Second Saturday Artwalk - October 2018

10/1/2018

Saturday, October 13th

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!

Be sure to check out "Hot Spots" Magnolia Antiques (200 Main Street) and Trapani's Eatery (116 North Beach Blvd). And be sure to stop in at Gallery 220 (220 Main St.) to see new work by Julie Nelson and Tommy Lewis.

- stories by Grace Wilson, photos by Ellis Anderson

Magnolia Antiques, 200 Main Street, is an Old Town anchor and a featured "Hot Spot" business on October 13th.

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.

Make sure you stop in at Gallery 220 (220 Main Street) and view the latest works by artists Armand Douroux, Tommy Lewis, and Julie Nelson. (The north gallery window gives a peek to what's to come.) Refreshments served. The gallery is home to 26 local artists, so there's something for everyone's taste. Scroll down for more about these artists!

This
Second Saturday
column is sponsored by

Bay Creative Arts Center

October Hot Spot Businesses!

Magnolia Antiques
200 Main Street
Bay St. Louis
228-467-8170

To celebrate their "Hot Spot" status this month, on Second Saturday, Magnolia Antiques will host live music by Hadley Hill from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with light refreshments. 

“Grandma had it. Mom threw it out. I bought it back.” This sign hangs in Magnolia Antiques, and of all the treasures for sale, this sign is not. The smiles and laughs it brings to customers is priceless.

Walking through the doors of Magnolia Antiques makes memories come flooding back. It’s truly a world of the past. There are 3,000 square feet of furniture, instruments, trinkets and more – all from another, simpler era.

Glenda and Jack Schornick originally opened Magnolia Antiques on Highway90 at Dunbar Avenue in January 2005. Magnolia Antiques re-opened in Picayune in late 2006, with the owners’ dream of returning to the Bay. In 2008, that dream was realized and Magnolia Antiques opened at 200 Main Street in Old Town. In 2013 Schornick’s daughter, Shay Coss, relocated from California and became part of daily operations.

She now serves as the store manager, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the store and antiques generally – especially mid-century modern pieces.

Magnolia Antiques is one of the cornerstones of the town, right on the corner of Main and Second streets, and is one of the shops that have made Bay St. Louis known for the some of the best antiques on the Gulf Coast.

Locals will remember their spot as Jerome’s Department Store for over 50 years. “Everyone from the Bay shopped there at one time or another, especially for school uniforms, shoes, jeans, dancewear, and everything Boy Scouts,” said Glenda.

It’s still a department store of sorts. There’s the kitchenware department, the linen section, the kid’s toy area, the Depression glass display, the jewelry department and the music booth. There’s specialty items like the vintage cameras, and the quirky knick-knacks spread throughout the aisles of vintage and antique furniture.

Magnolia Antiques also features the late Betty Stechmann’s photography postcards from Bay St. Louis and the surrounding area. Betty was a lifelong resident of the Bay and very involved in community arts and theater. She passed away in 2013, but her spirit lives on as Magnolia has the bulk of her remaining stock.

The shop also boasts “the largest collection of playable ukuleles on the coast,” according to Jack, who is a bit of a ukulele expert. With his knowledge and passion for ukuleles, he has stocked the shop with a grand selection, whether you’re looking for your first one or a prized one. The store also features lots of mid-century modern furniture thanks to Coss' keen eye. It’s a family affair at Magnolia Antiques, which makes for a wide variety of finds stocking the shelves.

“We are the epitome of recycling,” Glenda said. “We have all the things you loved in your grandmother’s, aunt’s and mom’s house, bringing the best of memories right from your heart to your home.” Indeed, there’s something for every interest from every time period.

Trapani's Eatery
116 N. Beach Blvd.
Bay St. Louis
228-467-4580

Trapani’s is a Bay St. Louis staple. Although the beachfront is now known for food and drinks, Tony Trapani has been on Beach Boulevard since 1994.

“Our family has been down here a long time,” Trapani said. “My grandfather started a bar across the way called Trapani’s Knock Knock. My uncle took it over and Camille moved it to the highway.”

Thirty-five years, later, Hurricane Katrina took Trapani’s on the beach, too, but Trapani never questioned leaving.

“I love it here,” he says. “Whenever I go somewhere else, I can’t wait to come back.” Like many, he had to relocate temporarily, but now the restaurant is housed in a hurricane-resistant structure on the lot where the business had previously stood.

Locals cheered the reopening as another sign of rebirth after the storm. Today locals and tourists alike line up for their fresh seafood and fresh innovative dishes. And recently, Jimmy Buffet named Trapani's as one of his favorite beach bars.

“It’s all homemade and handmade here,” said Trapani. “You won’t find pre-cooked sauces here.” Some of the house specialties include Trapani’s Spaghetti and Meatballs and the Eggplant Delacroix - both family recipes that Tony brought to the restaurant.

In addition to fresh seafood and traditional Italian fare, Trapani’s is known for Cajun favorites, steaks, and appetizers like fried green tomatoes topped with crabmeat and hollandaise, crab cakes, fried calamari, and homemade onion rings.

There’s also a crowd favorite called Shrimp Ecstasy, which is bacon-wrapped shrimp with cream cheese and jalapenos. Asian-inspired dishes are also a hit – wasabi tuna, tuna nachos and poke salad are all fresh favorites.

Each day there’s a $10 lunch special and on Thursdays, locals love the oyster special featuring raw or chargrilled oysters for $10 a dozen. Tony said they don’t have a proper happy hour, but every hour is a happy one at Trapani’s.

The Blue Marlin Bar upstairs is the perfect hideaway to have a cold drink, an appetizer (or a few!), grab a comfy chair and sit down for a nice, relaxing conversation.

The upstairs is also perfect for hosting your next party. It features a balcony with some of the best views of the Bay and a fireplace for chilly nights.

Trapani’s Eatery is doing everything it can to stand heads and shoulders above the competition. It’s a slice of authentic Bay St. Louis. You never know who will be bellied up to the bar or buried in a booth behind a delicious plate of food. Jimmy Buffett often eats at Trapani’s when he’s in town.

and more...

Gallery 220
220 Main Street

Three artists will share the focus at Gallery 220 Main during the month of October, presenting their latest work at the cooperative art gallery located in Old Town Bay St. Louis, MS. The talent of Armand Douroux, Tommy Lewis and Julie Nelson will be featured during the Second Saturday art walk on Oct. 13 and throughout the month in the front window. Meet the artists and see how each explore their mediums with enthusiasm; Douroux’s photography, Lewis’ wood turning and Nelson’s pottery.

Armand Douroux grew up playing among the surrounding bayous and waters of his New Orleans home. His boyhood adventures, full of family and love, created a foundation that has become the basis of his photography. In his “BayouByMe” series, the memories come alive as he captures the colors of a sunset or the cotton-like swelling of clouds. His photos depict images of the Gulf Coast surroundings that has now become Dourouxs’ playground. He now calls the bayous and beaches of Bay St. Louis, MS his home and has imbued into his images the natural beauty of his neighborhood.

Tommy Lewis spent his career as a building contractor, retiring in 2015. That’s when he started turning bowls. Using wood from trees such as Box Elder and Ash, he creates purposeful objects that reveal the natural beauty of wood. Finding the right wood is always a challenge for Lewis, but when he comes across the perfect piece, he reveals nature in all its beauty. His wife talked him into entering some art shows and behold, in the two years he’s been showing, he’s won two second place ribbons, one third place and a coveted “People’s Choice Award”.

Wood-turned bowl by Tommy Lewis

Fish wall hanging by Julie Nelson

The wife Lewis mentions above, is pottery artist Julie Nelson. The couple have been together for 17 years. Nelson asked Lewis to join her and enter a show together. Both were entering in a 3-D category and would be competing against one another. “Once Tommy started turning wood I talked him into entering some of his pieces in shows, thereby pitting us against each other. It has been great fun with a happy competition” says Nelson.

Nelson was introduced to pottery in 1998 when she took throwing lessons from gallery artist, Regan Carney. She began working in clay full time in 2010 and has won several awards for her hand-crafted raku pottery. Recently, she has been exploring hand building, experimenting with new glazes and creating more mixed-media pieces. Nelson’s work is constantly evolving, which makes her pottery so interesting.

Gallery 220 Main invites all to stop by between 4-8pm on Second Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. There will be refreshments, creative energy and new art. Find us at the corner of 220 Main St. and Tolume St. in Bay St. Louis, MS. Call 228.466-6347 if you need more information. Visit our Facebook @Gallery220.