Celebrate the summer in Old Town during the Second Saturday Artwalk on June 11th - with Hot Spots California Drawstrings (216 Main Street) and Twin Light (136 Main Street)!
- stories by Grace Birch

And don't miss the popular BSL Trio, playing at the Mockingbird Café (110 S. Second Street) from 6pm - 9pm.  It's an outside, family-friendly venue and it's free!

California Drawstrings
216 Main Street,
​Bay St Louis
(228) 463-2124
A CLEAVER SPONSOR - please thank them! 

Owner of California Drawstrings Linda Keenan will tell you her boutique specializing in cotton, linen, and silk doesn’t have much to do with California. And that’s partly true — her company has been firmly rooted in the Gulf South since 1984.
 
But California borrows its motto from Archimedes, the famed Greek mathematician, whom according to legend exclaimed "Eureka!" after he discovered a method of determining the purity of gold.
 
Keenan had her eureka moment as a young entrepreneur coming to New Orleans for the 1984 World’s Fair. 
 
“I was working in real estate in North Carolina when I saw this fabulous line of linen clothing at a boat show,” said Keenan. “I knew I wanted to continue my real estate career and move to New Orleans, but I thought people visiting for the World’s Fair weren’t going to understand the heat and humidity. I thought I could earn some extra money by selling this cool clothing line in the French Market and it just really took off.”
 
Keenan quickly outgrew her French Market booth and moved into the French Quarter. Today her store on Royal Street in New Orleans is a well-known spot for both men and women to pick up the best in resort wear — shirts, pants, shorts, dresses, skirts, outerwear, accessories — California Drawstrings has something for everyone to be comfortable and stylish, no matter how high temperatures rise. 
 
California Drawstrings has also expanded to a Magazine Street store, as well as an outlet location on the North Shore in Covington. 
 
“One day Nancy Moynan of Lulu's called me saying the mayor of Bay St. Louis told her about my shop and they thought it would be a good fit for Bay St. Louis,” Keenan said. “I went to see her space at Maggie May’s and opened a Bay St. Louis branch in 2012.” 
 
Just as Keenan faced the familiar problem of outgrowing the space a couple of years later, she heard of a business for sale on Main Street. She saw the building and immediately made an offer. 
 
“I just know Bay St. Louis is a place I want to spend the rest of my life,” Keenan said. “I’ll never really retire, but the pace is so much easier here than in New Orleans. And after a while you just appreciate not having to worry about things like parking.” 
 
Keenan said that besides being a picturesque beach town, what she loves about Bay St. Louis is the people. And Keenan knows people.
 
“I feel like I have the greatest sales team and the greatest managers,” Keenan said. “They look after the stores as if they were their own. The greatest compliment you can give me is that you love my staff. They are truly like family to me watching out for what’s best for all of us. I can’t be in three places at once. And to think I literally started with two tables and $1500 at the French Market.” 
 
When she’s in Bay St. Louis and not at California Drawstrings, chances are you’ll find Keenan at her favorite place to eat: the Sycamore House. 
 
“Their food is very consistent, very good, and they have a great bar and bartender,” Keenan said. “It’s the kind of place where they know your name when you walk in.” 
 
You could say Keenan has struck gold again by moving to the Bay. 

Twin Light Creations
136 Main St
Bay St Louis
(228) 469-0011

Twin Light Creations isn’t just the a shop, it’s a home. Located in one of Old Town’s iconic bungalows, the 1890s building is listed on the city’s historic tour as the Angeline House named for a family from Sicily who once lived in it. 

Today the proud business owners and residents are Pam Collins and Joy Panks, who have created a colorful, whimsical paradise where they live, work and play. Each day they welcome people in and when they lock the shop doors at night, they simply walk out the back door into their apartment in the evening. 

Collins and Panks love having visitors come through the shop and admire their unique home and garden offerings. Shoppers are wowed at the variety of items. It’s easy to see that this shop is a literal dream come true for the owners of Twin Light. 

“We started renting a cottage in Bay St. Louis in 1999 and it just got harder and harder to leave,” said Collins. “We knew one day we wanted to have a shop, but we also knew we wanted it to be something different.” 

At the time Collins was working in the hotel business in New Orleans while Panks was a draftsman, drawing deep water structures. 

“I jumped out of the frying pan with hotels and into the frying pan of retail,” smiled Collins. 

“It’s a lot like having a farm,” Panks added. “Our days start incredibly early and go incredibly late. It makes it hard to travel sometimes.” 

Their whole Twin Light adventure started with travel. While they were still working their former jobs, they took two 6 week trips - one up the East Coast and one to the West Coast. Along the way they met families and artists that made unique goods. By the end of the trips they had a list of 50 vendors they wanted to work with. 

“Some people said we would never make it because we don’t feature many local artists, Collins said. "But we're still proud to be here."

Twin Light does feature local artist Julie Nelson, well-known for raku pottery, but the rest of the items are unique to Old Town Bay St. Louis. 

Lots of wind chimes. hand-blown glass, specially lighting, metal artworks and wine-themed decor items line the walls, shelves and ceilings. 

The bungalow keeps going with beautiful bird fountains near the back and a whole section dedicated to garden and house flags. 

Out the French doors in the back of the shop, Twin Light Creations continues onto an outside deck and stunning garden. The outdoor walls are filled with vibrant Haitian art and spinners blow in the Bay breeze in the backyard. 

Each unique piece has the story of the artist or family behind it, which Collins and Panks are all too happy to share. 

There are many unique lights and lanterns in the shop, which fits the name Twin Light Creations perfectly. The true meaning of the name Twin Light is even more illuminating. 

“We have friends who always call us twin because Joy and I look so much alike,” said Collins. “And the Light is for God.” 

Indeed, images of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary hang above the front window, rescued after Hurricane Katrina from their former shop location right across the street. 

The Sacred Hearts and special twins have found their true home at 136 Main Street and their light is shining bright in Old Town at Twin Light Creations. 

A unique program that transports dogs to good homes in the North is helping keep the euthanasia rate at the Hancock Animal shelter close to zero.  
- by Daisy Mae Delray, columnist and registered seizure alert dog

Educational Shout-outs this month:  Rotary April Teacher of the Month, Mrs. Audrey Mayer; Chamber's Senior Breakfast honors 500 grads; U.S. News and World Report awards Bay High a bronze medal – again!  Hancock Excel By 5 honors childhood champions; St. Stanislaus's Walk recognized as a National Merit finalist

This innovative new program teaches team-building and cutting-edge technical skills while promoting communication and school spirit at Bay High.  It's an artistic win-win. 
  - story by Karen Fineran

Waveland Alderman Jeremy Burke keeps us up to date on the St. Clare Festival, a Hancock Chamber After-Hours event at Treasures by the Bay  and a change in city sanitation service. 

Over the next 5 months the Hancock County Tourism Bureau will be highlighting our communities and some of the unique activities for visitors and locals. This month we feature the city of Diamondhead!

 Diamondhead is conveniently located between New Orleans and Gulfport/Biloxi at Exit 16 of I-10 and near all area attractions. The public is welcome in Diamondhead, which offers Tennis World, golf, Diamondhead Marina, Diamondhead Airport, dining, and parks and recreation. The City of Diamondhead offers a wide variety of restaurants, bars and shops. Click here for a list of Diamondhead businesses.

Celebrate the arrival of summer with Hot Spots Bay Books (131 Main Street) and Something Special (207 Main Street)!

Find out how this personable Houdini dog has worked her way into the lives and hearts of Old Town residents and shop owners in the past ten years. 
 - story by Ellis Anderson, photos courtesy the Wyly family and Lucy's fan club

But unlike most Serious Bread customers, Lucy’s not allowed inside.  Being a dog — even the beloved “town dog” — sometimes has its disadvantages.

A world-class athlete who will soon graduate sixth grade, Evan Drye is competing in international kite-boarding competitions. 
 - story by Pat Saik, photos courtesy the Drye family 

"High on the places I feel calling my soul is Bay St. Louis."  Visiting writer, artist and entrepreneur Nan Parati has been coming to the Bay for nearly twenty years.  She has her reasons.
- story by Nan Parati, photos by Ellis Anderson

This new column starts off with a look at the most popular white wine in the world - Chardonnay.  Find locally available recommendations for "Steals, Deals and Splurges!"
- by Anna Speer

​Greetings, fellow wine enthusiasts! Welcome to the first "Grape Minds" column, the wine column written by a wine lover for wine lovers. Every month, "Grape Minds" will explore a different wine style or region. My goal is simple: empower you (and sometimes myself) to confidently try new wines.
 
Before we get started, a crash course in wine tasting (keep this information handy for future samplings):
 
When trying a new wine, pour it into a glass (or coffee mug, red solo cup, whatever the situation calls for) and allow it to sit. Swirl and observe the color. How’s the clarity? Next, smell it. Don’t be shy — lift the glass to your nose and really get in there. What aromas jump out at you?
 
Take a small sip and let it rest on your tongue, then inhale slowly over the wine. If you get a gurgly sound going on, you’re on the right track. Just don’t choke. This aerates the wine and helps bring out additional flavors. Make a note of the mouthfeel of the wine, as well as what you taste and smell. Swallow the wine and take note of how long the taste lingers and how the flavors change; this is called the finish.
 
Now, let’s imagine we’re at a dinner party. At the bar, there will be a red wine and a white. Nine times out of ten, that white will be a Chardonnay. In fact, Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in the U.S. and the most widely planted white grape in the world.

Award-winning columnist, playwright and author Rheta Grimsley Johnson finds migration is the most effective form of dieting when one lives on the coast of Mississippi.

Bike, walk or drive down the beach to Waveland on Memorial Day Weekend, but arrive hungry!  The St. Clare Seafood Fest kicks officially kicks off the summer in Bay-Waveland.
 - story by Ana Balka, photos by Ellis Anderson 

In the yellow cottage on Keller Street, a mix of Southern sensibilities and Old World style  give this beach town home a global appeal.
- story and photos by Ellis Anderson

​As a nod to Mother’s Day, Martha Whitney’s mom shares an intimate account of what it meant to pass on her love of antiquing to her children.
- story by Marcia Butler, photos by Martha Whitney Butler

As I left the house at 6:30 every Saturday morning to make the 65-mile drive to Harpersville, Alabama for Martha Whitney’s riding lesson, did I have horses on my mind? Heck no! I was busy contemplating my purchases at Danny's Antiques and David Tim’s Antiques on the return drive home.

​Martha Whitney looked forward to seeing the glitzy costume jewelry and the artwork, not to mention the free Cokes and gifts (which were sometimes kittens) Danny had awaiting her. Usually, all the children looked forward to our antiquing trips because each had a favorite item they stayed on the lookout for: Heath: sports memorabilia; Ben: knives and fishing tackle; Will: fishing lures; and Caroline: antique quilts.

In this fascinating chapter of Pat Murphy's book-in-progress, he writes about his grandfather, Bay St. Louis citizen and businessman, George Stevenson.

He can sing and he can cook and sometimes he does both at the same time.  Meet Phil Williams, the man behind the bar-b-que.
- story by Lisa Monti, photos by Ellis Anderson 

A coffee-break length trip through 40,000 years of history, to understand how books came into being and influenced Western culture. 
 - story by Carole McKellar 

Wanna feel like a kid again?  Grab a bike and head on out!  The Bay-Waveland area has miles of awesome bike trails!
- story by Lisa Monti

Bay St. Louis in the 1800s was popular as a place for dueling, in addition to relaxing.  This fascinating piece details a few of these life-and-death dramas that took place on our coast.
- story by Rebecca Orfila