Local bags and leather goods company J. Stark, owned by Erik Holmberg and Jessica Nicoles, settles down into a brick-and-mortar store located at 208 Coming St. — the home of floral design studio Charleston Stems. Also new to the space is design company Sisal Creative, helmed by local artist Becca Barnet.
J. Stark will celebrate their move — J. Stark and Sisal split the space down the middle while Stems maintains an office space in the back of the building — with a party next Fri. March 24 from 5-11 p.m. Attendees can shop J. Stark’s new line of bags and leather goods as well as one time sale items. There will be drinks and food available for purchase from Semilla food truck.
The J. Stark space will be a hybrid work and retail space where people can come in and both watch the production of J. Stark bags and goods, as well as make purchases. Nicoles says, “We’re hoping to offer a really unique shopping experience in that you’ll be able to come and feel the bags and wallets, try them out, maybe even grab a locally made soda or coffee and chill out for a while — and all while hearing the hum of the Juki sewing machines whirring nearby.”
[event-1] The J. Stark folks hope to celebrate their space one night a month with evening shopping experiences where they plan on cohosting neighborhood events, showing local artists’ work, and inviting in other makers for pop-ups.
Sisal Creative is more of a studio than a store (they don’t sell retail items) and calls itself a “studio of art problem solvers” is led by creative director Becca Barnet, with Kaleigh Hastings serving as designer and project manager. Past projects include a copper nail logo for Butcher & Bee, a longhorn steer head for Lewis Barbecue, and custom felt artworks for FIG. Sisal’s space will not be open during next week’s party.
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