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Saturday, August 10
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Be sure to check out "Hot Spots" Clay Creations (105 S. Toulme Street) and Lulu's on Main (126 Main Street). Read more about these featured businesses below!
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- stories by Caroline St. Paul, photos by Caroline St. Paul and Ellis Anderson
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Over the past twenty-three 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. ​ |
This Second Saturday Artwalk column
is sponsored by |
105 S. Toulme Street
Bay St. Louis​
(228) 466-6347
Website
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Clay Creations, located in the back of Gallery 220, sells handmade clay sculptures which replicate buildings that appear primarily along the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.
The business recently celebrated its 35th anniversary in June of this year. Jenise McCardell began Clay Creations Studio in 1980. In 1993, she moved herself and the business to Bay St. Louis from New Orleans, and opened her own ceramics studio there. Today, she and her husband, Mark Currier, continue to create these beloved creations out of clay.
​“The pieces are sculpted from white clay, hand painted, and fired twice in a temperature kiln.” Throughout the years, many pieces from over 1,000 designs have been created. These pieces depict images of businesses, restaurants, bars, schools, churches, homes, and custom creations, which are McCardell’s favorites.
Clay Creations make a great gift, as they offer a bit of nostalgia and personalization. Customers always adore these special creations, some of which even depict buildings that are not standing anymore. The special custom pieces are made when customers bring in photos of their home, business, or any other architectural building they would like replicated.
After 35 years of business, Clay Creations is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Old Town. Stop into the gallery, and you may even get to see some creations being made, as the entire process happens on site. Over 1,000 designs are also on display here.
Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, McCardell and her husband decided to repair their building as quickly as possible so that they could host Second Saturday. This heroic act was just what the community needed to heal. The couple decided to open their doors every Saturday evening for the next several months, which allowed everyone to come together, and also gave the local artists a space to show and sell their artwork.
This same spirit is present in the business. For August 10th's Second Saturday Artwalk, stop into the gallery to view these beautiful handmade clay creations. Enjoy entertainment sponsored by Hancock/Whitney Bank, The First, and The People’s Bank. Enjoy Clay Creations as a “Hot Spot” for the entire month of August.
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126 Main Street
Bay St. Louis​
(228) 463-1670
Website
Enjoy a leisurely afternoon of lunching and shopping at Lulu’s on Main. Nancy Moynan has owned Lulu’s since 2002. After Hurricane Katrina, Moynan bought Lulu’s current building from her brother in 2007, and the restaurant re-opened on June 22 of that year.
Moynan came to Bay St. Louis to retire and “to slow life down a little bit.” A New Orleans native, Moynan cites Bay St. Louis as an extension of the city. Her restaurant, and the food that she serves, is reminiscent of “The Big Easy,” and of her mother and grandmother as well.
At Lulu’s, “There really aren’t any bad sellers,” Moynan says. On the menu you will find crab cakes, chicken salad, roast beef po-boys, fish tacos, pear pecan salad, Greek salad, hamburgers, and much more. Everything is cooked to order by Moynan, who got her restaurant training at Commander’s Palace.
After moving out of her family’s home as a young adult, Moynan would call her mother and ask how to make certain dishes. “That’s kind of how I got the bug,” she remembers. “This has just been a passion.”
“I formulate a menu of what I think people want,” she says. Moynan is happy with the current menu, calling it “spot-on.” She runs a lot of specials as well that customers always enjoy.
Lulu’s is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday-Sunday. Enjoy it as a “hot spot” for the month of August, and enjoy entertainment for August 10 Second Saturday Artwalk sponsored by Hancock Whitney Bank, The First, and The People’s Bank.
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