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The Buzz: Take Lowcountry Local First’s pledge to shift your holiday spending to independent and locally owned stores

The Buzz: Take Lowcountry Local First’s pledge to shift your holiday spending to independent and locally owned stores
November 2022
PHOTOGRAPHER: 

Plus, clean beauty boutique ALLIEA relocates to Mount Pleasant



AILLEA features 50 nontoxic beauty and makeup brands at its new Mount Pleasant location.

Freshen Up
Clean beauty boutique AILLEA has reopened in Mount Pleasant after closing its space inside nontoxic nail salon Water Room, which was bought by Varnish Lane last fall. The shop offers a wide range of clean skin-care and makeup brands such as Tata Harper, Indie Lee, Ilia, and Kosas, as well as Charleston-based lines RMS Beauty and Maya Chia. On November 5, reserve a spot for a full makeup application with Ilia, and later this month, look for Black Friday discounts. The new location also plans to launch skin-care treatments including facials and waxing by the end of the year. 
[280 W. Coleman Blvd., aillea.com

Made in the Shade
Custom lampshade company Sorella Glenn, founded by two sisters in 2019, is debuting its first brick-and-mortar location on Market Street. The Lampshade Library offers customers the opportunity to select the silhouette, size, color, print, and trim of the hand-pleated shades. “Charleston is ideal for launching our first boutique. Local designers, stylish homeowners, and city visitors are the perfect guests for our library,” says co-owner Katy Glenn. [141Market St., sorellaglenn.com]

Santa’s Coming to Town
From November 25 to 27, shoppers can bring their children to visit Ol’ Saint Nick in Santa’s Surf Shack at Freshfields Village. Bring your own camera to capture the holiday memory. In addition, customers can enjoy live music, strolling carolers, and performances by jugglers and stilt walkers. The Kiawah Island outdoor lifestyle center features a mix of national and local stores, including GDC Home, Indigo Books, Palmetto Scent Studio, and SeaCoast Sports and Outfitters. [165 Village Greene Ln., Kiawah, freshfieldsvillage.com]

Shop Local
Lowcountry Local First is encouraging shoppers to check off their holiday lists at independent and locally owned businesses rather than buying gifts at big box stores and online retailers such as Amazon. Visit the nonprofit’s website to pledge to shift 10 percent of your spending to local retailers. To make it easier, the site lists Lowcountry shops, service providers, and restaurants, as well as seasonal markets featuring artisans and makers. [lowcountrylocalfirst.com]