Love Letter to the South
Southern Crafted is a new store in Savannah opening in late fall selling home goods made by craftspeople and small manufacturers from across the South.
Photography: Tiffany Goggin
“We launched this business as a love letter to the South and all its creative talent, one foot in the past and its traditions, and the other in its future.” Deborah and Ashley McCorkle / Founders, Southern Crafted
Southern Crafted is a new store in Savannah opening in late fall selling home goods made by craftspeople and small manufacturers from across the South.
They want to bring their customers the “best the South has to offer” in goods for entertaining, the kitchen, and setting a fine table.
Savannah is often called the “Hostess City of the South,” and Southern Crafted aims to provide for the needs of those who want to make Southern hospitality happen. Currently, they are gearing up a collection for fall entertaining. Oyster season looms large in their plans, with portable fire pits and leather and canvas aprons next to hand-forged oyster knives by Richmond knifemaker Brent Stubblefield, a contestant on the History Channel’s “Forged in Fire.”
This is fitting as it was an oyster plate that first inspired Deborah and Ashley McCorkle to open their store. Shopping for provisions to throw a fancy outdoor party, every oyster plate they found felt insubstantial and read “Made in China” on the bottom. McCorkle commented, “the Coastal and Farmhouse styles sold in many stores are just an imitation of the real thing. We want the products we sell to be an authentic slice of the South.”
Since then, they have traveled extensively to cultivate relationships with craftspeople to carry in their collection, from glassware producers in Asheville to handmade broom makers in Appalachia. They have tracked down potters who custom-make the table settings for some of the finest regional restaurants, including Sean Brock’s Audrey in Nashville and Austin’s Hestia. All in their quest to “furnish homes with genuine pieces of the South.”
As of press time, construction was just underway at their store on 114 Bull Street in Savannah. They hope to be open for business by the holidays. But in the meantime, they will be offering a limited Fall collection at southern-crafted.com.
114 Bull Street, Savannah, GA
southern-crafted.com
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