New venture livens up Calhoun and Bridge streets

Chris Shoemaker’s new venture at the corner of Calhoun and Bridge streets in Old Town Bluffton is spot on.

The charming two story building is a wonderful example of the “Bluffton” look. The first floor will house Chris' watersports business, and the second floor has been leased as an office.

Bluffton artist-craftsman Pierce Giltner has done a fantastic job creating the downstairs space in his own funkalicious way. The counter is fashioned out of a slice of wood, highly sanded and polished. As for the rest of the office, you just need to stop by and see. Pierce even fashioned a May River shrimp out of wood, and it proudly hangs on the outside of the second floor.

We had fun the other day when we stopped by for a peek inside and to sip a glass of cheer. To say the building fits in as though it has been there for years is an understatement. I love it and you will, too.

Old friends, new sightings

I have had two choice sightings recently of people I am quite fond of but don’t often see.

The first was the adorable Helen Glenn. Helen and I were volunteers at Calhoun Station and have known each other for years. I was checking out at the grocery store and I heard someone call my name. It was Helen and we gave each other a big hug. She looks wonderful and I was so happy to see her although it was too short a visit.

The other day I was getting mail out of the mailbox and lo and behold a car pulled up and out popped Maxine and Dean Winesett.

Maxine and Dean were in town visiting Yvette and Lamar Acuff, longtime friends from Hilton Head days. Yvette and Lamar are now happily tucked into a beautiful new home in Stock Farm and are very happy to be there.

Dean Winesett is an architect of some reknown who designed many beautiful homes in our area. Maxine and Dean lived on Blue Heron Point in a house of his design, of course. Dean’ss charming mother and father Evelyn and Lem lived next door in a house that, too, was a “Dean” design.

Dean’s sister Kay Grant - she is a wonderful artist - also lived nearby.

I got to know most of the Winesett Family quite well and I was quite fond of Evelyn and Lem, who were a force unto themselves, of the “old” school and full of fun stories.

Maxine and Dean sold their house on Hilton Head and now live upstate in Landrum, which is a charming town near Spartanburg. If you would like to see some of Dean’s house designs, there are some at the Southern Living House Plans site.

It was so nice to see the Acuffs, I see them often, with the Winesetts, and catch up on some of the fun I have missed.

Dancing with our stars

The Bluffton School of Dance held it’s year end recital recently.

The event had to be held at Hilton Head High School because of the large number of Bluffton children who love Dawn and her teachers.

I was there with Dorothy, Will and Dorothy’s mother Chris Cone who motored over from Estill to watch our 4 year old Campbell do her thing.

When it came time for Campbell and her little troupe to perform, we all held our breath. The lights came on, but oh no, where was Campbell who has short black hair and bangs - the only one who does. We thought she had probably become frightened and decided to stay behind the curtain. We noticed there was one little girl smiling broadly and throwing kisses to the audience and discovered that “she” was Campbell.

The dance teachers had combed everyone’s hair back and put flowers around their heads. It was with a sigh of relief that we watched a very confident little dancer perform with her friends. It was such fun to see all of the school’s hard work come off without a hitch - well almost.

Bookmobile rolled with joy

I was so happy to see that Beaufort County might put the Bookmobile back in service.

When we moved here, the Bookmobile was the only place within miles to check out books. The children loved the Bookmobile, which they always waited for with great excitement.

The librarian was a jolly old soul who really seemed to love what she did. She always remembered everyone’s name and had a kind word for them, too. The Bookmobile was retired in 1993.

It will be such fun to see what will be “on the road again” - hit it Willie!

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 10:33 AM with the headline "New venture livens up Calhoun and Bridge streets."