2014 hitched & power couples issue

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE’S Accelerated Degree Programs

Accounting

Finance

Business Administration

Marketing

Communication

Sociology*DAY & NIGHT COURSES

at our main campus in Clinton, MS

LOCATIONS CLINTON

Our main campus located at 200 S Capital St, Clinton MS*

FLOWOODLocated at 115 Laurel Park Cove near the

Dogwood shopping center.

Navigation for a brighter future.

Apply Today!www.mc.edu

601.925.7715

LEARN ONLINE RN/BSN | Homeland Security

Paralegal Studies

Communication Generalist

Master in HealthServices Administration

Master of Science inApplied Communication


Accounting

Finance


Marketing

Communication



LOCATIONS CLINTON






601.925.7715


Paralegal Studies




2 January - February 2014 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine boomjackson.com


Accounting

Finance


Marketing

Communication



LOCATIONS CLINTON






601.925.7715


Paralegal Studies





Accounting

Finance


Marketing

Communication



LOCATIONS CLINTON






601.925.7715


Paralegal Studies





Accounting

Finance


Marketing

Communication



LOCATIONS CLINTON






601.925.7715


Paralegal Studies




3 Work. Live. Play. Prosper.

601-709-3443 | CARSON LAW GROUP, PLLCCAPITAL TOWERS 125 SOUTH CONGRESS ST., SUITE 1336

JACKSON, MS 39201

Dorsey Carson has spent most of his nearly 18 years of law practice at big firms across the Southeast, where he has been

recognized as a top construction lawyer and commercial litigator by Chambers USA, the

Best Lawyers in America, SuperLawyers, and the Mississippi Business Journal, among others.

Now Dorsey has established the Carson Law Group, a small boutique

law firm located in downtown Jackson that is committed to serving its business clients with solutions-based legal experience.

BIG FIRM EXPERIENCE. SMALL FIRM PERSONAL SERVICE.

“Marriage is about serving together.” —Rashida Walker

24 62

13

36

16

23

9 JXNMillennium CityThe City with Soul makes waves as the place to be for young artists.

11 Conquer 2014Deirdre Danahar wants you to keep your 2014 resolutions.

12 Military MamaMeet Margarett Barnes, Mississippi’s fi rst African

American female major general.

13 Pop BottlesSip Champagne all year round.

16 ProgressIron Horse rides again among new downtown development.

18 BIZLucky MidtownHopheads rejoice! Jackson’s fi rst brewery opens this year.

20 Cat’s MeowMeet the crew behind Cathead Vodka.

23 If the Ring FitsBrian Beckham’s custom baubles shine.

24 WEDDING BELLS SELLWeddings are big business these days, thanks to this generation’s access to inspiration far and wide.

27 PeekabooPacking light: Stephen Barnette shares the tools of his trade.

28 Wedding Vendor GuidePaid advertising section.

33 Hitched Announcements

36 POWER COUPLESGreat things are better in pairs.

48 BITESCater WaiterThe devil’s in the details when it comes to catering events.

50 Crazy Tasty CoolThe rock is for listening. The roll is for eating.

52 ARTSColor and CraftElizabeth Robinson’s glassworks are becoming a hot-ticket item nationwide.

54 MELODIESSpiral SoundThe Nautilus Project connects JXN and PDX.

56 COOL TOOBlue StateExplore Cleveland and the Mississippi Blues Trail.

58 EVENTSDon’t know what to do when it’s sweater weather? We’ve got you covered.

62 LOCAL LISTWill Sterling knows a photoworthy location when he sees one—and he’s sharing.


Weddings, man. Weddings are the best. The best memories from the last three or four years include many of my loved ones’ weddings, each with their own feel and flavor. Big, raucous affairs. Small backyard ceremonies. Religious ritu-als. Semi-agnostic celebrations. And my own wedding, a friend-filled party at

the Mississippi Museum of Art. That was a little more than a year and a half ago. I put on a long, white dress and a pair of gold glitter shoes, cried my way through my vows, and said “I do” to spending the rest of my life with a man that I love. Since that day, I’ve been learning how to be a wife and a partner. We were together for five years before that Big Day, so I figured it wouldn’t be all that different from our dating and engaged life. But it is different, in a thousand ways, some tiny and some big. I’ve learned a lot in this year and a half, but I know it is only the tip of a huge, hidden iceberg of knowledge and experience that will take the rest of my life to unearth. If I sound zen and wise and self-aware, don’t be too impressed. I am temperamental, short-fused, reluctant to let go and quite possibly the only person in the world more stub-born than my husband. I set impossibly high standards and am easily frustrated when life cannot measure up. I’m harder on myself than anyone else could be on me. All of these things make me a challenging wife to live with and love. These are the things I work on (or try to work on) daily. Maintaining a healthy, happy relationship—whether it’s with your partner, spouse, fam-ily member, friend or someone else—requires different things from different people. Spend-ing the day with our 2014 Power Couples was a great reminder of some of the qualities that make a great relationship. It was a privilege to see what binds these couples, from Rachel and Chris’ sense of fun, to the steady respect between Ramina and Arash, to the teamwork of Meredith and Terry. And everywhere, love. (See pages 36-46 to read more about these and all the rest of our amazing Power Couples.) This time of year is rife with resolutions, and mine are very simple for 2014. Let love in. Let love win. Indulge in the beautiful, wonderful, lovely parts of life. I resolve to pay attention to the examples of great love I see around me, whether that be love for family, friends, one’s city or significant other—or even love for one’s self, I need to work on that as well. I hope to learn from the exemplary folks around me, and work to make their habits a part of my own life. Here’s to the new year, and to love.

Editor in ChiefDonna Ladd

Managing EditorKathleen Morrison Mitchell

Art DirectorKristin Brenemen

Assistant EditorsAmber Helsel // Briana Robinson

EditorialWriters

Nneka Ayozie // Tyler Cleveland // Deirdre DanaharMolly Lehmuller // R.L. NaveJulie Skipper // Jessica Wei

Listings Editor // Latasha Willis

Stylist // Nicole Wyatt

InternsJustin Hosemann // Mo Wilson

Photography

Staff Photographer // Trip Burns

Photographer // Tate K. Nations

Ad DesignZilpha Young

Business and SalesAdvertising Director // Kimberly Griffin

Account Executives // Gina Haug // David Rahaim

Director of Operations // David Joseph

Distribution Manager // Richard Laswell

Bookkeeper // Aprile Smith

Operations Assistant // Caroline Lacy-Crawford

PublisherTodd Stauffer

CONTACT US

Letters to the Editor // [email protected]

Story ideas and pitches // [email protected]

Ad Sales // [email protected]

BOOM Jackson P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, MS 39296

p 601.362.6121 f 601.510.9019Would you like copies of BOOM Jackson for recruiting, welcome packets or other corporate, institutional or

educational uses? Call 601.362.6121 x16 or email [email protected].

BOOM Jackson is a publication of Jackson Free Press Inc. BOOM Jackson, which publishes every other month, focuses on the urban experience in

Jackson, Miss., emphasizing entrepreneurship, economic growth, culture, style and city life.© 2014 Jackson Free Press Inc.

boom

jack

son.co

m editor’s note

Love, Love, Love//by Kathleen M. Mitchell

Cover photo of Chris and Rachel Myers by Tate K. Nations

Fashion info is on page 46

Managing Editor Kathleen Mitchell and her husband, Brian, on their wedding day.

ELIZ

AB

ETH

RAY

PH

OTO

GR

AP

HY


contributors


1. Zilpha Young

DSU grad Zilpha Young is the new ad design-er for the JFP and BOOM Jackson. When she’s not designing things, she can usually be found watching Netfl ix or drawing cepha-lopods. She designed many of the ads.

4. Briana Robinson

Jackson Free Press Music Editor Briana Rob-inson wants to become an expert on all things music. Her other passions include dance and photography. She wrote a melodies story and a Power Couples feature.

3. R.L. Nave

R.L. Nave, native Missourian and Jackson Free Press news editor, roots for St. Lou-is—and for Jackson. Send him news tips at [email protected]. He wrote a Power Couples feature.

4. Tate K. Nations

Tate is a husband, father of two, photogra-pher, videographer, skateboarder, golfer and baseball fan who embraces being “the guy who always has his camera.” He photo-graphed the Power Couples.

2014 Best of Jackson FinalistBest Salon | Best Stylist

419 Mitchell Ave. | Jackson | 601.982.5575 | Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 6:00 | Saturday 9:00 - 2:00Walk-Ins Welcome. Appointments are preferred.

Bringing The Community Together:Promoting Racial Harmony and Facilitating Understanding

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •2014 Friendship Ball GalaApril 19, 2014, Mississippi Museum of ArtJoin the board of directors and membership for our 25th

Anniversary celebration! Companies and organizations are

encouraged to sponsor, purchase tables and participate in this

milestone occasion.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Monthly Discussion LuncheonsSecond Wednesday, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Jackson 2000 invites you to join us to “lunch and learn” with

provocative speakers and discussions held at the Mississippi

Arts Center in downtown Jackson. (On January 8, 2014, join us

and Parents for Public Schools of Jackson for a joint program at

the Medical Mall in Jackson.)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •2014 Dialogue CirclesOngoing for adults and youth - see websiteJackson 2000 presents dialogue circles, a series of

facilitated, curriculum-based discussion sessions that can

open minds, change hearts and build lasting friendships.

More information: www.jackson2000.org

8 January - February 2014 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine boomjackson.com 8 January - February 2014 // The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine boomjackson.com The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine boomjackson.com The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine

1.) Best of Jackson issue. (Ad Deadline 1/15/14). Advertise in the JFP’s most popular issue of the year.

2.) Best of Jackson party. Sign up at jfpdaily.com to get “on the list” for an invitation. Or, have your business sponsor the

party — call us at 601-362-6121 x17 to discuss it!

3.) Best of Jackson magazine. (Ad Deadline 4/25/14).Put your message in our glossy special edition of BOOM Jackson cover the Best of Jackson for locals, visitors and

business travelers.

Visit www.boomjackson.com/advertise.html or call 601-362-6121 for more information!

www.boomjackson.com/advertise.html or call 601-362-6121 for more information!

www.boomjackson.com/advertise.call 601-362-6121 for more information!

www.boomjackson.com/advertise.Visit www.boomjackson.com/advertise.call 601-362-6121 for more information!

www.boomjackson.com/advertise.call 601-362-6121 for more information!

www.boomjackson.com/advertise.

FREE//Vol. 6, No. 1

May - June 2013a boom jackson magazine

Summer Style

MMA’s Big Decade, p 22

LaCru’s Smooth Future, p 28

The Magic of Martin’s, p 60

Summer StyleSummer Style

Get Roguish

Pattern and Color

Summer StyleSummer Style

Get Get Summer Style

Get Summer Style

Roguish

Pattern +

+

pp 31 - 36

&&&Who’s Who

What’s What&&Who’s WhoWho’s Who&Who’s Who&Best of

2013

In 2014, there are three ways for the metro’s best businesses to celebrate the Best of Jackson with the Jackson Free Press.

Best of

City Resolutions p 10 // Army Woman p 12 // Sukkot on Film p 14 Sip Sparkles p 13 // Progress p 16

CO

UR

TESY

JO

SH H

AIL

Y ST

UD

IO

Calling all Twentysomethings

// by Kathleen M. Mitchell

As 2013 wound down, several national news sources ran arti-cles exploring what we at BOOM Jackson (and the Jackson Free Press) have known for years: Jackson is a great city for young creatives.

The Atlantic Cities website published a series called “Where Mil-lenials Can Make it Now.” The author, Nona Willis Aronowitz, traveled

the country looking for the best cities for twentysomethings. She wrote that she avoided “cities already deemed magnets for young, creative

people—places like New Orleans, Austin or Detroit.” In the end she chose nine cities, including Jackson. She puts Jackson into

the category “Small Ponds for Big Fish” (Omaha, Neb., also makes this category), and describes our city thus:

“These are cities where creativity and entrepre-neurship are on the rise, even as the rents remain

reasonable. Chances are, small ponds have DIY art scenes: … Jackson’s Fondren

and Midtown neighborhoods have sparked a local

art community. Yet even in the gentrified corners of town, the price points remain low by necessity, since most people aren’t making much money. And since there isn’t a shortage of space, local politicos are practically beg-ging young people to take abandoned buildings and empty lots off their hands. Many of the twentysomethings I spoke with in these towns were on a first-name basis with the mayor or city council. One Jackson native was even running for office. These cities have a growing population of young people who would rather start something from the ground up and live cheaply than scramble anonymously in huge cities.” Projects such as last year’s “subSIPPI” documentary, Josh Hailey’s HeARTalot pop-up art school/gallery space, the potential midtown “Hatch” creative live/work space (see page 17), and even the “Look Up Fondren” event, which lit the Entergy substation with changing colors for Fondren Unwrapped, are living proof that Jackson is teeming with cre-ative energy. We can’t wait to see what pops up next.



JXN // promises, promises

Resolute City //by Tyler Cleveland

Each Jackson and metro area neighborhood has its own personality and its own challenges. This is the perfect time of year to confront some of those challenges, so we put together a list of New Year’s

resolutions based on where you live in the city.

DOWNTOWN

PEARL

SOUTH JACKSON

WEST JACKSON BELHAVEN & FONDREN

FLOWOOD

NORTHEAST JACKSON

MADISON

J A C K S O N


I once loved resolutions. Not now. Resolutions are a declaration of your end goals: get in shape, learn Spanish, fi nd a new job. Declaring something is the

start of making it real, but does not actually make it real. The root of resolution is a verb, resolve. It requires action. Most people are giving too little thought to what is driving them to want a resolu-tion to be true, and what it will take to make their resolutions a reality. Here’s what I know works to back up your declarations with action and increase your level of success.

Root in “Why.” If you cannot answer, “Why I am I doing this?” in personal terms, you’ll struggle to stay focused. If you want to lose weight, your motivation will be stronger if it is to be able to keep up with your kids rather than because your doctor told you to do so. Your internal motivation is more powerful and lasting then an external one.

Less is More When it Comes to “What.” The shorter your list of resolutions, the more likely you will be able to achieve ev-erything on it. A resolution means you want to start doing something. That will take ex-tra attention and resources. Don’t spread yourself thin. Three to fi ve resolutions are enough.

Make Your “What” a Non-negotiable Proj-ect. A project is an endeavor that, by defi ni-tion, unfolds over time. You can always make progress on a project, and you can adjust it over the year as needed.

Focus on Habits to Grow. The habits you de-velop are what make your resolutions become real or not. What habits would you need to de-velop or use to be able to keep up with your kid, land a new job, or learn to make pasta?

Unleash Your Strengths. You have a unique collection of innate traits, plus experiences and skills you developed overtime. Take time to in-ventory and draw on your best traits, most rich experiences and robust skills. These point to and support habits you want to grow.

Be Patient. Habits take time. At least 21 tries are needed for a habit begin to take shape. Your brain needs to create a clear, deep and strong path to a new habit, in order to supersede pre-vious habits. Be patient with yourself.

Hooray for Failure. Developing a habit virtu-ally guarantees that you’ll fail at some point. Most likely that will not be a catastrophe. Just pause, and view it as an opportunity to recali-brate and ask, “What is useful for me to take from this?” Then go back to your root “why” and keep nurturing your habits.

Fertilize, Prune and Weed. Set a quarterly check-in time on your calendar to review your resolutions, the progress you made to date, what you have learned and tweak as needed. This helps you stay motivated and increases your chance of success.

Resolutions: What Works, What Doesn’t// by Deirdre Danahar

Deirdre Danahar wants folks to rethink the way they make resolutions.

CO

UR

TESY DEIR

DR

E DA

NA

HA

R

601.842.8221 | 3670 Lakeland Lane Suite #23

[email protected] | www.JacksonPostureCenter.com | By Appointment Only

Acupressure ~ Massage ~ AlignmentAcupressure ~ Massage ~ AlignmentAcupressure ~ Massage ~ AlignmentAcupressure ~ Massage ~ Alignment

Dale LomaxJo Guillot

LMT 437Travis Sledge

LMT 1876

We are proud to

welcome Kali Horner

LMT 1704

2013 & 2014 Best of Jackson Finalist

Acupressure ~ Massage ~ Alignment


JXN // expat

“Being all that you can be” takes on a real meaning for this deputy commanding general. Brigadier General Margarett

E. Barnes of the United States Army is one of five brigadier generals and the first African Ameri-can female brigadier general from Mississippi. But this wasn’t exactly what Barnes planned af-ter graduating from Waynesboro Central High School in 1972. A Waynesboro, Miss., native with aspira-tions of becoming a lawyer, Barnes entered the University of Southern Mississippi and gradu-ated with a bachelor’s degree in political science and history in 1975. After completing her first year at the University of Mississippi Law School the following summer of ’76, she was burned out. “I was tired of going to school. … I went to school every summer (at USM) so that I could finish in two and a half years,” Barnes says. She was broke, tired and without an appealing incen-tive to continue law school. Her escape came in the form of the United States Army. After seeing an army ad, Barnes thought that it would be a great opportunity for her to get a break from school, travel and make money during the summer. She was right on all counts, and the army became a part of her life. In 1977, Barnes married, and she and her then-husband relocated from Oxford to Pasca-goula. There, they had two children, James, now 34, and Jessica, now 32. After 13 years of family life in Pascagoula, Barnes thought that it was time to finally go back to law school. The university told her that she would have to start over completely because she had remained out of school over six years. Leav-ing law behind, Barnes ended up graduating from South Alabama University with a master’s degree

in public administration in 1989. Throughout her academic pursuits she maintained a position in the army. But after receiving her master’s de-gree, she wanted more. “When I moved to the coast, I said that if I was going to be in the army reserve that I was going to be all that I could be and become an offi-

cer,” says Barnes. She applied for and received a direct commission as a second lieutenant in 1984. Twenty years later, Barnes had not only contin-ued up the ranks in the military, but also achieved marital bliss the second time around. On Valentine’s Day, 2004, Barnes married Col. Robert L. Barnes. The pair met while partici-pating in an exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas. Seven years later, the couple celebrated her promotion

to brigadier general in November 2011. Currently, Barnes serves as the deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Fort Knox, Ky., although she still has a home in Byram, Miss. She values her position there, because she is making a dif-ference in the lives of others. “The army’s human

resource command touches the lives of all the army’s soldiers from the minute they come in to the army until they retire, and even after retire-ment and beyond,” Barnes says. She encourages others to consider carefully a commitment to the Army. “The military has a lot of different options, so take a good look at what you want to do with your life and know that plans might change,” she says. “Do your research before you jump in.”

All She Can Be// by Nneka Ayozie

Margarett Barnes (center) became a brigadier general in 2011.

CO

UR

TESY US A

RM

Y

Pop, Clink, Fizz // by Kathleen M. Mitchell


Champagne’s reputa-tion as a party drink isn’t wrong—bubbly just seems required

at events ranging from wedding receptions to bridal showers to, of course, New Year’s Eve par-ties. But Champagne is a more versatile beverage than many realize. It can fit it at a variety of imbibe-able occasions, from family meals to tailgating (yes, even tailgating). If you are looking to quench the masses, shoot for a mid-price ’pagne. At a blind taste test of Champagne and sparkling wine last year, most tasters preferred the middle option, which rang in around $10 to $12 a bottle. (See jfp.ms/bubbly for more on that blind tasting.) Here are five reasons to

keep swilling the sparkly stuff well after your Happy 2014 bal-loons have deflated:

1 It’s multinational. Of course Francophiles can feel superior by sticking

to true Champagne from the Champagne region of France, but many countries produce sparkling wine, from Italian Prosecco to sweet Sonoma Sparklers in California. Those that tend to shun white or rose wine can even find a bubbly for them: Try red sparkling Shi-raz from Australia or Brachetto from Italy.

2With what other food or drink receptacle is it ap-propriate to open with a

small sword? One traditional way to open a Champagne

bottle is called sabrage, which involves rapidly sliding a sa-bre (the aforementioned small sword) along the bottle and hit-ting the lip, causing the cork to shoot out. It is a dramatic, cer-emonial way to pop bottles, but have glasses on hand—when done properly, sabrage breaks the top of the bottle.

3 On that note, with what other food or drink receptacle is it appropri-

ate to smash against the side of boats, homes and the like?

4 It’s healthy(ish). A glass of Champagne runs about 90 calories, which

is much less than many alco-holic drinks of similar sweet-ness. And it’s full of many of the same antioxidants as unspar-kling wine.

5 S p a r k l i n g wine doesn’t have to stand

alone. It is an ingredi-ent in many sophisticated cocktails. Beyond mimosas are poinsettias (Champagne and cranberry juice), Kir Royale (Champagne and Cham-bord liqueur with a lemon twist garnish), French 76 bubbly martini (vodka, sweet & sour, grenadine splash and topped with Champagne).

LICK

R/B

ASH

EERTO

ME

2375 North State Street Jackson 800-874-4737 cabotlodgemillsaps.com

120 Dyess Road Ridgeland 800-342-2268 cabotlodgejacksonnorth.com

The natural charm and luxury of the Cabot Lodge offers the perfect night after your big day. Wonderfully appointed rooms feature pillow-top bedding and cloud-soft down comforters. Complimentary full breakfast and a nightly hospitality reception entertain your guests between events. And our special wedding room block rates – including free room for the bride andgroom – will keep your wedding planner happy.

Make Sure all your wedding gueStS are comfortable. Not to mention the bride.

Film is an incredible medium of art. It makes you feel things that other media may have a hard time conveying. Film puts you in the middle of the action. It

crosses barriers of gender, race, nationality and other aspects, bringing differ-ent cultures together. Mississippi gets to ex-perience a little bit of another culture each January through the Jewish Cinema Mississippi film festival. The Beth Israel Con-gregation and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life began the Jewish Cinema South in 2002 to highlight the Jewish experience and culture. “While the films are not usually historical, and they’re not usually documentaries, they almost always highlight something peculiar or particular to Jewish life somewhere,” says Dr. James Bowley, a profes-sor of religious studies at Millsaps College and co-chairman of the event. “Jewish history and Jewish culture has its peculiarities, like all sub-cultures do, and so that often provides a lot of opportunity for looking at lives in interesting ways—and maybe laughing or maybe realizing that your neighbors are different than you are, and that it would be different to be them. We’re not all one flavor, shall we say.”

In 2004, ISJL and Beth Israel partnered with the Jewish Culture Organization at Millsaps to create the Jackson Jewish Film Festival, now called Jewish Cinema Mississippi, as part of Jew-ish Cinema South.

Members of the festival’s committee choose four to seven films to show each year, ending with a grand finale film on Sunday. Bowley says that film buffs will enjoy “Won-ders,” which shows on Friday. This screening will be one of the very first in the country for the film, and it has gotten rave reviews in Israel. This year, the finale film is “Road to Eden: Rock & Roll Sukkot,” a documentary about prolific Jewish musician Dan Nichols. The film follows Nichols’ journey touring across

the south. Sukkot, often referred to as the “Season of Our Rejoicing,” commemorates the 40-year period when Jewish people wandered the desert, as well as Thanksgiving and the harvest season.

“(Sukkot) is a handbook for how to live, breathe and act as a truly free people,” says the film’s Facebook page description. “... It’s about real-izing the fragility of life and liv-ing fully in the moment.” The film shows Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. The Jewish Cinema Mis-sissippi festival is Jan. 22-23 and 25-26 at Malco Grandview Cinema (221 Grandview Blvd., Madison, 601.898.7819). Find Jewish Cinema Missis-sippi on Facebook, and visit jewishcinemams.com for ticket prices and festival passes.


JXN // naches

Jewish Heritage Through Film// by Amber Helsel

CO

UR

TESY MO

VIE PLU

S

T The 2013 bash.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

“Footnote” shows Jan. 23 at the Jewish Cinema Mississippi festival.


Know anyone who went to work in the field they studied and trained for, but then got bored or discouraged be-

cause they had to work harder than they imag-ined? Watched someone job-hop from field to field in search of the Holy Grail job where they can instantly get rich with-out having to constantly improve? Seen someone who is discouraged because they didn’t stick with what they loved years ago (perhaps because they didn’t realize it would be hard work to get good at it)? Of course you know those folks. This is an epidemic in to-day’s working world—probably exacerbated by the “everyone gets a trophy” style of helicop-ter parenting that raised today’s

Millennials. Many of them were taught to think success should be easy and quick—and, as a

result, may have trouble com-mitting themselves to doing

what it takes to build the craft that will ultimately make them successful

and happy. Craft. That is actually the

Grail we should all pursue. The brain sci-entists tell us: to be great (or “genius”)at something, we need to practice it for

10,000 hours (1,250 eight-hour days, not including texting, tweeting and surfing time). And to con-tinue being happy in a career choice, you must dedicate your-self to continually developing your skills and building craft; otherwise, you get bored and make bad career choices. If you’re bored or impatient

in your job, but it’s something you believed you really wanted to do, take a breath and ask your-self how you can be better at your job, or even brilliant. Stop focusing on what you’re already good at, and start asking yourself where your weaknesses lie. What do you need to practice? What classes do you need to take? Then go make it happen. You don’t have to wait for your employ-er to do it for you; impress them with your zeal for excellence. The Red Lemon Club blog has an excel-lent post about craft (jfp.ms/redlemon): “Craft is your technique; your brain’s neural connections, sculpted over hours of practice. … Being kept motivated through constant growth and improve-ment, is the very essence of what craft is about.” Are you continually trying to improve your craft? Be patient, learn the skills and be mentored (also called “paying your dues”). You’re not sup-posed to be rich and successful overnight; do the hard work of craft-building now, and watch it pay off down the road.

‘Paying Your Dues’: All About Building Craft // by Donna Ladd

Instead of searching for the Holy Grail of jobs, work

on your craft.FILE P

HO

TO

P R O V I S I O N S

D I S C O V E R

california inspiredsouthern rootedopening mid-january734 fairview street | jackson, ms 39202

601.948.3429


JXN // progress

IRON HORSE GRILL A Jackson mainstay is back in business af-ter a 14-year hiatus. The Iron Horse Grill, located off Pearl Street near Gallatin Street, reopened its doors Nov. 25. “Well, it’s just our second week, but it’s been amazing,” General Manager Andy Nesenson said in early December. “We had over 4,000 guests and two live performances last week—Southern Komfort Brass Band and the Sofa Kings—they were good crowds.” The rebuilt Iron Horse fea-tures multilevel dining within its 12,000-square-foot space and has enough seating for more than 300 guests, not including private dining. The menu incorporates a number of the favorite items guests enjoyed in the past, such as chicken enchila-das, fajitas, chips and salsa, and the Iron Horse Burger. The restaurant offers signature items such as smoked catfish dip, fried chicken cob salad, crawfish and crab enchiladas, Mexican lasa-gna, and roasted poblano macaroni and cheese. Also available are fresh seafood and steaks at dinner and desserts such as Mississippi praline cheesecake and bananas foster. All the food at the Iron Horse is made from scratch daily. The restaurant features live entertainment three nights a week, with a mixture of local and regional talent from the Jackson area, mainly booked by promoter Arden Barnett. “People are really enjoying some of the old menu items, like the fajitas and the old Iron Horse chips and salsa,” Nesenson said. “We’re really having fun, and it’s great to see the people come back and see the new space and hear them reminisce about the old restaurant.”

WEST STREET IMPROVEMENTS Construction to replace a 90-year-old water line and three feet of Yazoo clay is soon to be completed on West Street between Woodrow Wilson Avenue and Marshall Street. Both the north and southbound lanes are still closed as of press time, but the city expects the construction to be finished by early Febru-

ary, opening up one of the city’s precious-few north-south corridors. The construction began in June, and forced, at first, the closure of both southbound lanes from Woodrow Wilson Avenue to Millsaps Av-enue, and one northbound lane in the same area. Traffic was detoured to State Street. In the final stages, all four lanes of the road closed, which put the hurt on the remaining businesses in the area.

West Street sidewalks also remain closed, but they are also being replaced in the process. Neighborhood streets along the construc-tion area received new underground piping and, so far, none has been closed for construction.

BYRAM-CLINTON PARKWAY Proponents of the Byram-Clinton Parkway development say the project is ready to move to the second phase. Peggy Hobson-Calhoun, who represents District 3 on the Hinds County Board of Supervi-sors, said the county has acquired all the neces-sary land to commence work on a second seg-ment of the parkway. The 18-mile multi-lane route runs from By-ram at Interstate 55 South, extending northwest to the Norrell Road interchange at Interstate 20 in Clinton. Plans call for the parkway to be built in five sections. Work crews have completed one segment on the corridor that will consist of retail, residen-tial and commercial development.

In September 2011, Hinds County received $1.2 million from the Federal Highway Admin-istration to develop the Byram-Clinton Corridor. The funds will help connect Interstate 20 to Sam Herring Road and provide access to the John Bell Williams Airport and Industrial Park in Bolton. The supervisors voted in 2010 to earmark $2 million for the project out of $14 million remain-ing from a 2007 bond issue. Calhoun added that

two congressmen, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and Repub-lican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, sup-port the idea. The board already paid $1.4 million to Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes for legal work related to Bryam-Clinton corri-dor land acquisition. Hobson-Calhoun said that federal guidelines require construc-tion on the second phase to begin by June 2014.

EAST VILLAGE ESTATES A housing development planned for west Jackson before it met community opposition is mov-

ing ahead in a new location downtown. Calling the East Village Estates an example of an “intelligent urban-renewal program” that Jackson needs more of, Mayor Chokwe Lumum-ba said the development means “Jackson is open for business.” Originally, the project developers—Oxford-based Chartre Consulting Ltd., Mid-America Development Foundation and Roscoe Word—planned to build what they tout as market-rate, low-income houses along the Jackson State Uni-versity Parkway, but citizens and neighborhood groups fought it. “Since the neighborhood felt that they didn’t want that type of housing and those kinds of people in their community, we chose to go some-place else,” Chartre marketing consultant David Kelly told the Jackson Free Press. Firms such as Chartre apply for tax credits, which they use to build houses for people who don’t make a lot of money. Companies own and lease the townhouses for 15 years. At the end of the 15 years, tenants would have the option to

Streets, Eats and Downtown Suites// by Tyler Cleveland

TRIP

BU

RN

S

The Iron Horse Grill reopened in late 2013 after 14 years.


JXN // progress

buy the townhouses from Chartre at 8-percent interest with no down payment. Tenants would be able to buy the townhouses at a reduced rate. The longer they leased the property, the less they would have to pay to purchase it. The townhouses would be worth between $150,000 and $170,000 and, if a tenant leased a low-income property for the full 15 years, they could buy it for about $50,000.

HELP FUND THE HATCH The warehouse at 143 Keener Ave. in Midtown has a new name and new direction. Midtown Partners’ Whitney Grant has started an Indigogo campaign, an online crowd-funding mechanism, to finally develop the building into a creative live/work space that will complete the Midtown Cluster of Creative Economies. “The Hatch” is one of two facilities Midtown Partners owns and Millsaps College’s Entrepre-neurship Initiative co-manages. Together, the two entities operate the Midtown Cluster of Creative Economies with The Hatch and The Hangar. The Hangar is home to four art studios and a demoli-tion business and warehouse that hosts various

events, such as the Stray at Home Art Market and the Priced to Move art sale. With space fully occupied at The Hangar, Midtown Partners said it needs more room at the second location. The Indigogo campaign, which can be found on the site (indiegogo.com/projects/fund-the-hatch), aims to raise $25,000 to kick-start con-struction that is needed to renovate and modern-ize the building. Midtown Partners has already successfully fixed the roof, replaced one of the front corners of the building, removed moldy walls and ceilings, scrapped old tile and complet-ed the schematic architectural designs. Once completed, it will include up to 12 studios and offices for individual businesses or entrepreneurs, shared commission-free gallery space, a conference room, a classroom for com-munity workshops, a ceramics studio, a kitchen-ette and warehouse space.

FOUR MORE RESTAURANTS Jackson is welcoming a few other new res-taurants besides Iron Horse Grill—one down-town, one in Belhaven and two in Fondren. For-mer Underground 119 Manager Tom Ramsey

opened his first restaurant, La Finestra, in the Plaza Building at 120 N. Congress St. The Italian eatery is open, and has been packed for lunch al-most every day. “This came together real fast,” Ramsey said Oct. 16. “I got a call that this place was available. I came down and met the owner, and within a week, we had a deal struck. I got the keys on Oct. 1, and we’re turning it around in 30 days.” The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen, an up-scale restaurant in Belhaven offering a Mediter-ranean and southern European fare, opened its doors Oct. 31. Steven O’Neill, 32, is the managing owner of the restaurant and holds a level-one sommelier’s certificate. He is the former general manager of Parlor Market in Jackson. Renovations continue on the Pig and Pint at 3139 N. State St. in Fondren. Owner Grant Hutcheson hopes to open the barbecue restau-rant within two months. Also in Fondren will be Saltine Oysters and Brew. Chef Jesse Houston, another Parlor Market alum, hopes to have the restaurant open in the west end of the Duling School by the end of May 2014.

D U VA L L D E C K E RA R C H I T E C T S , P . A .

2915 NORTH STATE STREE T . JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39216 . PHONE 601.713.1128 . FAX 601.713.1168W W W . D U V A L L D E C K E R . C O M . R O Y T . D E C K E R , A I A . A N N E M A R I E D E C K E R , A I A

A R C H I T E C T U R E . P L A N N I N G . I N T E R I O R S


Three years ago, before Lucky Town Brewery changed Jackson’s drink-scape, Lucas Simmons and Brandon Blacklidge were just homebrewers

when Chip Jones approached them and asked what they thought about starting a brewery. “Lucas said, ‘Well, I’ve actually thought about it—I just haven’t had anyone else to push me over the edge,’” Jones recalls. “Here I am,” Jones remembers saying. Jones, Simmons and Blacklidge dove in to start Lucky Town Brewery, eventually bringing in Angela Blackburn as a partner. The business background of the mem-bers was slim. The most experienced of them is Jones, who was a co-owner of White Rhino Fabrications, a metal fabrication company. Simmons and Blackburn’s college back-ground prepared them for setting up shop. Sim-mons graduated from Mississippi State Uni-versity with a mechanical-engineering degree, and is currently getting his master’s in indus-trial engineering. Blackburn also majored in industrial engineering. The guys don’t really have a typical work-

day. Since all the members have day jobs, they fi t in time to plan events, chase new accounts and track down ingredients on their off hours. In the years since, Lucky Town’s brewskies have become staples at various Jackson estab-lishments, and its brewmasters regularly bring home prizes from area brewing competitions and festivals such as Jacktoberfest and the Keg and Barrel Outlaw Homebrew Competi-tion in Hattiesburg. In October 2013, the Jackson City Council granted Lucky Town permission to build its own brew-ing site in the heart of the midtown district at 1710 N. Mill St. Lucky Town has always brewed its own beer, but in the past it had to do so out of state, renting out a brewery in Alabama. Those expecting their Jackson location to spring up overnight will be sorely disappointed, though. Jones says renovating the place will be easy enough, estimating two to three months to overhaul the building. It’s the six-month wait on brewery equipment that is slowing down the

process. “The equipment we’ve ordered will take a long wait time, just because the industry is growing so rapidly,” Jones says. We can see that rapid growth of craft-beer culture here in Jackson. Restaurants such as Fondren Public, Sal & Mookie’s and the upcoming Pig and Pint are catering to the public’s growing desire for lo-cally crafted beer. That kind of local pushback against nation-wide beer companies has been overdue in Jones’ eye. “There’s really no other industry, from a consumer standpoint, that has been dominated by a few com-panies for so long, “ he says. Lucky Town is embracing its new midtown identity. The brew-ery’s beer was sold during the Midtown Holiday Studio Tours in December. That beer comes in sev-eral varieties. The award-win-ning Oatmeal Stout, known as

the Flare Incident, is made with maple syrup and brown sugar. It’s a nice full-bodied beer that goes great with barbecue and a football game. The Ballistic Blonde is a Belgian-style Blonde Ale that tastes great with a salad on a warm Mississippi night but is full enough to stand up to heartier fare as well. Rounding out the trio of Lucky Town beers is the Pub

Ale, an English Mild-style beer made with Mississippi honey.

The equipment is scheduled to arrive in Jackson in May. After taking three to four weeks to set up the equipment the Lucky Town team will make a few test batches

of the beer to ensure quality. “Obviously, we will be brewing

on a different system, so there might be some changers or tweaks that need to be made,” Jones says. The brewery starts doing tours in July. But with a lot of work and a little luck, Jack-son’s fi rst city brewery will be up and at ’em just in time for porch weather this summer.

Visit luckytownbrewing.com for more info.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

// by Mo Wilson

BIZ // brew, baby, brew


www.barefield-local.com

In 2014, Resolve to Improve Your Workspace…

Visit our new showroom and experience how improved your work environment could be! Call 601.354.4960 for an appointment or to learn more.

In 2014, Resolve to Order Office Supplies From a Local, Independent Dealer... With next-day delivery! Call to set up an account.


BIZ // meow

The word vodka is a diminutive of the Slavic word voda, a term that means “water” in Russian. This distilled liquor was, and still is, part of the lifeblood of a vast region of northern, central and eastern Europe known as the “vodka belt,” and though it’s

not used for its medicinal qualities anymore, it has become a sort of “social medicine”—a fine base for any social gathering. Austin Evans, 33, and Richard Patrick, 30, have been in the process of expanding that belt into the southeastern United States since 2010 when they opened their own distillery in Madison. Their first product: Cathead Vodka, a distinctly southern rendition that begins with a corn base and ends with the translucent, charcoal-filtered liquor that Cat-head has come to be known by. Evans, a native of Jackson, met Patrick, originally from Alpharetta, Ga., at the University of Alabama over a decade ago while in school there. They both became interested in the spirits business, and each held several jobs in alcohol distribution before deciding to start a distill-ery of their own.

“Growing up in Jackson was one of those things that led me to go off and get a trade set up to figure out how I could do what I wanted to do,” Evans says. “I always knew we wanted to start our own business, so it was a matter of getting experience and bringing it home to Jackson to do it.” The revelation came to Patrick and Evans at the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in Clarksdale several years ago after having held a variety of alcohol distribution and sales jobs in Charleston, S.C. “It was there (in Clarksdale) that we made the determination that we wanted to start a distillery together,” Patrick says. Both Patrick and Evans are passionate about the blues and folk heritage of the Mississippi Delta, which inspired the Cathead name and logo. “The name ‘cathead’ had such a blues heritage and meaning be-hind it,” Patrick says. “It was basically used as a term of friendship and respect for a fellow musician and, over time, it became both a literal term and a piece of folk art from the Delta coined by musicians like Son Thomas and Muddy Waters.” Thomas (1926-1993), a musician/sculptor born in Eden, Miss., was the original creator of the “cathead” folk art made from un-fired Yazoo clay, which inspired the distinctive Cathead vodka logo the distillers use on their labels. Thomas was famous for his clay skulls he sold for supplemental income, often making busts of blues greats that he him-self knew personally, hence the endearing “cathead” term of respect among the artists. Patrick and Evans have done an exceptional job at marketing their beverage as a markedly Mississippi product, but the proof is in the prod-uct. They’ve ventured into flavored vodkas, including rare ones for the industry such as honeysuckle and pecan. These reflect regional tastes

The Cats Behind

Cathead// by Justin Hosemann

TRIP

BU

RN

S

Each label on a Cathead bottle promotes supporting local music.


and use local, natural flavors to help boost cocktail options (their pe-cans come from Bass Pecan Co. in Madison). As the only distillery of any liquor in Mississippi, Evans and Patrick have also ventured be-yond vodka, making their own original Bristow Gin, Hoodoo Liqueur (a chicory-flavored liqueur) and an upcoming un-aged “white whis-key” that could reach shelves by 2014. Cathead previously released a limited-run white whiskey titled “Gold Coast.” They credit their head distiller, Phillip Ladner, for bringing his vast knowledge of alcohol production to Cathead. Ladner is a native of Long Beach, Miss., whom Evans and Patrick had met in San Fran-cisco while attending Ladner’s class on distilling. “We were lucky enough to bring Phil here,” Patrick says. “He’s got a wealth of knowledge on the production side, well more than us. He’s improved a lot of our process and quality.” “Process and quality” start and end at the distillery in Madison. Fermentation, distilling, bottling, labeling, and boxing are all carried out at that one location before landing in bars and liquor stores across the country. Though these distillers love sending their product as far as they can get it, they’ve had the greatest impact on the places close to home. “We’ve had overwhelming support from locally owned business-es,” Evans says. He credits several local restaurants, bars and liquor stores that have gone out of their way to support a local product. This is a favor these owners are willing to return. They have a “support local music” stamp on all their boxes and encourage more support for local businesses, artisans and entrepreneurs. “The more local breweries and distilleries that people have of-fered in their hometown, the more local products become integrated into the roots of that community,” Patrick says.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

The team behind Cathead includes (from left) Baxter Hartness, Phillip Ladner, Conway Craig, Austin Evans and Richard Patrick.

JACKTOWN is the JFP’s new iPhone and Android app —put music, events and entertainment listings right in your pocket, convenient at any time!

• “Best Bets” recommended listings in a variety of categories

• Bookmarks to remember events you want to attend

• Invite Your Friends via the app or SMS text

• Group chat about upcoming events with invited friends

• Venue maps, ticketlinks, special deals and discounts

• Access to full music,events and headlinesof Jackson Free Press

• Special venue and festival channels

Text ‘Jackson’ to 77948 to

get download links for

JACKTOWN!

WELCOME TOJACKTOWN.


BIZ // network

The phrase “ladies who lunch” brings up certain ideas. For me, it’s a retro one: a prim crowd in pearls nibbling fancy little crustless sand-

wiches and sipping white wine. It’s not part of my personal experience, nor that of most of my contemporaries. These days, it’s all about businesswomen who lunch. One such young professional is Shawna Davie, 30, director of education initiatives at the United Way of the Capital Area. One of Davie’s favorite spots is Bruno’s Adobo. “Eating there allows me to support downtown, where I live and work, and I like that their options are healthy and at a good price so I can treat a colleague,” she says. It’s also a good spot for networking. “There’s a high chance I’ll see someone I need to talk to, or that I’ll run into someone with whom I need to reconnect,” she says. Another place for “see and be seen” lunches is Koinonia Coffee House, where Da-vie enjoys a chicken salad sandwich or veggie panini and community atmosphere. Sometimes, though, a meeting calls for a quieter place for more serious conver-sation. Davie turns to Julep and High Noon Café, which have quiet nooks, for a meal with someone high-profile. For larger gatherings, Char and Parlor

Market offer group spaces, both in the res-taurants proper and in private event rooms. Reynolds Boykin, sous chef at Parlor Market, understands the importance of the business-lunch crowd, and women in particular. “My mom is a lobbyist, and I always remember how she balanced being a businesswoman with remaining a lady when she ate out,” he says. With that in mind, Boykin ensures

that lunch dishes are “intellectual, but not greasy,” and include lighter options of salad and fish in addition to blue-plate specials. The Penguin’s John Hardy recognizes the need for encouraging business at his res-taurant and is focused on making The Pen-guin “a destination, not just a restaurant.” By ensuring it appeals to a diverse crowd,

he offers not just a menu and atmosphere that is “upscale, but not uppity,” but also a place for conversation and networking. Today’s power-lunching ladies’ options are wide open. And my image of the white-wine-swilling ladies? Well, it can adapt, too. Like Boykin says, “Here, you can also have a glass of wine with lunch to lighten the mood, but still remain professional.”

Businesswomen Who Lunch// by Julie Skipper

Shawna Davie makes the most of her time by combining lunch and business.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

Look GoodFeel GoodDo Good

TopBrandsinStocklikeCarharttandWonderwink

3500LakelandDriveinFlowood,MS•Mon-Fri10-6•Sat10-2• 601.790.9003


As a younger man, Brian Beckham, now 40, saw one career for himself, but an offer he couldn’t refuse led him down a different path. Beckham’s

mother owned a jewelry store, Evon’s Jewelry, in Carthage, Miss., where he apprenticed on the jeweler’s bench. He never saw himself pur-suing the jewelry craft; he intended to go to law school. However, when his mother offered to cover his costs of living if he took a semester off to work at the store, he accepted. That semester changed his mind, and Beckham headed to Santa Monica, Calif., to at-tend the Gemological Institute of America. He furthered his studies at the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand, learning about mining and how to facilitate gemstone trade from mine to manufacturer. After training staff and opening new stores for an international diamond company, Beck-ham worked for a jeweler in Kansas City that planted the seed for opening his own store—a place that would sell all custom pieces in an open environment. A few more moves later, the time was right to return to Mississippi, first to his mother’s store, where he grew that busi-ness and opened a second location in Forest. Finally, he felt the time was right to take a chance and open his own shop.

Beckham Jewelry, which opened in Oc-tober 2013, is the culmination of Beckham’s journey and vision. Walking into the store feels like entering an art gallery rather than a retail space, and that’s intentional. His concept cen-ters on creativity and accessibility: pieces are displayed at eye level in cases that open from the front, and the open workbench is front and center. Much like an open kitchen in a restau-rant, this highlights the creative process and lets customers feel a part of it. “I want every-thing to be transparent,” Beckham says. While Beckham offers three lines of his own designs, he also enjoys collaborating with clients to create custom pieces, particularly incorporating old jewelry that’s broken, mis-matched or passed down from family members. “I like to recycle those (old) sentiments into a new design, and it doesn’t have to break the

bank,” he says. In addition to reusing materials, Beckham likes old-school techniques

in-house rather than outsourc-ing the work. He practices the

“lost-wax process,” where he hand-draws designs, then uses wax carving

to create molds. “It’s a fun process, and I like customers to be involved in it (through design collaboration). That sentimental value makes it all worthwhile.” Often his custom pieces use diamonds, but in his own work he likes color and texture. One line features a river rock design; another uses recycled silver that looks like lizard skin; a third, made of recycled gold, looks like leaves. As for the long run, Beckham says, “(I would) love to be known as a designer of my own work, each seen as a separate art piece, and to become purely a custom house.” Beck-ham also offers full-service repair and harbors a vast knowledge of luxury watches, another market he’d like to expand. Regardless of how his business grows, Beckham intends to keep creativity and community at the heart of it. “It’s about connecting with people,” he says. Beckham Jewelry is in LeFleur’s Gallery (4800 Interstate 55 N., 601.665.4642). Visit beckhamjewelry.com for more.

All That Sparkles

// by Julie Skipper

At his namesake jewelry store, Brian Beckham likes to create jewelry using “old school” processes such as hand-drawing and using molds for custom designs.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

BIZ // band of gold


Weddings, Millennials

Style Style // by Molly Lehmuller

E ssentially, all a wedding needs are two folks in love and a witness. That’s how it’s been in the U.S. (with a few exceptions … looking

at you, “Sister Wives”) for the past cen-tury or so. But to compare the wedding pro-cess—and the wedding industry—from one generation to the next would be to fi nd remarkable cultural changes and technological advances that have re-shaped expectations for an entire genera-tion of brides and grooms. In 1990, The Los Angeles Times tal-lied the varying costs of putting on three fi ctional weddings: the “simple,” the “mod-erate” and the “extravagant.” The Times set the simple wedding and its reception, which was “based on a wedding party of six and about 50 guests,” in a private home. It included a two-tier white cake ($50), DJ ($275), catering services featuring items such as cold-cut trays and lasagna ($400), and a $300 wedding gown. The sum to-tal was $2,622.90 (just over $4,686 in today’s dollars). The moderate wedding—150 guests and a wedding party of 12—took place in a community church, and the follow-

ing reception in a hotel, which provided a buffet, wedding cake, dance fl oor, table wine and hotel suite for the happy couple ($4,942.50), four-piece band ($750) and gown with veil and shoes ($915). The total cost for the moderate wedding—including the $1,762 honeymoon to Maui—was $11,006.50, or $19,667.36 today. The extravagant wedding, with 16 in the wedding party and 300 guests—was ritzy to the extreme, and had luxuries such

as a stretch lim-ousine with cellular

phone and compact-disc player, a 16-piece band, two videographers and a $3,720 wedding dress. It ran, without a honey-moon, to $64,521.25 in 1990 dollars, or $115,292.21 today.

The Cost of Coozies Nearly 25 years and a whole genera-tion later, the means to the end are very different, but the basics remain the same. According to the Wedding Report, a data-compilation site, the average American couple married in 2012 spent $25,656 on their wedding. While not far from the Times’ “moderate” wedding, adjusted for infl ation, the 2012 fi gure can vary wildly depending on a variety of elements, from geographic location of the nuptials to per-sonal tastes refl ected in the party favors. CostofWedding.com, which gives the average of surveyants’ wedding costs by zip code or county, states that most couples in the tri-county Jackson metro area are likely to spend less than $10,000 on their weddings, including nearly half

Cakes, like this one from Cakes by Iris can be elaborate affairs.

CH

RIS

TIN

A C

AN

NO

N

25Work. Live. Play. Prosper.

Weddings, Millennials

Style

of Hinds County’s couples. This is a fi tting statistic, given that many residents of the metro fall beneath the poverty line. How-ever, 17 percent of Madison County’s cou-ples, 15 percent of Rankin’s, and 13 per-cent of Hinds’ spend more than $30,000 on their weddings. “A lot of times people are very shocked by the cost of a wedding,” says Kendall Poole, owner of Kendall Poole Event Planning. “It’s not the caterer just showing up with food.” These nuptials, more often than not, are preceded by presentation of an en-gagement ring from one party to another.

The cost of pre-cious metals has risen “tremendously” in the last two decades, says John Albriton, owner of Albriton’s Jewelry in Jackson, leading to increased initial outlay for engagement rings. Albri-ton estimates that the cost of raw materi-als has risen “four- or fi ve-fold” in the last 20 years. In December 2013, an ounce of gold was $1,230.70, up from $384 in 1994. This is in part due to recent economic policy that pushes up the price of com-modities, which includes precious met-als. The price has “affected both design of the rings and metals purchased” for them, he says, but “nobody thinks it’s an inexpensive proposition.” “One of the hardest things people ask me is, ‘How much does a wedding cost?’” Poole says. “There are a lot of parameters, so we ask questions—what your favorite fl ower, what is your favorite kind of beer … It’s all the little things that get you. When I sit down and talk about budget with a client, we factor in a lot of

the little things (like) stamps and coozies and napkins.” The Wedding Report reports that the price of weddings peaked in 2007 at an av-erage $28,730 per ceremony, and dropped signifi cantly during the fi nancial crisis in 2008 to $21,810, declining to $19,580 in 2009. Since then, the outlay for “I dos” has slowly crept back up.

‘Civic-minded,’ Experiential Deborah Simmons, owner of Signa-ture Occasions Wedding & Event Coordi-nation, says married couples-to-be in Jack-son have changed their spending habits since the fi nancial crisis. There’s a new focus on “pinching pennies and putting

the money where it makes an impact,” and, often, relying on event coor-

dinators like herself to fi nd the deals and steals.

“I think that brides (in 2014) are a little more aware of what they’re spending,” Simmons says. “The econ-omy has been such that

people are taking a second look at it. You don’t see as

many just elaborate weddings in our area as we probably once did.

I think the weddings that we do have are really nice weddings—brides would like to have a very nice wedding for 150 people rather than an average wedding for 300 people.” Members of the “Millennial” genera-tion, those 80 million Americans born be-tween 1983 and the early 2000—also called Generation Y—are the ones goin’ to the fi gurative or literal chapel in 2014, as the average age of fi rst marriage for American men is 28.9 and 26.9 for women, according to a 2011 Census Bureau survey. The Millennial generation, as ex-plained by the Strauss-Howe generational theory, has several defi ning cultural quali-ties that permeate its members’ lives. The socially and fi nancially stable members are considered “civic-minded,” expe-riential, optimistic and team-oriented. They’re also tech savvy—Millennials are referred to as “digital natives”—and have the means to share ideas and expe-riences, collect feedback, and network,

all without getting up from the couch. Twenty-fi ve years ago, when the tail end of Baby Boomers and the older mem-bers of Generation X were planning wed-dings, there simply weren’t as many op-tions, and most wedding accoutrements were standardized. “Years ago, planning a wedding you had a cake, nuts and punch at the church. The worst thing you had to do was get the guest list together. It wasn’t a big party, it was a church reception,” Simmons says. More importantly, the means for navi-gating the existing options were restrictive and time-consuming, and often required a bit of legwork. A bride- or groom-to-be in 1988 in need of a catered wedding would cut out recipes and fl ower arrangements from women’s magazines or cookbook, fi nger-walk through the Yellow Pages to fi nd possible vendors, and rely heavily on relatives for fi ltering through venues or service providers in the area.

Planners and Pinterest In the early 1990s, weddings moved from family-planned and -orchestrated to more streamlined affairs, conducted through multiple vendors and, more often as years passed, supervised by an event coordinator. Texas Christian University Magazine cites one wedding planner who believes, that the trend was precipitated by the early ’90s popularity of Martha Stewart and her ilk, who “espouse gracious living that brought about people’s awareness of events and entertaining, wedding parties and food.’” In the same article, a TCU sociology professor commented that as some wed-dings move beyond casual or familial orga-nization, a “demonstration effect” occurs. This sociological concept suggests that certain behaviors and decisions can be-get similar behaviors and decisions (e.g. grander-scale ceremonies or non-church receptions) in large populations. The ex-pectation of complex, highly personalized wedding ceremonies created, as TCU Magazine states, “business … conducted in the fulfi llment of a social ritual.” That Millennials are more attuned to one another’s ideas and behaviors isn’t surprising, since they’ve got the

CO

UR

TESY ELIZAB

ETH R

AY PH

OTO

GR

AP

HY

Couples these days have

more options than ever for customizing

their big day, from location to fl owers to all the

reception details.


means to see an incredible magnitude of original content at their fi ngertips. Mod-ern couples make use of technology, es-pecially social media, to create unique and memorable experiences for themselves and their guests. While personalized wed-ding websites, online registries and Face-book updates have become de rigueur for newlyweds-to-be, Pinterest is more than likely to be at the top of any engaged couple’s search history. Pinterest is an im-age-sharing site that allows users to create themed “pinboards” on which to save pho-tos, poems, recipes, videos and the like. “Pinterest is fantastic,” says Iris Smith, of Cakes by Iris in Richland. By us-ing it, brides and grooms can better “give us an idea of the direction they want to go … Sometimes Pinterest gives them unre-alistic expectations,” but vendors can work with the desired concept, Smith says, cit-ing an intricately designed Pinterest cake made entirely of fondant that could be replicated in buttercream for a more pal-ate-pleasing result. Do-it-yourself projects, such as wedding favors or decorations, are popular pinned items. Simmons believes DIY elements can save money for clients

on a budget, but she encourages them not to overcommit time and create stress in the fi nal stretch of their engagement. Wedding-specifi c online directories, such as Premier Bride, EnGAYged Weddings and BridePop pro-vide couples with listings of regional vendors and service providers. TheKnot.com and Wedding Wire are a step above, providing those same resources along with ar-ticles, forums and ceremony ideas. TheKnot even has fi nancial and organizational wedding planning tools for couples to use, in desktop versions and mobile applications. Unifi ed, curated ceremo-nies are important to Millennial couples. Beyond the typical two-color accent col-ors, they’re looking for personal and im-

mediate representations of their upcoming commit-ment, as well as unique favors that are meaningful for the guests and the new-lyweds. “One of the big things that Kendall Poole Event Planning loves is to help brand a wedding,” Poole says. “We take that ‘logo,’ that one look, through the save the date, the invita-tions, the programs, the wedding … the whole look of the wedding has a co-hesive invitation suite,” so people can associate a cer-tain color, font or image with a couple and their upcoming exchange of vows (and the resultant party). Popular take-home treats include homemade jam or local honey; fun nov-elty items like photo-booth

print-outs, coozies and sunglasses; or gifts with utility, like program fans for summer weddings, disposable dance-fl oor fl ip-fl ops

or pashminas for chilly venues. One couple Poole worked with gave

Milk Bones to attendees with a note detailing

that in lieu of wed-dings favors, they

were donating the funds to Jackson’s Community Ani-mal Rescue Asso-ciation (CARA) in the name of their guests. (There’s that Strauss-Howe

civic-mindedness.) Despite the

economic, social and cultural expectations

changing from one gener-ation to the next, and the in-

dubitable shift in the same factors that will occur when 21st-century babies hit 2025, the rudiments of every wedding will hopefully remain the same.

Weddings, from page 25

Kendall Poole often creates inspiration boards for the events she plans. Many brides do the same thing using the online image-curation site Pinterest.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

Wedding and event

planner Kendall Poole

has seen fi rst

hand the big changes in the wedding business over the past two decades.


S tephen Barnet te

PeekabooAlthough most people concern themselves with the

dress, the rings, the cake and other details when putting on a wedding, Stephen Barnette plays an

integral—if sometimes overlooked—role in putting the perfect event together. As the owner of Davaine Light-ing, Barnette is many wedding planners’ go-to man for making sure the bride is perfectly lit as she takes her stroll down the aisle and the guests can get down on the dance fl oor in the perfect amount of light. Davaine Lighting provides lighting for a wide range of events, from backyard celebrations to the seven-event, three-day spectacle of Mistletoe Marketplace 2013. Visit davainelighting.com for more information. Barnette, who also helped found the Jackson Free Press, let us peek inside one of his crew’s toolboxes to see some of the essential tools of his trade.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

661 DULING AVE.•JACKSONin the Historic Fondren DistrictTRISH HAMMONSWWW.CUSTOMOPTICAL.NET601.362.6675

Time For A Change

CUSTOM

In business since 1976, let our staff help you find the eye wear that looks, feels and

creates a style of your own.

Like Us on Facebook!

Hitched Guide


From the Engagement Party

to the Send off

Cool Water Catering and Events can handle all of your Wedding needs on or

off premises

ANNOUNCEMENT RECEPTIONS - BRIDAL SHOWERSBRIDESMAID LUNCHEONS - CEREMONIES

REHEARSAL DINNERS - WEDDING RECEPTIONSPOST WEDDING BRUNCHES

www.coolwatercatering.com

1011 Lake Harbour Dr. Ridgeland, MS 39157

(601) [email protected]

Like us on Facebook!

COOL WATERC A T E R I N G & E V E N T S

From the Engagement Party

to the Send off

Cool Water Catering and Events can handle all of your Wedding needs on or

off premises

ANNOUNCEMENT RECEPTIONS - BRIDAL SHOWERSBRIDESMAID LUNCHEONS - CEREMONIES

REHEARSAL DINNERS - WEDDING RECEPTIONSPOST WEDDING BRUNCHES

www.coolwatercatering.com

1011 Lake Harbour Dr. Ridgeland, MS 39157

(601) [email protected]

Like us on Facebook!

COOL WATERC A T E R I N G & E V E N T SC A T E R I N G & E V E N T S


Hitched Guide

Let us cateryour next event.

601.948.0888200 S. Commerce St. • Downtown Jackson, Mississippi

visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and concert schedule

follow us on facebook for daily specials!

The possibilities are endless at Hal and Mal’s. We can outfit any occasion or any mood.

Catering - Fund Raiser Events Rehearsal Dinners

Let us be your next event space provider!

Big Room | Red Room Patio

Hitched Guide


Whether it’s a party for 600 or six we can can de-sign and create a menu to fit your needs.

We can create a scrumptious feast or delightful appetizers. You decide.

127 S Roach St. | Standard Life Bldg. | Downtown Jackson601.944.9501

Monday - Friday | 11:00 am - 6:30 pm

Catering For All Occasions

Duling HallFOR CONCERTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC FONDRENindoor & outdoor event space

spectacular sound, lights & videofull catering kitchen & bar services

entertainment servicesTHE PERFECT INTIMATE VENUE TO HOST:

weddings holiday parties luncheonsfundraisers or any special occasion

FOR RENTAL INFO:www.dulinghall.com

601.292.7121


Hitched Guide

3013 N State St. in Historic Fondren 601.362.4628

BESTBAKERY

Best of Jackson 2012-2013

BEST PLACETO BUY CAKES

Best of Jackson 2012-2013 BESTBAKERY

Mississippi Magazine 2012-2013TOP 100 DESSERTS

In MIssissippi Delta Magazine

Mosaics by Teresa HaygoodCreative Minds Glass Studiocommissions, classes, installations

Gallery representation: Mississippi Craft Center Gallery - Ridgeland

and Attic Gallery-Vicksburg

[email protected]

www.facebook.com/teresahaygoodmosaics

Chocolate CoveredStrawberries

For Every Occasion

1220 E Northside Dr Ste 380, 601-362-9553M-Sat, 10am-6pm | www.nandyscandy.com

Offering a variety of

A local treasure for more than 33 years

specialty chocolates& hand dipped

strawberries made fresh daily.

a variety of specialty chocolates

Hitched Guide


Stylists: Nikki Henry, Brock Freeman, Griff Howard Lori Scroggins, Liz Torres, and Ginger Rankin.

147 Hwy 51 N. Suite H, Ridgeland, MS 39157601-856-4330 | Like Us on Facebook

601.366.3675 ThePaperPlace 2941 Old Canton Rd • Jackson, MS

www.sterlingpics.net

601-982-3032


Hitched Announcements

David & Emily

Emily Mathis, of Memphis, Tenn., and David Rahaim, of Jackson, Miss., met one autumn day at a downtown Jackson coffee shop in 2006. It wasn’t until the summer of 2012,

though, that they both realized the true depths of their friendship. With one long look between them, they decided to jump right in.

Emily, a University of Mississippi and University of Memphis alumna, works as a counselor for IQH Tobacco Quitline while David, a Belhaven alumnus, works in marketing/sales for the Jackson Free Press.

Now Emily, daughter of Bill and Marcia Mathis, and David, son of Robert and Linda Rahaim, are pleased to announce their engagement to be married June 2014.

Harriett & Jed

On April 5, 2014, Harriett Faychelle Johnson and Jed Hoffman Oppenheim will formally commit to spending their living days together. Harriett is from Jackson and is a graduate of Wingfield High School and JSU. Jed is from

Los Angeles, Calif.—though he hasn’t called LA home for many years. Harriett and Jed first met in early 2010 on a street corner in Meridian,

Miss., while they were both working for local civil-rights organizations. Jed had organized a community meeting and Harriett came representing her organization at the time. The meeting fell flat as only two elderly ladies showed up, but that first date ended up being a sign of things to come—minus the two elderly ladies and the juice and cookies for 50.

It was still more than two years after meeting in Meridian before they started dating seriously, but it was clear they came together for a reason. Harriett’s vibrant energy, brilliant mind and inherent beauty were too hard to resist for Jed, and Jed’s horrible sense of humor and his uncanny ability to never say “no” managed to not run Harriett off. They have enriched each other’s lives, and hopefully the lives of those around them, through a common purpose to see a better future for each other, Jackson and Mississippi.

Harriett has lupus and, at the time of writing, is in need of kidney—which means that she and Jed have the “In sickness…” part down and are utterly excited about the “…and in health” part. If you have type-o blood and are interested in being a kidney donor, pleasecall Jed at 310.994.1841.


The Next Chapter// by Eddie Outlaw

DER

EK C

HA

D P

HO

TOG

RA

PH

Y


W e stood in the kitchen waiting for our cue to appear on the back porch. As Justin worked me over with the lint roller, I leaned over the sink for one last look at the guests gathered to witness our union. Here

we were, after two months of planning, on the verge of starting the next chapter of our life together. So many emotions welling up inside, so much to express to each other as we waited to take our place in front of Shari, our offi ciant. So many potatoes still in the oven at risk of fi lling the house with acrid smoke. “The potatoes!” I barked, bolting for the oven. Justin instinc-tively reached for the assigned serving piece, and the last item of food made it safely to the table just in time for us to appear before our guests, as unruffl ed and polished as new pennies. It had never occurred to us to think about planning a wed-ding. In the days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions came down in June 2013, we’d talked about paying a visit to the Justice of the Peace while visiting Justin’s father, Bill McPherson, and stepmother, Donna, in Long Beach, Calif. But his father thought it was important that we should have some sort of celebration, that we deserved it. “I’ll handle everything,” he said. “All you have to do is show up.” While Bill researched everything we needed to do on our end, his wife, Donna, turned her attention to ready-ing their home for the event. The landscaping was touched up, the pool was serviced, and the decking scrubbed. On weekends, she mapped out es-tate sales and swap meets, col-lecting crystal, silver and milk glass that could decorate our wedding. She also ordered billions of tiny LED lights that would be strung hither and yon so that everything would be washed in the most fl attering light after sunset. They hired a bartender and a harpist, the latter at Bill’s insistence. The catering company, hell-bent on charging for a minimum that would feed three times the number of guests that were invited, was relieved of its obligation, and I stepped up. After all, it’s nothing for Justin and me to feed 15 people Sunday brunch, so how diffi cult could it be to put together fi nger food for one’s own wedding? If I’d had a personal assistant, and a few more hours in a day, I’d have shipped Simmons catfi sh (2628 Erickson Road, Yazoo City, 662.746.5687), tamales from Doe’s Eat Place (502 Nelson St., Greenville, 662.334.3345) and Indianola pecans (1013 U.S. 82, In-dianola, 662.887.5420) out to the west coast. Instead, as Justin put the fi nishing touches on the tabletops, I fi nished off some treats with a southern fl are—cheese grits and fl ank steak bites with to-

mato gravy, blackeyed peas in shot glasses with cornbread crou-tons, and real homemade pimento-cheese fi nger sandwiches, just to name a few. As if everything the McPhersons had done so far wasn’t enough, they had more up their sleeves. Donna, a lover of sweets, surprised us with a wedding cake made with raspberry and lemon curd, fi nished with royal icing and a topper with two groomsmen. Bill, a collector of antique watches, had two from his collection restored and engraved for each of us. The pair had also printed out their favorite of our pictures from Facebook to display, and every guest got a copy of my “I Do” col-umn for the Jackson Free Press (see jfp.ms/Ido). Any number of things could’ve gone horribly wrong, wedding disasters being as commonplace as mints and salted nuts at these

things, but everything came together as planned because our soon-to-be-joined families worked as one. Our wedding wasn’t so much about making our relationship “more real” or about the “next chapter.” It was, as our offi ciant pointed out, about recognizing the work we’d done as a couple in the previous 11 years. And, no matter one’s views on the subject of marriage equality, the truth is, it’s about family—the one into which you’re born and the one you choose to create for yourself. I was warned that the cere-mony would be a blur, so I did my level best to remain grounded in the moment. As Shari spoke about love and commitment, our past 11 years and the promise of a happy future together, I felt as if Justin and I were locked in an epic staring contest, broken only by impish grins and giggles.

We had prepared our own vows. Justin recited his fi rst out of fear that he’d be too emotional to speak when I was done. I spoke of love and our future, of course, but my main intent was this: I knew the very instant we met that I was meant to love Justin. In fact, I believe I had to move to Memphis just to fi nd him. Now, I’m not sure I believe in fate, but, as the old song says, “A dream is a wish your heart makes.” Surely my heart had wished for a love like ours. My previous guess about if I’d feel differently once married became a concrete reality: In joining ourselves together in a very real and purposeful way, we strengthened that love and commit-ment we share. What had kept us together in work, life and love would hold us to each other in the future. Filmmaker Lauren Cioffi chronicled some of Eddie and Justin’s relationship in an upcoming documentary, “A Mississippi Love Sto-ry.” See the trailer at jfp.ms/eddiejustin.

DER

EK C

HA

D P

HO

TOG

RA

PH

Y

Opposite page: Eddie Outlaw (in tan suit) and Justin McPherson married in California after the DOMA decision. Bill (far left in bottom photo) and Donna McPherson (far right) helped plan the nuptials.

2014


POWER

Photographer: Tate K. NationsStylist: Nicole WyattMakeup Artist: Antoinette AndersonLocation: The Ice House Alley Warehouses (251 W. South St., icehousealleywarehouses.com)

COUPLES


MMEREDITH AND TERRY SULLIVAN

POWER COUPLE:

RASHIDA AND FELIX WALKER


“WRASHIDA AND FELIX WALKERPOWER COUPLE:facing page

EERIC WOOD AND ROBERT SAULTERSPOWER COUPLE:next page


ERIC WOOD AND ROBERT SAULTERS


A

RAMINA AGHILI AND ARASH GHAHRAMANI

POWER COUPLE:


JEANNIE AND BEN BARLOW


JJEANNIE AND BEN BARLOWPOWER COUPLE:facing page

LSHIVON ROCKWARD AND JEFFREY HESSPOWER COUPLE:next page


SHIVON ROCKWARD AND JEFFREY HESS


ARACHEL AND CHRIS MYERSPOWER COUPLE:



2014POWER COUPLES

WHERE2SHOP:Bargain Boutique (5070 Parkway Drive, 601.991.0500); Free People (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 5018, Ridgeland, 601.605.0406); Kinkade’s (120 W. Jackson St., Suite 2B, Ridgeland, 601.898.0513); Libby Story (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 5003, Ridgeland; 601.717.3300; libbystory.com); LoLady Fashion (loladyfashion.com); Mulberry Dreams (3026 N, State St., 601.559.7074); N.U.T.S. (3011 N. State St. and 114 Millsaps Ave., 601.355.7458); The Orange Peel (422 E. Mitchell Ave., 601.364.9977); Orvis (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 9019, Ridgeland; 601.856.5347); Posh Btq (4312 N. State St., 601.364.2244); StyleRevel (stylerevel.com)

MEREDITH and TERRY, from page 36-37 Meredith is wearing a peplum top ($44) from Free People, sequin skirt ($268) from Libby Story, necklace ($48) from Free People, leopard booties ($58) from Libby Story. Terry is wearing a shirt ($135), tie ($75), suit ($195) and Cole Haan Lenox Hill shoes ($198), all from from Kinkade’s.

RASHIDA and FELIX, from page 38 Rashida is wearing a red jumpsuit ($48.50) from Posh Btq, a black and white sweater ($10) from Bargain Boutique, a brass necklace ($48) from Free People and her own shoes. Felix is wearing a shirt ($135), tie ($75), suit ($195) and Cole Haan Lenox Hill shoes ($198) from Cole Haan Air Stanton shoes ($198), all from Kinkade’s.

ERIC and ROBERT, from page 40 Eric is wearing a plaid shirt ($89.95), wool pants ($95), vest ($), Cole Haan Air Stanton shoes ($198) from Kinkade’s. Robert is wearing shirt ($89.95), sweater ($110), pants ($165), and Cole Haan Air Madison shoes ($248) from Kinkade’s; coat ($450) from Orvis.

RAMINA and ARASH, from page 41 Ramina is wearing a black and gold dress ($47) from Style Revel, a fl oral dress ($128) from Mulberry Dreams, shoes ($32) from Libby

Story, blazer ($10) from the Orange Peel, tights belonging to the stylist, chain necklace ($38) from Free People, wood pendant necklace ($44) from Mulberry Dreams. Arash is wearing a shirt ($135), tie ($75), pants ($174), and Johnston and Murphy shoes ($165), all from Kinkade’s.

JEANNIE and BEN, from page 42 Jeannie is wearing a slip ($88), dress ($98), jeans ($168) from Free People, tights and socks belonging to the stylist, gold shoes ($138) from Libby Story, bracelets ($28) from Free People, bullet case necklace ($62) from Mulberry Dreams, bird pendant necklace ($38) from Lo Lady Fashion, a kimono ($34) from Style Revel. Ben is wearing a shirt ($135), tie ($75), pants ($175), Johnston and Murphy shoes ($165) from Kinkade’s; and a sweater ($98) from Orvis.

SHIVON and JEFFREY, from page 44 Shivon is wearing a white leather dress ($89.99) from Posh Btq; a paisley shirt ($6) from N.U.T.S.; a jacket ($143) from Mulberry Dreams; bracelets ($28 for a set of three and $28 for a set of two with gemstones), and a necklace ($48) from Free People; patterned tights and socks belonging to the stylist; and her own shoes. Jeffrey is wearing a shirt ($135), tie ($85), pants ($95), plaid jacket ($395) and Cole Haan Lenox Hill shoes ($198), all from from Kinkade’s.

RACHEL and CHRIS, from page 45 Rachel is wearing a dress ($39.99) from Posh Btq; scarf ($18), boots ($98) and hat ($24) from Libby Story; and tights, socks and leather jacket belonging to the stylist. Chris is wearing a fl annel shirt ($98) and corduroy pants ($129) from Orvis; a coat ($695) from Kinkade’s; and his own shoes and belt.

Special thanks to Amber Helsel, Marvin Jeter, W. C. McClendon, Susie Morgan and Ice House Alley Warehouses.

Nicole Wyatt (left) styled the power couples.


Classes Held2nd Monday

Of each Month

Your Local Design Essentials

Exclusive Salon & Retailer

769.233.8411

2906 North State St Ste.101-B

located inside of Fondren Corner

E d u c a t i n gM o t i v a t i n g Demonstrating

in 2014Stylists:

Elisa Acey-Shelly BurnsBob Smith-Kacy Whitty

like us on facebook

3015 North State Street Jackson

601.937.7754

Keeping it funky in

Fondrencome in for a visit and enjoy the nostalgia and history

*All Services Performed by Students in Training and Supervised by Licensed Instructors. No Refunds Available. For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students

who completed the program, gainful employment statistics and other important information,please visit our website at www.magnoliacollegeofcosmetology.com.

4725 I-55 N • Jackson, MS

601.362.6940www.magnoliacollegeofcosmetology.com

Salon Hours: Tue - Thu 8:30AM-9PM Fri & Sat 8:30AM-5PM

Call for Complete List and Monthly

Specials.

ESTHETICS

Brow Wax $7Face Wax $20Bikini $15Full Body $75

CHEMICAL SERVICES

Relaxer Retouch $30Permanent Wave $30 & UpPermanent Color $30 & UpHighlights/Foiling $35 & Up

BRAIDS AND WEAVING

Full Head Twist Style $25Goddess Braid $30

Cornrows Full Head $30 & UpCornrows w/ Design $40 & Up

Twist & Lock Full Head $40

HAIR

Shampoo/BlowDry $10Shampoo/Set $15Scalp Treatment $5Press/Curl $20Flat Iron Style $20French Roll/Set $20Deep Condition $5Hair Cut $7Hair Cut w/ Shampoo $13Mens Haircut w/ Facial Hair $10

NAILS

Manicure $7French Manicure $10Pedicure $15French Nail Tips $20Nail Tips/Sculpts $15Gel Polish $15Paraffin Wax (Hands) $5

©2013 Jackson Eye Associates

JEA Optical Boutique is proud to be the exclusive carrier of Salvatore Ferragamo glasses and sunglasses in the Jackson area! Ferragamo is one of the best-known Italian luxury brands, and we are thrilled to offer these high-end frames locally.

Come by and see our complete selection of designer and luxury eyewear.

ITALIAN FRAMES. NO PASSPORT REQUIRED.

JACKSON 601.352.0025 | CLINTON 601.924.9750 | MADISON 601.853.2020 | WWW.JACKSONEYE.COM |


Picture this: You walk into a wedding reception, and you see tables upon tables of food. Sweet stuff, spicy stuff, fun little party snacks. The food is there suddenly, and you wonder exactly how it got there. You occasionally see a member of

the catering staff walk by and check on the temperatures of the food or refill a dwindling dish, but other than that, you see no indication as to how the food arrived. Or maybe you go to a luncheon, and you see a buffet line of delicious food, but no catering staff in sight. Sometimes we don’t think about how much effort goes into getting the food ready for an event. Even an event as small as a luncheon requires a lot of effort and a great attention to detail. But it’s about more than just set-ting the food up. A caterer works a day ahead. He has to if he wants to be successful and build great rapport with the cli-ent. It’s all about easing the customer’s mind and guiding her to hosting a great event. “The less they have to worry, the better they are,” says Peter James, a cater-ing trainer at Catering by George’s. “With customer relations, the most important thing is to establish rapport.” James ac-complishes this by connecting with the customer. He says the first step in establishing a good relationship is to talk to the person in charge of the event. “You have to make your presence known,” James says. “You’re there. They know why you’re there.” The second way is to always stay ahead of the game. This means working a day ahead, no matter what. Chris George, co-owner of the Catering by George’s, says it’s important to do all of the set-ups the day before. A good caterer is prepared if anything pops up randomly. The third way to build rapport is probably the most obvious: Fol-low through with everything. “It takes the same amount of time to talk

your way out of something,” James says. That’s why consistency and having a forward-looking eye is always best. James demonstrates a day in the life of a caterer. He starts by getting ready for the day’s orders, checking the order’s ticket, writing notes next

to everything. His instincts kick in as he scribbles on the sheet of paper, sometimes writing so much that it would look like a jumbled mess to an untrained eye. For example, he knows that more than 35 people re-quire five gallons of sweet tea. George’s uses a 5-gallon drum and two gallons of unsweet tea. If he’s catering for 60 or more people, he needs two 5-gallon drums and three unsweet jugs. He knows not to make the tea until the day of the event, as tea can be considered a hot item. James’ instincts are keen because he has been in the business for years. He moved to Mississippi after his daughter Delores Anne got a job as the director of market-ing at the Mississippi Natural Science Museum. This particular day, James is training a future ca-terer at an event for the Mis-sissippi Hospital Association in Madison (116 Woodgreen Drive, Madison, 601-982-3251). George’s caters for the organization at least two or

three times a week, so he’s well-versed in this type of event. As he looks at their ticket, James begins loading his truck with the set-ups, food and linen he’ll use. When everything is loaded up, and he has checked his list two and three times, James departs Reser-voir Pointe, always 15 minutes ahead of when he’s supposed to leave. For example, for a job at noon, he leaves at 11:15 a.m. instead of 11:30 a.m. During these extra few minutes, he can account for any backed-up traffic, tire blowouts or anything else that may slow him down. At the catering site, he wheels out the cold items—ice, lemons, salad dressings, crackers, etc.—the linen, plates, cups, napkins and cutlery and the hot food, which is kept in giant hot boxes with tight locks. That food will be dropped last.

The Backstage Man// photo and story by Amber Helsel

BITES // behind the scenes

Peter James carefully lays out the buffet in preparation of an event he is catering.


BITES // behind the scenes

The first part of caterer’s job is table set-up, both at the buffet table and the regular tables. Sometimes, he or she has the option of setting up a day before for this particular luncheon, so everything is ready when he or she arrives on event day. For the buffet table, James lays down a colored tablecloth, based on the color scheme the client wants. He carefully places linens, chafing dishes (metal pans with outer pans filled with hot water), condiment plates, tongs, spoons and fuel for the chafing dishes. Though the food table takes a while to set up, it doesn’t require as much attention to detail as the main tables. For these, a caterer has to have a keen eye for detail. Even a skewed fork can mess up the look of a table layout. From lining up the chairs correctly to avoiding diners’ legs hit-ting things under the table, to placing tablecloths with the seams in exactly the right spot, to setting dishes and utensils in the proper place, James is extremely detailed. About 15 minutes before people eat, James drops the hot food into chafing dishes, so the food will be hot when guests get it. When the event starts, it’s a waiting game for James. He waits to hear from the organizer on how the food is going. He waits for them to tell him they need ice. He waits. Then the organizer tells him they are done. James cleans up and slips out as inconspicuously as he came in.

I

facebook.com/rainbowcoop twitter.com/rainbowcoop


BITES // raw

Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll// by Amber Helsel

Upon walking into Crazy Ninja (2530 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601.420.4058), you get the feeling that this isn’t a regular Japanese steak-house. For one thing, what used to be a fountain

at the front is now a stage for a drum kit. When the host pulls the sushi menus from the host stand, they aren’t just any old menus. They’re made of vinyl-record sleeves, with each part of the menu glued to the inside. The sushi side is fi lled with rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia such as framed concert posters and promotional photos for rock ‘n’ roll musicians, including The Beatles, Mick Jag-ger, and plenty of others. The hibachi side is fairly normal compared to the sushi side, but it’s the chefs who make the environment. They do the standard hibachi like throw rice and eggs at you, but they also beat their spatulas on the grill, making some cool music as they work. It’s all part of the vision of owners Emrick Immanuel, 26, and Ashley Bouttavong, 25. The couple opened Crazy Ninja’s doors Sept. 21, 2012. From the moment their inves-tor found the empty location, to creating the fl oor plan, to the week they spent training the staff, it took about a year and a half to see their dream come to fruition. “We love the location. We love the area,” Bouttavong says. “We wanted to fi nd a good, traditional location. Then we went in there and fl ipped house.” The restaurant is painted crimson with all the memorabilia a music fan could ever want. They got the record sleeves for their sushi menus from a man who had been collecting since he was 18. “We had a lot of fun making those,”

Bouttavong says. “It’s a perfect place because of the com-

petition,” Immanuel says. Immanuel and Bouttavong agree

that the hardest part of opening Crazy Ninja was developing the

menu, specifi cally the sushi menu. While the regular menu items have standard names, their sushi menu is vastly different. For the variety of items on that menu, Immanuel and Bouttavong came up with

many different combina-tions and incorporated names

and famous lines from songs into fi shy names for sushi.

The restaurant also has a menu called “You Rock, We Roll,” for name-and-

make-your-own sushi rolls. Bouttavong and Immanuel say the menu is very popular, describing one customer’s “Fatty Cakes Roll.” The roll included carrots, cream cheese, panko-fried lobster and chicken, baked scallops, three different sauces—and the customer had it deep-fried. “I think we had to wrap it in two things of seaweed paper,” Bout-tavong says with a laugh. “It was so big.” Another signature roll the restaurant plans to unveil in the future is a country-fried steak roll with mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade country gravy wrapped in soy paper. “We like to think outside the box,” Bouttavong says. “And there are so many things you can do with (sushi).” In the future, Immanuel and Bouttavong hope to become more in-volved in the community, and also open more Crazy Ninja locations. “(We want) one on every corner in Jackson,” Immanuel jokes. While the couple’s main focus is getting Crazy Ninja to where it needs to be, they hope to open a smaller version in Madison at some point. But in the near future? Within the next two months, Crazy Ninja will have a “reverse happy hour,” which means that along with the 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. happy hour, the restaurant will host happy hour from 8 p.m. to close. This year, Crazy Ninja will have acoustic sets once a week.

Crazy Ninja’s full menu is available on the hibachi and sushi side of the restaurant. Visit crazyninjausa.com or fi nd Crazy Ninja on Facebook for more information.

TRIP

BU

RN

S

Ashley Bouttavong and Emrick Immanuel infused Crazy Ninja with rock ‘n’ roll infl uences.

Invent your own sushi a

t Cra

zy N

inja

.

make-your-own sushi rolls. Bouttavong and Immanuel say the menu is very popular, describing one customer’s “Fatty Cakes Roll.” The roll included carrots, cream cheese, panko-fried lobster and chicken, baked scallops, three different sauces—and the customer had it deep-fried. “I think we had to wrap it in two things of seaweed paper,” Bout-


When we say LOCAL, we mean LOCAL!

MAYWOOD MART 1220 E. Northside Dr. 601-366-8486 WOODLAND HILLS Shopping Center Fondren 601-366-5273

Party Trays Available for Order (call ahead)

Fresh Local Produce from Mississippi Growers

Best Beer Selectionin Jackson

Local Products and Gifts

Hot Deli for Breakfast and Lunch

USDA Choiceand Prime Beef

Maywood Mart Shopping Center(Next door to McDades Market Extra)

Mon. - Sat., 10 am - 9 pm1220 E. Northside Dr. • 601-366-5676

www.mcdadeswineandspirits.com Always Drink Responsibly

Also Stop By

WESTLAND PLAZA 2526 Robinson Rd. 601-353-0089YAZOO CITY 734 East 15th St. 662-746-1144

BELHAVEN ENGLISH VILLAGE 904 E. Fortifi cation St. 601-355-9668

At McDade’s Market we pride ourselves on giving back to the community by offering quality products, buying from local Mississippi producers and supporting hundreds of community events and organizations each year. The people of McDade’s

Market -- its owners, managers and 350 employees -- are proud to serve our customers with a truly local grocery store!

Elizabeth Robinson spends much of her days raising birds. Her birds are colorful, brilliantly patterned and grow up in flocks before flying to new

homes. They are also made of glass. Although now a visual artist, Robinson started out in a different thread of the arts. She went to Mississippi University for Women on a music schol-arship, and graduated with two degrees, one in psychol-ogy and the other in health, physical education and recre-ation. She moved to Jackson, working off and on as a musi-cian. But when she wanted a more steady job, she found it at Andy Young’s Pearl River Glass Studio in Midtown. Al-though she originally came on as more of a businesswoman, she began learning glass from Young and Susan Ford, and eventually branched out into her own form of glassworking. “That was back in the early ’80s,” Robinson says. “It was the beginning of the Millsaps Av-enue Midtown, and I was there for 15 years. … The form of glass I took on was not even being addressed at that point—Andy as doing beautiful stained glass with that German style, and Susan Ford was doing hot glass from a furnace, and nobody was working in kiln-fired glass, because there just wasn’t that much interest in it.” But Robinson was interested, and got a pot-tery kiln to teach herself. Her method is consid-ered a “warm-worked” technique, somewhere between hot furnace glass and cold stained glass. Robinson, 59, hand-cuts shapes from large sheets of glass and fires them in a kiln. Robinson, who also is a co-owner of Pro-fessional Staffing Group, left Pearl River and set up her own glass studio in the 1980s in Fondren. “I loved Midtown, but Fondren was

an ideal choice for me,” she says. “I was able to really be a part of this artist community that led the way for Fondren becoming Fondren.” Her first signature pieces she called “spirit houses,” medium-sized structures of glass and light, which led to her naming her business Spirit House Glass. “The spirit houses are fun to me when I can get them done because they are whatever the viewer sees in them,” Robinson says. “They are not representative of anything but light and glass, and I like that people see something in them that may not have necessarily been in my mind when I was doing them.” Last year, Robinson took her art and her business to a new level by partnering with two national art websites, growing her reach and sales to an unprecedented level. The first, Art-fulHome.com, offers her birds and fish to a na-tional audience. The response to her works was

encouraging, as Robinson and her team pro-duced flock after flock of birds and fish to keep up with demand. In December, Robinson found out she was a top-10 seller for 2013. The other site, artcommission.com, helps people find her to order custom and commission work. Robinson is the only artist from the state represented, but she hopes to change that. “Being the only Mississippian is odd, so we’ve got to fix that,” she says. “I’m very active in the Craftsmen’s Guild, and there are mem-bers right there that … are ideal. I’m hoping to lay a little path to have other people walk along with me on it.” When Robinson talks about her art, she comes across part creative and part mad scien-tist, tossing in words like formula and technol-ogy and experiment. The process she works in is a rare one, especially in Jackson, but she loves sharing it with others.


ARTS // spirit

Life in a Glass House// by Kathleen M. Mitchell

TRIP

BU

RN

S

In addition to birds and fish, Elizabeth Robinson makes glass fleurs-de-

lis, catfish, pieces in the shape of Mississippi, and much more.


Butler’s

SOUTHLANDAuto Service

Don’t Let the Weather

Your Plans!

Winterize Your Car Today!

Winterize Your Car Today!5448 North State St., Jackson

601.362.2253Mon-Fri 7:30 - 5:30 • Sat 7:30-12

2014A FE ST IVAL of DANCE

2014 USA International Ballet CompetitionIBCIBC

Watch top young dancers from around the globe “dance Jackson” – taking the stage where many of today’s foremost ballet principals launched their careers. Enjoy 17 performances over 14 days. Three rounds of dazzling “olympic-style” competition Opening night performance by Complexions Contemporary Ballet Performance, master class and demonstration by Trey McIntyre Project Two-week USA IBC Dance School with renowned faculty Art exhibition by Andrew Bucci, Official 2014 USA IBC Artist

Welcoming Edward Villella, International Jury ChairOfficial U.S. Competition by a Joint Resolution of Congress

“The most important ballet competition in North America” celebrates 35 years.

June14-29,2014Jackson, Mississippi

Package tickets on sale Jan 6

usaibc.com/ticketsCall 601-973-9249facebook.com/usaibc twitter.com/usaibc

Funded in part by Mississippi Development Authority and grants from the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau; South Arts, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency.

Presented under the auspices of the International Dance Committee, International Theatre Institute of UNESCO.

USAIBC'14 BOOM.indd 1 12/9/13 4:42 PM

We love local. Our large variety of coffee beans

are roasted to perfection right here in

Mississippi. So no matter what your preference,

it always tastes - and feels - like home.

A fter the success of her “Nautilus” CD release event in early 2012, singer and songwriter Laurel Isbister Irby began planning for the second installment

of “The Nautilus Project,” a series of hybrid con-certs and art shows. The first event featured a live music concert and a visual art show at the Commons at Eudora Welty’s Birthplace. Guest musicians from “Nau-tilus” performed at the event, including Rhonda Richmond, Jamie Weems, Wes Hughes and Loye Ashton. The artwork all had some sort of relationship to three of the albums songs: “Jack-son,” “Gold” and the title track, “Nautilus.” Pro-fessional visual artists such as Tony Davenport,

BeBe Wolfe and David Rae Morris participated as well as up-and-coming artists Akiko Sekihata and Dimitrus Williams. After the first installment of “The Nautilus Project,” Isbister Irby started thinking about a second phase. Last summer, she traveled to Port-land, Ore., to meet with potential collaborators. “If you think of how a nautilus shell spins out and grows outward, this is how I’m envisioning this project,” she says. “Instead of just staying in Jackson, we’re picking a new city, and we’re add-ing an art form.” Isbister Irby discovered several ties between Jackson and Portland. Her two co-creators for the Portland installment, Brandi Katherine Herrera

and Lisa Kislingbury An-derson, both have lived in Jackson (Anderson as an intern at the Jackson Free Press). In the past year, she has also met several Portland natives who now live in Jackson. “Jackson is just a hometown kind of place for me. I know so many nice people. I like the idea of then taking that to another city and try-ing to make that loop go around,” Isbister Irby says. “We’ll learn from them, and they’ll learn from us.” She wanted the event to include a larger city more nationally known for its art and music culture, while not ignoring the im-portance of Jackson’s com-munity-driven arts and music scenes. “There’s something authentic to me and about life in the south,” she says. “Everywhere else I’ve lived, the energy around creativity has been compe-tition. … I find that that en-ergy is not very conducive

to good work for me.”

The next installment of “The Nautilus Proj-ect” is an ongoing collaboration between Portland and Jackson artists, and Isbister Irby plans to have a conclusive music and art show in May. One of her many goals is to include as many artists as possible. The Jackson event will focus more on musical performances and might include partici-patory dance and yoga sessions. In keeping with promoting interdisciplinary artistic dialogue, Is-bister Irby is also planning a written-word event. She wants to set up a Google+ Hangout during the events and have stations for FaceTime to al-low participants to see what’s happening across the country and discuss their experiences. The installment, dubbed “The Nautilus Proj-ect – PDX” (named after the Portland, Ore., air-port code), features a variety of writing genres. In July 2013, Irbister Irby, Kislingbury and Herrera launched a Tumblr blog, which features pieces from various writers in Portland about how living in Jackson has influenced their work. The second phase of the blog will have work from Jacksoni-ans with connections to Portland or Portlanders. Isbister Irby first conceived of “The Nauti-lus Project” during the summer of 2011. “I got caught up with this form of haiku that blends poetry with wood-block printing,” she says. “I don’t know why, I just thought it was re-ally neat to learn it was a fusion.” From there, she contemplated the tradition-al concept of a CD release, which is commercial-ized, aimed at selling as many discs as possible. “What if I could take the whole idea of what a CD release party is and just question it?,” she says. “Why not say, ‘Is there another way to do this with a different goal?’ ... The community of artists and art lovers is what has helped me to create more music here. So what if the goal of this is to strengthen that community for others and for myself?” “The Nautilus Project” will have two more installments: in 2016 between Jackson and Brooklyn focusing on teaching and food; and in 2018 between Jackson and Nashville focusing on gardening and love. Both will also incorporate vi-sual art, music and dance. Visit Isbister Irby’s blog at laurelisbister. wordpress.com, and hear samples of her music at soundcloud.com/laurel-isbister. Visit “The Nauti-lus Project” blog at nautilusprojectpdx.tumblr.com.


MELODIES // stately mansions

To Portland, With Love// by Briana Robinson

TOM

BEC

K

Singer/songwriter Laurel Isbister Irby’s long-term endeavor, “The Nautilus Project,” will connect Portland and Jackson.


Facebook FlickrTwitter


COOL TOO // cleveland

From the outset, Cleveland, Miss., truly belies its rich and colorful history as the birthplace of the Delta Blues, what with the box-sized stores and strip

malls that hug Highway 61, the legendary Blues Highway. Welcome to the Mississippi Delta, lazi-ly stretched along the Mississippi River, the capi-tal of cotton growing, widely hailed, for better or worse, as “The Most Southern Place on Earth.” If there is anything that you have to remember about the Mis-sissippi Delta, it is that it is blues country. On the Mississippi Blues Trail, visitors can learn about the rich history of the influential musi-cal genre, some of which took place in Cleveland itself. Also in the area: a heritage mu-seum that boasts one of the more impressive model-train sets in the world. Decent eats. Remarkably good music. Highway stretch-es that remind you of country tunes, and fields that haven’t changed since the birth of America. Explore the history of blues and the days of cotton at Dockery Farms. The idea that a musi-cal sound that has become an inarguably promi-nent aspect of modern music even has a trace-able birthplace and real names of real founders is somewhat unthinkable. But a century is not all that long, and buildings last as long as legacies when they’re valued as such. Dockery Farms is by no means Versailles or some opulent palazzo where the first operatic aria reverberated down marble hallways. In the context of New World history and pop music, however, this 10,000-acre former cotton plantation with its rusty collection of peeling wooden sidings, painted signs and corrugated tin roofs is more important. The stark setting adequately reflects the starkness of the songs Charley Patton, the father of the iconic Delta Blues, strummed and sang under the tutelage of Harry Sloan. It was a musi-cal farm, rich in soil but poor in income, one of the few that offered fair contracts to its laborers and allowed the sound to prosper on its grounds. Chase the ghosts of Charley Patton, Elvis Presley, Whiskey Red, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley and the rest of the bluesmen down

Highway 61 and along the Mississippi Blues Trail. Discover the birthplaces of American folk music, the rich history of the poorest class and the music that resonated warmly above the slow, painfully muted social upheaval. When you need to stop for sustenance, for-get Jude—you’ll be singing “Hey, Joe” after tast-ing one of the burgers at Hey Joe’s, an eclectic burger joint and music venue just a few blocks

east of Delta State University. Joe’s offers draft beers, themed menu items (Kevin Bacon Burger or Soundgarden Salad, anyone? How about a Knuckle Sandwich, made with grilled chicken, smoked turkey and applewood smoked bacon?), and a huge outdoor pro-jector for movie screenings and college games.

Every month, the eatery releases a new burger innovation named after the month—Mister October, for example, is a half-pound brisket burger with house dry rub topped with cheddar, balsamic coleslaw, fried onions and jalapenos, and mosquito burrito chipotle BBQ sauce on a pretzel roll. Another can’t-miss attraction? The chance to take a train to Anywhere, USA, at the Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum. It’s hard to say what the Mississippi Delta would look like without the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railroad. The Martin & Sue King Railroad Heri-tage Museum seeks to promote the history and culture of the railroad and its role in Cleveland. A 70-by-17-foot model train originally built by James Wiggins is a huge draw for children and adults alike and the main centerpiece of the museum. While the train track doesn’t technical-ly adhere to a scale model of any particular town, it is representative of Anywhere, USA, possibly the most important destination in all of Ameri-can history. As well, visitors can see artifacts from early America, listen to early blues music and learn about the cotton and timber industry that also formed the Mississippi Delta. This article originally appeared on Hopper.com, a Boston-based travel startup web-site. Jessica Wei is a staff travel writer for the site.

Stop for the Blues,Stay for Everything Else// by Jessica Wei

FLIC

KR

/TIN

KER

BR

AD

Explore how Cleveland’s history is entwined with the railroad industry at The Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum.

Visit Dockery Farms to experience the birthplace of the blues.

FLIC

KR

/NAT

ALI

E_M

AYN

OR

Chase the ghosts of Charley Patton, Elvis Presley, Whiskey Red, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley and the rest of the bluesmen down Highway 61 ...


120 N. Congress St. | Jackson, MS 39201 | 601-345-8735

LunchMonday-Friday 11-2

eatlafinestra.com

DinnerTuesday-Friday 4-11Saturday 6-11

5352 Lakeland Drive Suite 600, Flowood601.992.7980 | 601.992.4911Tues: 9-7 • Wed: 9-5 • Thu: 9-7Fri: 9-6 • Sat: 9-3

Our Team of Expert Stylists

Bridal Party Hair & Makeup by

30 (through Feb. 9) - “M*A*S*H,” at Black Rose Theatre (103 Black St., Brandon). The play is based on the popular fi lm about an Army medical unit serving during the Korean war. $15, $10 students, military and seniors (cash or check); call 601.825.1293; blackrosetheatre.org.

Events // sassy

9 - The Blast Downtown: Winter Series, 9 p.m., at Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 S. State St.). The house-music event features hits from DJ Scrap Dirty, The Nas-tysho, DJ Sketch and DJ Spirituals. $5 cover; theblastmidtown.com.

januar!

JACKSON AREA EVENTS UPDATED DAILY AT JFPEVENTS.COM. POST YOUR OWN EVENTS OR SEND INFO TO [email protected]


10 - Gungor, 9 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Michael and Lisa Gungor perform songs in several genres with an experimental style. Doors open at 8 p.m. $18 in advance, $22 at the door, $30-$35 VIP, $3 surcharge for those under 21; call 601.292.7121; ardenland.net.

12 - Premier Bridal Show: Weddings and Celebrations, 1-5 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pasca-goula St.). The event includes door prizes, samples and consultations with wedding professionals. No strollers al-lowed. $27 in advance, $30 at the door; call 601.957.1050; thepremierbridalshow.com.

17 - 45th Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, 10 a.m., at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.), in McCoy Auditorium. The keynote speaker is former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond. Free; call 601.979.7036; jsums.edu.

18 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Cel-ebration Parade, 9 a.m.-noon, at Freedom Corner (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Medgar Evers Boulevard). The annual parade features bands, performers and local celebrities. Participants must RSVP and line up at Brinkley Middle School (3535 Albermarle Road) by 8:30 a.m. Free; call 601.960.1090.

23 - Mystery Hap-pened Here: An Evening of

Intrigue at the Old Capitol, 5:30-8 p.m., at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). The Detectives Mystery Dinner Theatre performs. Also enjoy a wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres reception before and after the show. $40; call 601.576.6920; oldcapitolmuseum.com.

25 - “Goodnight Moon,” 2 p.m., at New Stage

Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The musical is about

a young bunny’s struggle to stay awake and enjoy the won-

ders of his room. Additional dates: Jan. 31, 7 p.m., and Feb. 2, 2 p.m. $15, $10 ages 12 and under; call 601.948.3533, ext. 222; newstagetheatre.com.

31 - Jackson Heart Ball, 6-10:30 p.m., at Country Club of Jackson (345 St. Andrews Drive). The black-tie event includes a cock-tail party, seated dinner, live and silent auc-tions, and entertainment. Proceeds benefi t the American Heart Association. $250, $3,500 table of 10; call 601-321-1214; email [email protected]; w

11 - Mississippi

Blues Marathon and Half Mara-thon, 7 a.m., in downtown Jack-

son. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi

sponsors a full mara-thon, a half-mara-thon, a one-mile kids race and re-lays. A portion of

the proceeds ben-efi ts the Mississ-

ippi Blues Commission. msbluesmarathon.com.

20 - Opera Underground, 7:30 p.m., at Under-ground 119 (119 S. President St.). The Mis-sissippi Opera hosts the series. Matt Daniels sings Cole Porter’s songs. Doors open at 6 p.m. $20; call 601.960.2300; msopera.org.

45th Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation45th Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, 10 a.m., at Jackson State University (1400 John 10 a.m., at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.), in McCoy Auditorium. The keynote R. Lynch St.), in McCoy Auditorium. The keynote speaker is former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond. speaker is former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Cel-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Cel-, 9 a.m.-noon, at Freedom , 9 a.m.-noon, at Freedom

26 - Best of Jackson Party Jan. 26, 6-11 p.m., location TBA. Save the date for the JFP’s an-nual celebration of all things Jackson. By invitation only; JFP daily subscribers should check their inboxes for details. Finalists can email [email protected] to get on the list. bestofjackson.com.

COU

RTESY TH

E BLAST; CO

UR

TESY GU

NG

OR

; PEDR

O J PER

EZ; FILE PHOTO

; FLICKR

/ANG

ELA_N; FILE PH

OTO; FILE PH

OTO; FILE PH

OTO; B

EST OF JACK

SON

; FILE PHOTO

; COU

RTESY JACK

SON

HEAR

T BALL


A N D

The 10th Anniversary JFP Chick Ball

Join the JFP to celebrate 10 years of helping the Center for Violence Prevention prevent domestic violence, protect victims and empower women to rebuild their lives and their families.

Be part of the most special JFP Chick Ball, yet, coming summer 2014.

Coming in

2014PREVENT PROTECT EMPOWERJoin the committee, sponsor the event, give to the silent auction.

See jfpchickball.com for more details or email [email protected] or call 601.362.6121 ext. 23 to get involved now.

Events // sweet FILE PHOTO

; COU

RTESY JU

LIAN R

ANK

IN; FILE PH

OTO; FILE PH

OTO; FILE PH

OTO; YALE U

NIVER

SITY PRESS; FILE PH

OTO; FILE PH

OTO; CO

UR

TESY JERE N

ASH; N

ASIRK

HAN

; COU

RTESY JJ G

REY AN

D M

OFR

O

1 - “Chamber III: Mozart by Candle-light,” 7:30 p.m., at Belhaven University Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Drive). The Mis-

sissippi Symphony Or-chestra performs Mozart. $16; call 601.960.1565; msorchestra.com.

februar!

JACKSON AREA EVENTS UPDATED DAILY AT JFPEVENTS.COM. POST YOUR OWN EVENTS OR SEND INFO TO [email protected]


8 - Ignite the Night, 7-10 p.m., at Mis-

sissippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive). The theme of the annual adults-only fundraiser is “Jazzin’ It

Up, N’awlins Style.” Sponsor-

ships available. Tickets go on sale

Dec. 30; call 601.981.5469; mschildrensmuseum.com.

20 - The Black Codes to Brown v. Board of Educa-tion, 6-7:30 p.m., at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Historians Jere Nash and Dr. Michael Wil-liams discuss topics related to black history, specifi cally the time period between the end of the Civil War and the modern civil rights movement. Free; call 601.576.6920; email [email protected]; oldcapitolmuseum.com.

4 - Music in the City, at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.), 5:45 p.m. in Trustmark Grand Hall. Enjoy a cash bar and music from Taylis Fernandez and John Paul. Free; call 601.960.1515; msmuseumart.org.

13 - “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys,” 6-7:30 p.m., at Jack-son State University’s Margaret Walker Center (Ayer Hall, 1400 John R. Lynch St.). Dr. Loye Ash-ton leads the discussion on Leila Ahmed’s book “A Quiet Revolution.” Free; call 601.979.2055; jsums.edu/margaretwalkercenter.

5 - “Platanos and Col-lard Greens,” 7 p.m., at Jackson State Uni-

versity (1400 John R. Lynch St.), in Mc-Coy Auditorium. The

comedy is about the relationship between Afri-can Americans and Latinos

in NYC. Call 601.979.7036; jsums.edu/arts.

22-23 - Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show, at Mississippi Trade Mart (1200 Mis-sissippi St.). Purchase from gem and fossil dealers, and enjoy lapidary art demonstra-tions such as faceting, fl int knapping and wire wrapping. $5, $3 stu-dents; missgems.

org.

7 - National Wear Red Day. Wear red to promote awareness of heart disease in women, and look for local American Heart Association events in your area. Free; goredforwomen.org/wearredday.

17 - Jazz, Justice and the Journey of Tradition, 7

p.m., at Mill-saps Col-

lege, Ford Academic

C o m p l e x (1701 N. State

St.). The Theodicy Jazz Collective performs in conjunction with the

Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series. $10, $5 students; call 601.974.1130;

millsaps.edu/conted.

23 - JJ Grey and Mo-fro, 8 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.).

The band from Jack-sonville, Florida plays

several genres of music such as southern rock and R&B. Doors open at 7 p.m. $25 in advance, $30 at the door;

call 601.292.7121; ardenland.

net.

13-23 - “Curtains: A Musical,” at Belhaven

University Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Drive). In Blackbox

Theatre. The musical based on Peter Stone’s book is about a police detective’s

investigation of the murder of an ac-tress. $10, $5 seniors and students, free for Belhaven students and employees; call 601.965.7026; belhaven.edu.

21 (through March 2) - “Man of La Man-cha,” at Vicksburg Theatre Guild/Parkside Playhouse (101 Iowa Blvd., Vicksburg). The play within a play depicts author Miguel de Cervantes performing scenes from his book “Don Quixote” with fellow prisoners during the time of the Spanish Inquisi-tion. Ticket prices vary; call 601.636.0471;

vicksburgtheatreguild.com for more.


JCV8167 Boom Mag Jan-Feb.indd 1 12/4/13 10:39 AM

HEDERMAN AD GOES HERE

CELEBRATING115 YEARS OF LASTING

IMPRESSIONSNo matter where our location – from above a Chinese

Laundry, to East Pearl Street, to 500 Steed Road, our door is always open.

O!ering full-color printing to specialty "nishes, to addressing postcards and providing

complete variable one-to-one marketing campaigns, Hederman Brothers is your one door shop.

If you are looking for a marketing partner and not just a print vendor, call Hederman Brothers at

601-853-7300 and let us open the door to creative and innovative solutions.

500 Steed Road !"Post Office Box 6100 ! Ridgeland, MS 39158601. 853. 7300 ! f 601.853.7335 ! www.hederman.com

DIRECT DIGITAL GREEN DESIGNCROSSMEDIAPRINT



















creo

MY LOCAL LIST

1) The Mississippi State Capitol (400 High St., 601.359.3114) is a nice place to take engagement pictures. It has those cascading steps and large columns, statues, and fl ower garden in the front.

2) The King Edward/Hilton Garden Inn (235 W. Capitol St., 601.353.5464). The King Ed historic hotel is defi nitely a great place for wedding and receptions, with the stairs, fi replace and the reception area’s arching ceiling—it’s just really nice and classy.

3) Mynelle Gardens (4736 Clinton Blvd., 601.960.1894). The gardens have great options with locations, fl owers and scenes.

4) Jackson City Hall (219 S. President St., 601.960.1111) I’ve taken some really great engagement and bridal pictures at Jackson’s City Hall, especially in the fall months, when the trees and fl owers are really bright and vibrant.

5) The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive, 601.432.4500). The culture and history of the Ag Museum makes for very scenic weddings and receptions.

6) The Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St., 601.960.1515). I especially like the way the fl owers in the Art Garden are cut like a maze. Then, the McRae Children’s Fountains adds an extra touch. Inside, you have all types of art that’s makes for great pictures.

7) The Old Capitol Inn (226 N. State St., 601.359.9000). The décor and atmosphere of the Old Capitol Inn are great, but it’s the cobblestone patio and fountain that make for magical wedding pictures.

8) The Capital Club (125 S. Congress St., 601.969.7101). This 19th-fl oor club in Capital Towers with panoramic windows

offers a great view of the city—the perfect backdrop.

9) Red Phone Booth Congress Street Near the end of Congress Street, where it intersects with Capital Street, there’s this old vintage red phone booth. The red of that phone booth really pops, and it gives a lot of character to engagement pictures. It’s one of my favorites places of all the locations I shoot engagement pictures.

20) The South Warehouse (627 E. Silas Brown St., 601.939.4518). The South is a perfect blend between vintage and modern. You have to bring in more lighting, but that’s a tiny detail compared to the quality of the scenery offered.

1010Picture-Perfect Places


1

Will Sterling, celebrity photographer and owner of Sterling Photography,

shares his top 10 places in Jackson for engagement and

wedding photographs.

PHOTO

OF W

ILL STERLIN

G CO

UR

TESY WILL STER

LING

; PHOTO

OF D

AISIES COU

RTESY FLICK

R/B

IGTALLGU

Y; PHOTO

OF TH

E SOU

TH CO

UR

TESY THE SO

UTH

; REST O

F PHOTO

S BY TR

IP BU

RN

S

7

9

5

10

4

6

3

8

2


BOOM Jackson, The City’s Business and Lifestyle Magazine, is distributed in more than 200 locations in the Jackson metro,including area grocery stories, high-traffic businesses and curbside “BOOM boxes.” BOOM is placed in business-classhotels in the region, and is distributed by local chambers and visitor’s bureaus. Copies are available for meetings,trainings and recruiting by local companies and organizations. Subscriptions are available for $18/year for shipping andhandling costs. Call 601.362.6121 x11 for ad information. Boom Jackson is a publication of Jackson Free Press, Inc.

March 2014Editorial:- Innovators & Visionaries- Coolest Offices- Spring Office Fashion- Parades!- Spring Menu Guide

Deadlines:- Ad Reserved: 1/31/14- Ad Final: 2/14/14

May 2014Editorial:- Best of Jackson 2014 Winners:

Food, Nightlife, People,Community


FREE//Vol. 6, No. 1May - June 2013

a boom jackson magazine

Summer Style

MMA’s Big Decade, p 22LaCru’s Smooth Future, p 28The Magic of Martin’s, p 60

Summer StyleSummer StyleGet Roguish Pattern and Color

Summer StyleSummer StyleGet Get

Summer StyleGet

Summer StyleRoguish Pattern

+

+

pp 31 - 36

&&&Who’s WhoWhat’s What&&Who’s WhoWho’s Who&Who’s Who&

Best of2013

July 2014Editorial:- Business of Healthcare- Young Influentials- Jackson’s Best Doctors- Road Trips- Summer Menu Guide


September 2014Editorial:- Fall Food and Fashion- Arts & Events: The Season- The Business of Football- Fall Menu Guide- Beauty/Spa/Salon Guide


The City’s Business and LifestyleMagazine now 6 times a year!

Advertise: 601.362.6121 ext. 11

January 2015Editorial:- Hitched Weddings- Wedding Announcements- Power Couples- Romantic Fashions- New Year Resolutions


November 2014Editorial:- Holiday Entertaining- Party Fashion- Local Gift Guide- Winter Menu Guide


2014 hitched & power couples issue

Documents

clinton ms

day night coursesat

laurel park cove

s capital st

dogwood shopping center

brighter future

citys business

carson law group