Fall 2009

All-American Sells By Sue Marquette Poremba

Isle of Candles

Isle of Candles, a gift shop in the beach town of Pawleys Island, SC, sells candles and other products made by local artisans. The store stocks products made by Lowcountry Artists—a co-operative art gallery comprised of South Carolina artisans.

Kathy Miller, the shop’s owner says opening the store to talented artisans was an easy way for Isle of Candles to offer visitors a wider selection of locally-made products. “We give talented artisans a place to easily showcase and sell their products to a tourist demographic that might otherwise be hard to reach,” she says.

Miller says the partnership has been a win/win situation for everyone. “The artisans share their craft with my customers,” she says. “My customers have a nice selection of local, handmade products, and my store is wonderfully stocked with unique, locally, handcrafted pieces.”

Currently, 65% of the merchandise in Miller’s store is American-made, but Miller hopes to see that increase to 85% by the end of the year.

She highlights the Lowcountry Artists’ products by grouping them together with a framed picture and biography of the artists. Following the advice of Cinda Baxter, Miller says the store tells something personal in the stories about the artists and gives reasons for shoppers to connect with the talented hands behind the work of art.

“We also invite our artisans to keep their business cards on the shelves near their products so our customers can see that the artists really are local,” Miller says.

The candles are displayed on long shelves that flank the checkout area, and each candle has a label stating it was hand-poured in Pawleys Island.

Sue Marquette Poremba

Sue Marquette Poremba is a freelance writer based in State College, PA. She specializes in technology, engineering, energy, and IT security topics. She has also published over a dozen essays and is the author of a book about the Philadelphia Phillies.