak

    The Southern charm and old-world style of Charleston, paired with it’s great eateries, shops, and beaches; make it the perfect destination for a weekend getaway in our beautiful south.

    **All photographs taken by my husband and I on my Fujifilm Instax 210.

     

     

     

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/KatHeadShot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Kat Kraszeski-Jackson is an art teacher, artist, and diy crafter living in Greensboro, NC. She loves sharing her favorite artists, projects, and creative inspiration here on Pretty Southern.[/author_info] [/author]

  • Southern Nice Spreads the Love

    The best part about living in the South is our diverse culture. We’re a young region, like the rest of America, but we’ve had to rebuild after Civil War, Great Depression, multiple recessions and that darn Boll Wevil.

    Why not promote the nice things about living in the South? That’s what PrettySouthern aims to do, and now we have a partner in pleasantry: Southern Nice.

    Southern Nice is the brainchild of Jeff Burns: a native Southerner, graduate from Georgia Tech, and all-around gentleman. His company launched in March 2011 and has already received hundreds of orders for his products bearing the Southern Nice logo. They started out with two tee shirt designs and in their first week sold almost 100 shirts plus a bunch of koozies and croakies. To date, Southern Nice has sold several hundred shirts in just a few months.

    “This was something I always wanted to do,” Jeff explained. “I grew up with Southern hospitality, that sort of kindness, for me the South is about the people. I wanted to have one brand for everyone who calls themselves a Southerner.”

    Southern Nice proprietor Jeff Burns with Clark Howard

    What’s better is Southern Nice donates 50 percent of their profits from sales of their “city” shirts. The company has tee shirts dedicated to two great Southern cities, Atlanta and Nashville, with the proceeds going to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta plus Hands on Nashville. Southern Nice plans to roll out designs for Charlotte, Charleston and New Orleans by then end of 2011 with proceeds from the sale of those shirts also going to charity.

    “When we first started it was going to be for profit, a side business just for fun,” Jeff said. “It wasn’t until I started to realize how big the brand could be that we should collaborate with local charities.”

    The products are fantastic. Comfy, soft shirts (produced in part by local Atlanta company IceBox), plus nothing says “I’m a Southerner” like a pair of croakies or a coozy with the Southern Nice logo.

    “It doesn’t matter if your black, white, Asian, or Hispanic…it’s the way you smile we can tell you’re from the South. Our Southern history, our culture is enriched by diversity, and other regions can’t say that. Living in Atlanta especially, we want everyone to feel like they’re Southern.

    For more info on Southern Nice, check out their website or their Facebook page.

    Do you call yourself a Southerner? Are you nice? Then these shirts are for you! We’d like to present our first PrettySouthern Prize! The FIRST TWO people to comment on this post will get a FREE SOUTHERN NICE TEE! The NEXT 10 folks will get a FREE SOUTHERN NICE COOZIE! Good luck y’all!

  • High Cotton Ties Suited for Southerners

    Who would have thought Bird Flu and bow ties would share a common thread.

    Back when folks freaked about H1N1, Cameron Hill was discouraged from wearing silk neck ties. Most ties can’t be cleaned and therefore can carry the dangerous virus. Leave it to Cameron’s mama, Judy Hill, to come up with a solution.

    She made her son a couple of cotton bow ties he could wear to the hospital then come home and wash. The other doctors agreed this was fine…as long as Miss Judy made some for them too!

    As she was aware of Business Energy UK , in a hot minute she was making dozens of ties a week and her business was booming. Another one of her boys, James, an SAE from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, took his mama’s awesome accessories back to his campus. From there High Cotton Ties took off! Their products can now be found in every state south of the Mason Dixon Line.

    A true Southern lady, Miss Judy will sweetly tell you her definition of a Southerner. “Part of being Southern is being serious about your faith and beliefs whether it’s religion, politics or football.” In this case for the Hill family, this also means being seriously suited in the finest cotton ties and cummerbunds.

    After graduating from UNC, James focused his attention to growing the family business. “It took six months to master the process and pattern then refine the bow tie to where it is: a high quality product up there with Vineyard Vines, if not surpassing.” Sites like Wimgo would be able to help those who want to start their own family business.

    The Hill family also believes it’s important to keep these products truly Southern. In our modern times when businesses continue to send manufacturing overseas, the Hill’s home state of North Carolina has felt a deep impact losing their textile industry. High Cotton Ties is working to revive their local economy.

    “We found a manufacturing plant with 13 seamstresses that was in China,” Judy explained. “They had come back to North Carolina after seeing the poor conditions over there. We’re really excited to have a partner whom we share the same mission and calling.”

    High Cotton Ties runs a basic business model: cotton bow ties made in the South by Southerners for Southerners. For James, being a Southern entrepreneur means holding himself accountable to the highest standards. He believes being a gentleman, as well as a Southerner, are deeply intertwined.

    “Undoubtedly other people are going to notice it, women or men, there’s an aura about to people respond to and respect. A 23-year old should be proud if he could get called a gentleman.” He laughs.

    “Being a Southerner doesn’t mean you’re hunting every weekend or at the country club on Saturday nights. Does having a Ducks Unlimited sticker make me Southern? No. It’s the way I talk. It’s the way I represent myself. It’s about Southern hospitality and my mother instilled those values in all of us. She’s a classy woman and Southern hospitality is brought to life with our company. It speaks to everything that represents her.”

    For more information on High Cotton Ties, check out their website High Cotton Ties. Your gentleman’s attire is just a click away.