December 2017 Second Saturday Artwalk

During the Second Saturday Artwalk each month in Old Town Bay St. Louis, you'll find cool deals, fresh meals and lots of art and live music.  The December one offers a magical family experience, with lots of holiday lighting, decor and good cheer!

Be sure to visit Hot Spot businesses Gallery 220, 220 Main Street, and  Southern Accents Boutique, 125 Main Street!

Coast Chorale carols through Old Town each year on the December Second Saturday! photo by Ellis Anderson

Over the past twenty years, the monthly artwalk has become one of the most popular events in the region.  Old Town stays lively all day, with many merchants and restaurants offering specials. The pace picks up from 4pm – 8pm, when gallery openings and live music keep the streets humming with activity. ​

Be sure to visit Hot Spot businesses Gallery 220, 220 Main Street, and  Southern Accents Boutique, 125 Main Street!

​This Second Saturday
​column
is sponsored by

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Click here and scroll down to read archived Second Saturday columns  

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Special Holiday Happenings for Second Saturday

Caroling through Old Town by Coast Chorale

Gallery 220 - A December Hot Spot:  work by 20 artists, refreshments and live music:  220 Main Street

Southern Accents - A December Hot Spot:  125 Main Street

The Mockingbird Café - Hadley Hill performs 6pm - 9pm: 110 S. Second Street

Smith & Lens Gallery Pop-up on the Patio - Gallery A Go-go with work by 20 artists! Amanda Bennett show in gallery: 106 S. Second Street

The Shops at Century Hall - hot chocolate bar w/cookies: 112 S. Second Street

Gallery Edge (inside Century Hall) - Special Off-the-Edge Holiday Shop: 112 S. Second Street

Starfish Café - Selfies with Santa, porch of the Starfish Café, 4pm - 6pm! Free, but accepting donations for Food Pantry: 211 Main Street

First Baptist Church - Christmas program of sirited music by the adult and children's choir, 6pm:  141 Main Street

Bay Books - Alex North signing his 2018 calendars: 131 Main Street

Bodgea Spirts & Liquor - Beaujolais wine tasting 5pm - 7pm: 111 Court Street

Bodega Parrot Head Bar - George Mills & the Invisibles, 7pm til...: 111 Court Street

Misfits Classic Car Club - Cruise-in at the Bay St. Louis Harbor, generally held in the afternoon.  ​

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Gallery 220 
220 Main Street
Bay St. Louis
​228.466.6347

photo by Ellis Anderson

​Now an Old Town fixture, Gallery 220 was conceived on the heels of Katrina and born out of necessity to accommodate the many artists who lost their studios to the storm.

Within two months of Katrina’s arrival, Jenise McCardell created a space for Gallery 220 in the front of her Clay Creations building, and an artist’s cooperative was born. Eleven years later, the concept remains the same: member artists rent space and give time. 

The business model supports the artists--all 25 of them. As artists take turns working one day a week, visitors may stumble upon clay, wire, paint, or mosaic in process. McCardell credits this interaction between artist, craft, and customer as a real draw.  “Customers love to watch a work in progress,” she says. 

McCardell marvels that 25 artists get along so well. In fact, they help each other. When one artist is featured in a magazine or on a television show, he or she invariably promotes the other artists in the Gallery. That camaraderie is one of the aspects of running a business that Jenise finds rewarding. The repeat customers, however, are the most rewarding aspect.

“A lot of customers tell us they have a blank wall. They are interested in a piece of art, but they want it in a different size. Maybe they want it to fit behind their sofa,” McCardell says. “We try to accommodate.” 

Indeed. Shoppers will find a multitude of choices. 

Usually, one artist is featured a month. That artist gets the center aisle. As a Hot Spot, though, every artist will be a featured artist. Be sure to stop by and pass a good time.
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​Gallery 220 is hard to miss; it's the building with the Coca Cola sign on the side and an eclectic sampling of local art lining the front windows.

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Southern Accents Boutique
125 Main Street
Bay St. Louis
​228.363.2999

​Jenny Shubert, Southern Accents owner, has an abiding love of the Deep South. She always wanted to run her own business. Southern Accents reflects the combination of her two passions: The Deep South and small business ownership. Southern Accents is perhaps the only Southern-themed store on Main Street. 

Shubert opened the Southern Accents about the time her children were in school full time. First housed on Second Street, the shop soon migrated to the old Masonic Temple in the first block of Main.

Jenny, a Pass Christian gal who now resides in the Kiln, says she loves the Bay area and couldn’t ask for a better place to work. She manages the store herself with occasional help from her daughters.

If you ask Jenny Shubert what she finds most rewarding about owning her own business, she will tell you, location, location, location. "I love this quiet, friendly community," she says. 

From the beginning, Jenny knew she wanted her store to reflect the Southern charm that has enveloped her from birth. No surprise there; a browse through the shop will put the most Northern visitor in mind of a sweet iced tea or a slice of pecan pie.

At Southern Accents, shoppers will find local pepper jelly, tees from the Anna Grace Southern Tee Company collection and Southern Accents' own special tee collection, boutique clothing (including plus sizes), hats from the Southern Dog Company, beachy jewelry, soy candles from Southern Accents, frames, and home décor with Southern charm.

As the sign says, "It’s a boutique and more." As such, Southern Accents is the perfect place for visitors to purchase a memento of their trip to the Gulf Coast . . .  and for locals to find that special something for that special someone, especially if that special someone happens to be you. 
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Southern Accents is housed in the old Masonic Temple, a neo-classic Revival style building a half block off the beach in historic Old Town Bay St. Louis.