LED BY BURNT CHURCH DISTILLERY, WATTERSON BRANDS BUILDS BUSINESSES, BRINGS JOBS, AND GIVES BACK  TO THE LOWCOUNTRY

BY BARRY KAUFMAN | PHOTOS BY RITTERBECK PHOTOGRAPHY

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.

A guy moves to the Lowcountry from the Midwest, having amassed a successful career up north. He’s thinking about retiring but knows that his Type-A personality doesn’t make that even remotely possible. So he decides he’s going to stretch his creative muscles a little and see what he can come up with.

ANSON MILLS LEADS CAROLINA GOLD RICE REVIVAL

BY JAMES A. MALLORY | PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Carolina Gold rice’s reestablishment in the Lowcountry is an oft-told story. Thanks to Columbia-based Anson Mills, the Antebellum staple is showing up in restaurants around the world.

The company specializes in what owner Glenn Roberts calls heirloom genetics, researching and reintroducing plants lost over time.

A & A CHRISTMAS TREES HAVE BEEN A LOWCOUNTRY PILLAR FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS 

The day after Thanksgiving is a big day for the Youngblood and Doe families, and it has nothing to do with Black Friday sales. It’s the day their Christmas tree farm opens for the season. 

Cars fill the parking lot and line the road as families search for the perfect tree at A & A Christmas Trees in Okatie.

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY’S ECONOMIC GROWTH

It’s funny to think back just a few years, when economic uncertainty was all around us and it seemed like even the most learned experts were working with a hazy crystal ball. Fast forward through a pandemic and a few bumps in the road, and Beaufort County seems poised to flourish. 

PRETTY PAPERS & GIFTS OFFERS KEEPSAKES TO CHERISH

For Pretty Papers & Gifts on Hilton Head Island, the keys to lasting success are top-notch customer service and a wide variety of quality merchandise.

BY TIM WOOD | PHOTOS SUPPLIED

It was his 50th birthday. Tony Arcuri and Jim Loniero convinced the glue behind the SERG Restaurant Group’s “Three Amigos,” Steve Carb, to take a rare couple of days off from making the rounds to his restaurants for an extended weekend trip to Costa Rica to celebrate.

UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES FOR STUDENT FINANCIAL AID

By Thomas Dowling

Anyone who has been through the application process applying for financial aid for college recognizes that it is a frustrating and confusing process.

ART LEAGUE OF HILTON HEAD CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

BY VICKIE MCINTYRE | PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

Live Art. Love Art. Learn Art. That’s the motto of Art League of Hilton Head, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary and hosting a celebratory gala at the end of the month.

BY AMY BARTLETT | PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

RED PIANO ART GALLERY TAKES EACH PIECE TO HEART

Art has the power to make us feel. At the Red Piano Art gallery in Bluffton, it’s not just the works themselves, but the knowledge and personal passion of owners Ben and Lyn Whiteside that invariably make every guest — from curious to collector to curator — take every piece to heart.

BY MARK E. LETT | PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

BILLY WOOD APPLIANCE HAS BEEN A GO-TO RETAILER FOR 50 YEARS

Susie and Don Drobny learned a thing or two about buying appliances during 53 years of marriage, living in nine states and two countries — and owning 19 houses. Among the lessons: Count on Billy Wood Appliance for outstanding service and remarkable choices.

The couple turned to the venerable Hilton Head retailer to outfit their home in Leamington in 2001, and returned to Billy Wood when they made a move 13 years ago to Colleton River Plantation.