Happy Memorial Day to all current folk in the military and those who came before. Although for many this holiday that creates a long weekend, if it was not for our forefathers we would not enjoy the life we have in the country we all love.
Life for me on St. Simons Island is not slowing down any now that Summer is here and the kids are out of school. I am hoping for a great Summer Season here at AccentsMarketplace. I have a former employee who is now entering her Senior year of college in Marketing helping me this Summer with some new marketing strategies. I hoping her youth and enthusiasm will bring me some great new ideas!
We are going to do some grass roots marketing and mail postcards and offer to discounts to locals to hopefully bring in a new clientele that will love what we sell and do! We are also going to work on some in-store events and promotions that will hopefully interest our customers.
Since July Market falls during my two daughters Summer Workshop play, I am planning to attend the Apparel Market instead. I am looking forward to seeing what new items that I can come up with to entice my customers. I also plan to do some local shopping to see what similar stores are doing in their market.
My camera is missing, but as soon as I find it or replace it, I plan on posting photos of new merchandise as it arrives in the store! Look for it later in the week.
Happy Summer and come visit us soon at AccentsMarketplace and AccentsMarketplace.com.
Karen
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Visions for a Lifetime- Elegant Island Living May 2010
Visions for a Lifetime
As a young girl what was your dream for when you grew up? A school girl may have visions of being a mommy, ballerina or a princess. A teenager might see herself on a hit television show or a lead singer for a hot band while a more matured college student may start to see herself as a business person or in a successful relationship or marriage. How young are we before we start to formulate our plans for the future?
How do we do it? How do we decide what we want to do with our lives and career? Are we dictated by our education, finances, family, or friends? After graduating from UGA with a degree in Interior Design, I was not exactly sure what I wanted to do next. I considered graduate school for lighting design but quickly realized that I needed to enter the work force and begin to make money and live like an adult. I worked in various aspects of interior design though-out my single years. I learned a lot and met some great people. After I met my husband and had my first baby, I took time off from my career to be a mom until my second daughter was three. When she was ready for preschool I got the itch to be creative and work again. I went back to work for other boutiques and design firms until I felt a calling to be my own boss.
As a designer, I had always been uneasy with the notion of pushing my design style onto others so I wanted to find a way to help clients have their homes look their best but with their own style and their own things. I did some research and came across a concept called Redesign. I took some classes and became a Redesign specialist. The concepts are simple. Take everything out of the room to be redesigned and bring everything back in with a new eye-maybe with the help of your best friend. Move the sofa’s orientation! Change the grouping of pictures. Bring in some accessories from the guest room. Voila a new room. Celebrate it with a glass of wine. Admire the new surroundings that still feel like your home because they are your furnishings and accessories.
Perhaps we women could use the same redesign principles in designing our own lives. Consider the process. Invite over a few friends with the idea to discuss your thoughts and dreams. First step: Lay out your dreams. Take into account every possibility. Maybe even use a vision board to give your dreams life. Second step: Remove all of the obstacles. What would you do if the sky was the limit? Finances were no issue? Childcare was magically taken care of? Third step: Once you have cataloged your dreams, make them you new goals. Start to bring these goals back into your real life. Make room for them. See how you can incorporate what you really want out of life into your current life. Make plans on how to achieve them.
At this point it is important to remember that not every goal needs to be life changing. It can be as simple as incorporating a new routine like exercising, eating healthier or being more social. The point is to dream it and then take steps to live it. Stand back and admire it like you would admire your newly designed room that still feels like you because it includes all of your own things.
My dream since I worked for a small design/home décor boutique in Atlanta fourteen years ago was to own my own store. I never thought it was possible until a series of events presented themselves and I was able to achieve what I thought was impossible. It is not always easy-especially in today’s economy, but everyday I get to live out my dream. If we all allowed ourselves to live out our dreams, consider the possibilities.
Karen Hendrix
Karen Hendrix is the owner and buyer for AccentsMarketplace and AccentsMarketplace.com on St Simons Island, GA. She also does interior redesign and traditional design out of her store.
As a young girl what was your dream for when you grew up? A school girl may have visions of being a mommy, ballerina or a princess. A teenager might see herself on a hit television show or a lead singer for a hot band while a more matured college student may start to see herself as a business person or in a successful relationship or marriage. How young are we before we start to formulate our plans for the future?
How do we do it? How do we decide what we want to do with our lives and career? Are we dictated by our education, finances, family, or friends? After graduating from UGA with a degree in Interior Design, I was not exactly sure what I wanted to do next. I considered graduate school for lighting design but quickly realized that I needed to enter the work force and begin to make money and live like an adult. I worked in various aspects of interior design though-out my single years. I learned a lot and met some great people. After I met my husband and had my first baby, I took time off from my career to be a mom until my second daughter was three. When she was ready for preschool I got the itch to be creative and work again. I went back to work for other boutiques and design firms until I felt a calling to be my own boss.
As a designer, I had always been uneasy with the notion of pushing my design style onto others so I wanted to find a way to help clients have their homes look their best but with their own style and their own things. I did some research and came across a concept called Redesign. I took some classes and became a Redesign specialist. The concepts are simple. Take everything out of the room to be redesigned and bring everything back in with a new eye-maybe with the help of your best friend. Move the sofa’s orientation! Change the grouping of pictures. Bring in some accessories from the guest room. Voila a new room. Celebrate it with a glass of wine. Admire the new surroundings that still feel like your home because they are your furnishings and accessories.
Perhaps we women could use the same redesign principles in designing our own lives. Consider the process. Invite over a few friends with the idea to discuss your thoughts and dreams. First step: Lay out your dreams. Take into account every possibility. Maybe even use a vision board to give your dreams life. Second step: Remove all of the obstacles. What would you do if the sky was the limit? Finances were no issue? Childcare was magically taken care of? Third step: Once you have cataloged your dreams, make them you new goals. Start to bring these goals back into your real life. Make room for them. See how you can incorporate what you really want out of life into your current life. Make plans on how to achieve them.
At this point it is important to remember that not every goal needs to be life changing. It can be as simple as incorporating a new routine like exercising, eating healthier or being more social. The point is to dream it and then take steps to live it. Stand back and admire it like you would admire your newly designed room that still feels like you because it includes all of your own things.
My dream since I worked for a small design/home décor boutique in Atlanta fourteen years ago was to own my own store. I never thought it was possible until a series of events presented themselves and I was able to achieve what I thought was impossible. It is not always easy-especially in today’s economy, but everyday I get to live out my dream. If we all allowed ourselves to live out our dreams, consider the possibilities.
Karen Hendrix
Karen Hendrix is the owner and buyer for AccentsMarketplace and AccentsMarketplace.com on St Simons Island, GA. She also does interior redesign and traditional design out of her store.
Going to Market- Golden Island Magazine Feb 2010
Going to Market
It’s a beautiful weekend and you and your besties from high school are having a girl’s trip to your favorite resort area. Someone grabs a local visitor’s guide from the front desk, everyone jumps in the SUV and you start the pilgrimage to hit every small gift, clothing and apparel store in the area. As the girls marvel at all of the unique finds that you see, you wonder why you don’t see any of this fantastic merchandise at your local big box store in your big city hometown.
The secret of the fantastic finds is the creativity of the owners of these small businesses. They spend hours pouring over catalogs and websites to get the best variety of merchandise for their stores. Their goal is to get unique merchandise in their store to entice the buyer to buy from them. This coupled with excellent customer service from an owner who knows their wares, free gift-wrapping and sometimes a sales associate willing to part with some local gossip and you have a small town gift or apparel store.
Far and away the best way to touch and feel new products when buying for your store is to attend a large gift market that showcases 1000’s of product lines in one location. One of the best markets in the country is the AmericasMart in Atlanta.The main gift market occurs twice a year: January and July. AmericasMart is made up of three multistoried sky-scrapers in downtown Atlanta. Building One is referred to the Merchandise Mart. Its vendors represents product lines ranging from home accessories, wall decor, furniture and luxury linens. Building Two showcases gift items like table top, candles, collectibles, and holiday. Building Three is the Apparel Mart. This building is where all the clothing store owners shop. Apparel has their own markets though-out the year but these vendors are also open during the Gift Market. Located throughout all three buildings are “The Temporaries”. The temporaries are the vendors that are not represented within the larger permanent showrooms. They can be the gems of the show.
The first market that I attended as a store owner was amazing and overwhelming. Without a plan you can get lost very easily. Each building has its own design and maze of corridors, elevators and escalators. I am now a seasoned veteran and never leave the zip code without a market plan.
Months before each market every registered buyer receives a market book in the mail. Consider it the equivalent of the Sears Holiday book of our childhood. Hours are spent pouring over the contents. I make a very detailed list of every showroom I want to visit making sure to note what floor and showroom the vendor is on. You don’t want to spend precious shopping time getting lost or looking up where the vendors are. I also spend time looking at similar stores websites online to get new ideas for my store. I receive several retail publications that I read from cover to cover to see what the latest trends are in retail. Each market I try to pin-point a specific item or items that I want to find the best of. One year it was battery operated candles. I looked at every line offered in the mart. I chose a line out of Canada that looked the most like real candles and three years later they are still a best-seller.
Fully prepared with my lists, I make the pilgrimage to Atlanta. Several times I have gone by myself, but taking someone else is much more fun. My daughter Lucy could not wait until she turned 12 to be able to go ( after going twice she still begs to go every time). My husband Jim has gone several times as well as some good friends, but this time I took my sister Kristin. A second eye is always great to have. They might see something that you don’t. Or honestly say ‘Are you kidding’ when you see something different.
There are rules, however, to abide by when you go to market with me.
1-Be prepared to be there for hours. I start at the top and go down each floor according to my thoughtfully laid out list. Don’t make plans with anyone else. We probably won’t make it.2- Wear comfortable shoes. There is nothing worse than your feet letting you down at market. 3- Do not make eye contact with anyone wanting to sell you something-especially in the temporaries. This leads to a well meaning sales person spending both of our valuable time telling us about a product that we don’s sell or need. 4-Be open-minded. Support what I am doing. I am buying for a large range of customers. What might not be your taste might be mine and my customers. 5-Help shoulder the load and carry your share of all the samples, catalogs and print that you are going to receive. Abide by my market rules and I will reward you with a visit to the Gourmet floor where you can taste and sample chocolate, salsas, cheese straws, coffee and more.
At the end of the first day is the most fun. That is when I reward myself with Cash and Carry. This is the only area of the market where you can buy something and take it with home with you, It is mostly jewelry and personal items. Since I have a small jewelry area and only need one of-a-kind pieces, I tend to buy all of my jewelry here. I have several vendors that I always hit and know by name. This is when the guest gets to go wild and buy anything they want. The only rule here is to be decisive. Go with your gut and get the first thing that strikes your eye. You can always gift it if you see another perfect piece. We are not going back to that vendor.
There are many other cool things that Market has to offer that I never have time to participate in. You can take educational retail classes on everything from merchandising to viral marketing. Celebrities are also there to give talks on trends, new products or their latest book or project. Market is usually open for seven full days and you would need that to even begin to see everything that is offered.
While Market is exhausting it is so much fun to be a part of a larger group of buyers that are so excited about getting the best merchandise for their store. Attending Market is one of my favorite parts of being a store owner. That and always being able to meet my Dad for dinner at my favorite pizza place growing up in Atlanta, Everybody’s in Emory Village.
Karen Hendrix owns AccentsMarketplace on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
It’s a beautiful weekend and you and your besties from high school are having a girl’s trip to your favorite resort area. Someone grabs a local visitor’s guide from the front desk, everyone jumps in the SUV and you start the pilgrimage to hit every small gift, clothing and apparel store in the area. As the girls marvel at all of the unique finds that you see, you wonder why you don’t see any of this fantastic merchandise at your local big box store in your big city hometown.
The secret of the fantastic finds is the creativity of the owners of these small businesses. They spend hours pouring over catalogs and websites to get the best variety of merchandise for their stores. Their goal is to get unique merchandise in their store to entice the buyer to buy from them. This coupled with excellent customer service from an owner who knows their wares, free gift-wrapping and sometimes a sales associate willing to part with some local gossip and you have a small town gift or apparel store.
Far and away the best way to touch and feel new products when buying for your store is to attend a large gift market that showcases 1000’s of product lines in one location. One of the best markets in the country is the AmericasMart in Atlanta.The main gift market occurs twice a year: January and July. AmericasMart is made up of three multistoried sky-scrapers in downtown Atlanta. Building One is referred to the Merchandise Mart. Its vendors represents product lines ranging from home accessories, wall decor, furniture and luxury linens. Building Two showcases gift items like table top, candles, collectibles, and holiday. Building Three is the Apparel Mart. This building is where all the clothing store owners shop. Apparel has their own markets though-out the year but these vendors are also open during the Gift Market. Located throughout all three buildings are “The Temporaries”. The temporaries are the vendors that are not represented within the larger permanent showrooms. They can be the gems of the show.
The first market that I attended as a store owner was amazing and overwhelming. Without a plan you can get lost very easily. Each building has its own design and maze of corridors, elevators and escalators. I am now a seasoned veteran and never leave the zip code without a market plan.
Months before each market every registered buyer receives a market book in the mail. Consider it the equivalent of the Sears Holiday book of our childhood. Hours are spent pouring over the contents. I make a very detailed list of every showroom I want to visit making sure to note what floor and showroom the vendor is on. You don’t want to spend precious shopping time getting lost or looking up where the vendors are. I also spend time looking at similar stores websites online to get new ideas for my store. I receive several retail publications that I read from cover to cover to see what the latest trends are in retail. Each market I try to pin-point a specific item or items that I want to find the best of. One year it was battery operated candles. I looked at every line offered in the mart. I chose a line out of Canada that looked the most like real candles and three years later they are still a best-seller.
Fully prepared with my lists, I make the pilgrimage to Atlanta. Several times I have gone by myself, but taking someone else is much more fun. My daughter Lucy could not wait until she turned 12 to be able to go ( after going twice she still begs to go every time). My husband Jim has gone several times as well as some good friends, but this time I took my sister Kristin. A second eye is always great to have. They might see something that you don’t. Or honestly say ‘Are you kidding’ when you see something different.
There are rules, however, to abide by when you go to market with me.
1-Be prepared to be there for hours. I start at the top and go down each floor according to my thoughtfully laid out list. Don’t make plans with anyone else. We probably won’t make it.2- Wear comfortable shoes. There is nothing worse than your feet letting you down at market. 3- Do not make eye contact with anyone wanting to sell you something-especially in the temporaries. This leads to a well meaning sales person spending both of our valuable time telling us about a product that we don’s sell or need. 4-Be open-minded. Support what I am doing. I am buying for a large range of customers. What might not be your taste might be mine and my customers. 5-Help shoulder the load and carry your share of all the samples, catalogs and print that you are going to receive. Abide by my market rules and I will reward you with a visit to the Gourmet floor where you can taste and sample chocolate, salsas, cheese straws, coffee and more.
At the end of the first day is the most fun. That is when I reward myself with Cash and Carry. This is the only area of the market where you can buy something and take it with home with you, It is mostly jewelry and personal items. Since I have a small jewelry area and only need one of-a-kind pieces, I tend to buy all of my jewelry here. I have several vendors that I always hit and know by name. This is when the guest gets to go wild and buy anything they want. The only rule here is to be decisive. Go with your gut and get the first thing that strikes your eye. You can always gift it if you see another perfect piece. We are not going back to that vendor.
There are many other cool things that Market has to offer that I never have time to participate in. You can take educational retail classes on everything from merchandising to viral marketing. Celebrities are also there to give talks on trends, new products or their latest book or project. Market is usually open for seven full days and you would need that to even begin to see everything that is offered.
While Market is exhausting it is so much fun to be a part of a larger group of buyers that are so excited about getting the best merchandise for their store. Attending Market is one of my favorite parts of being a store owner. That and always being able to meet my Dad for dinner at my favorite pizza place growing up in Atlanta, Everybody’s in Emory Village.
Karen Hendrix owns AccentsMarketplace on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Being an All Star Cheer Mom
Being a All-Star Cheer Mom
“How much different can All-Star cheerleading be from the competitive dance we have been involved with for many years with both of my daughters?”, I asked myself when my daughter Lucy decided to try out for the All-Star Cheer squad at Coastal Georgia Athletics after an unsuccessful try-out for middle school cheerleading (that’s a whole other story). The answer? Very different, oh so very different in every way possible.
After signing on the dotted line-yes, it is a financial and time commitment-we began our journey into the world of competitive All-Star Cheer. Matt Gay, the owner of Coastal Georgia Athletics explains the difference between traditional school cheer and All-Star cheer, “School cheer’s main focus is usually on game day crowd leading and supporting the team playing and All-Star cheer is all about the routine and the competition. In All-stars we focus on jumps, stunts, tumbling, motions and dance to put together the most competitive routine we can to present at competitions.”
All-star teams are divided into five different levels depending on the skills presented. The Level defines which stunts and tumbling are allowed into the routine. Coastal Georgia Athletics currently has a Senior Level Two team that incorporates back hand-springs, shoulder level stunts, and two person high pyramids and a Junior Level One team that can include walkovers, cartwheels, and one leg stunts below shoulder level. CGA also has a mini team of little girls eight and under that do basic tumbling and dance in their routine.
After spending months of hard core practicing two to three times a week that included sore muscles, new skill levels, and yes a few tears, CGA Senior Black and Junior Blue All-Star teams were ready to compete in their first competition. I have been to many dance competitions in my tenure as a parent to two girls, but nothing prepared me for our first All-Star cheer competition at the Orange Park High School gym in Jacksonville. My husband Jim and I had packed our bags with snacks, water, Ipods, and lots of reading material to wait out the time between performing and awards. Boy, were we in the wrong place for our carefully packed bags we had taken many times to dance competitions. As we entered the gym, you could hear the music blaring and the feet stomping of the All-Star group that was currently performing. In front of the girls cheering was a blocked off area in front of the spring floor where supporters were enthusiastically screaming out for their favorite cheerleader and holding signs of support to their team. To my surprise, as the cheer group finished their routine, the supporters filed out of the area and the next group filed on. Wow, this was amazing to me. We got to be right in front and see our kids perform in all of their glory and scream out to our hearts content. The uncomfortable bleacher seating and loud music made up for the level of excitement that the competition gave to the performer and the spectator.
We have been to other competitions since then that have had much better seating arrangements, but the constant is the pure excitement and thrill that the competitions give from the minute you walk into the room. They have the feel of a dance party complete with the DJ and dance contests to fill the time between the routines and the awards. All-in-all it is a great time. It is fun to watch the other teams compete, especially the teams in the higher skill levels. As a parent your heart drops every time you see a girl your daughters age do a double back hand spring pass with a tuck, but you also wish your child could perform one.
Coastal Georgia Athletics is the dream of owner Matt Gay. Matt has been involved in teaching tumbling since high school and was a cheerleader at Mercer University for his entire college career. After working for other gyms in the area he really wanted to introduce competitive All-Star cheerleading to the Golden Isles in a big way. His goal is to have competition teams spanning all age ranges and levels. He also wants to be able to help aspiring college cheerleaders become prepared to try out for their college teams and possibly receive a scholarship. Yes, you heard right parents. Your daughter or son could get a scholarship to cheer. Coastal Georgia Athletics also has classes in tumbling and cheer jumps year round. Matt will also be offering a class to prepare girls for school cheer tryouts.
All-Star cheerleading teaches girls a myriad of skills. As far as athleticism goes, All-Star cheer promotes exercise and training to achieve the skills needed to compete. The girls learn tumbling, jumps, stunts, and dance moves in order to complete a competitive routine. Most importantly they begin to develop a sense of responsibility towards their teammates, discipline, understanding teamwork, and the fulfillment of achieving a goal. These are all traits that lead to successful adults.
Coastal Georgia Athletics also has two other coaches that help Matt prepare the teams for competition. Bobby Minter and Mylyn Landinguin.
Bobby Minter has been involved in coaching tumbling and cheer for many years. He began as a competitive gymnast and coach and then began working with All-Star cheer at Cheer Camden. He moved to CGA two years ago when he was offered an opportunity to help Matt Gay develop and build a new program. Bobby is both a coach and a parent at CGA. His daughters Rachel and Cory have both cheered for CGA.
Mylyn Landinguin is the CGA coach that choreographs the team’s routines for competition. She has been involved in All-Star cheerleading for fourteen years. During high school and college, she competed on a National Champion team, the Top Gun Lady Jags. After participating for several years, she began coaching for the team. Mylyn has worked for the Cheerleaders of America Dance and Cheer Company in Dallas, Texas where she judged competitions and staffed cheer camps throughout the United States. She moved to the Brunswick area two years ago after her husband joined the coaching staff at Glynn Academy.
Our family’s experience with All-Star cheer at Coastal Georgia Athletics has been great. It has been a great family to join. We have created lasting bonds with the girls, the parents and the coaches. Spending the day at a competition like we did on Valentines Day in Savannah where all three teams were victorious, just adds the icing on the cake.
As of May 2010, the Senior Black and Junior Blue both won two National titles. One in Charleston, South Carolina and one in Orlando, Florida.
Coastal Georgia Athletics is located in downtown Brunswick at 1303 Grant Street.
Please contact Matt Gay if you are interested in checking it all out at
912-265-1445 or go to coastalgaathletics.com to see pictures and videos of the teams.
“How much different can All-Star cheerleading be from the competitive dance we have been involved with for many years with both of my daughters?”, I asked myself when my daughter Lucy decided to try out for the All-Star Cheer squad at Coastal Georgia Athletics after an unsuccessful try-out for middle school cheerleading (that’s a whole other story). The answer? Very different, oh so very different in every way possible.
After signing on the dotted line-yes, it is a financial and time commitment-we began our journey into the world of competitive All-Star Cheer. Matt Gay, the owner of Coastal Georgia Athletics explains the difference between traditional school cheer and All-Star cheer, “School cheer’s main focus is usually on game day crowd leading and supporting the team playing and All-Star cheer is all about the routine and the competition. In All-stars we focus on jumps, stunts, tumbling, motions and dance to put together the most competitive routine we can to present at competitions.”
All-star teams are divided into five different levels depending on the skills presented. The Level defines which stunts and tumbling are allowed into the routine. Coastal Georgia Athletics currently has a Senior Level Two team that incorporates back hand-springs, shoulder level stunts, and two person high pyramids and a Junior Level One team that can include walkovers, cartwheels, and one leg stunts below shoulder level. CGA also has a mini team of little girls eight and under that do basic tumbling and dance in their routine.
After spending months of hard core practicing two to three times a week that included sore muscles, new skill levels, and yes a few tears, CGA Senior Black and Junior Blue All-Star teams were ready to compete in their first competition. I have been to many dance competitions in my tenure as a parent to two girls, but nothing prepared me for our first All-Star cheer competition at the Orange Park High School gym in Jacksonville. My husband Jim and I had packed our bags with snacks, water, Ipods, and lots of reading material to wait out the time between performing and awards. Boy, were we in the wrong place for our carefully packed bags we had taken many times to dance competitions. As we entered the gym, you could hear the music blaring and the feet stomping of the All-Star group that was currently performing. In front of the girls cheering was a blocked off area in front of the spring floor where supporters were enthusiastically screaming out for their favorite cheerleader and holding signs of support to their team. To my surprise, as the cheer group finished their routine, the supporters filed out of the area and the next group filed on. Wow, this was amazing to me. We got to be right in front and see our kids perform in all of their glory and scream out to our hearts content. The uncomfortable bleacher seating and loud music made up for the level of excitement that the competition gave to the performer and the spectator.
We have been to other competitions since then that have had much better seating arrangements, but the constant is the pure excitement and thrill that the competitions give from the minute you walk into the room. They have the feel of a dance party complete with the DJ and dance contests to fill the time between the routines and the awards. All-in-all it is a great time. It is fun to watch the other teams compete, especially the teams in the higher skill levels. As a parent your heart drops every time you see a girl your daughters age do a double back hand spring pass with a tuck, but you also wish your child could perform one.
Coastal Georgia Athletics is the dream of owner Matt Gay. Matt has been involved in teaching tumbling since high school and was a cheerleader at Mercer University for his entire college career. After working for other gyms in the area he really wanted to introduce competitive All-Star cheerleading to the Golden Isles in a big way. His goal is to have competition teams spanning all age ranges and levels. He also wants to be able to help aspiring college cheerleaders become prepared to try out for their college teams and possibly receive a scholarship. Yes, you heard right parents. Your daughter or son could get a scholarship to cheer. Coastal Georgia Athletics also has classes in tumbling and cheer jumps year round. Matt will also be offering a class to prepare girls for school cheer tryouts.
All-Star cheerleading teaches girls a myriad of skills. As far as athleticism goes, All-Star cheer promotes exercise and training to achieve the skills needed to compete. The girls learn tumbling, jumps, stunts, and dance moves in order to complete a competitive routine. Most importantly they begin to develop a sense of responsibility towards their teammates, discipline, understanding teamwork, and the fulfillment of achieving a goal. These are all traits that lead to successful adults.
Coastal Georgia Athletics also has two other coaches that help Matt prepare the teams for competition. Bobby Minter and Mylyn Landinguin.
Bobby Minter has been involved in coaching tumbling and cheer for many years. He began as a competitive gymnast and coach and then began working with All-Star cheer at Cheer Camden. He moved to CGA two years ago when he was offered an opportunity to help Matt Gay develop and build a new program. Bobby is both a coach and a parent at CGA. His daughters Rachel and Cory have both cheered for CGA.
Mylyn Landinguin is the CGA coach that choreographs the team’s routines for competition. She has been involved in All-Star cheerleading for fourteen years. During high school and college, she competed on a National Champion team, the Top Gun Lady Jags. After participating for several years, she began coaching for the team. Mylyn has worked for the Cheerleaders of America Dance and Cheer Company in Dallas, Texas where she judged competitions and staffed cheer camps throughout the United States. She moved to the Brunswick area two years ago after her husband joined the coaching staff at Glynn Academy.
Our family’s experience with All-Star cheer at Coastal Georgia Athletics has been great. It has been a great family to join. We have created lasting bonds with the girls, the parents and the coaches. Spending the day at a competition like we did on Valentines Day in Savannah where all three teams were victorious, just adds the icing on the cake.
As of May 2010, the Senior Black and Junior Blue both won two National titles. One in Charleston, South Carolina and one in Orlando, Florida.
Coastal Georgia Athletics is located in downtown Brunswick at 1303 Grant Street.
Please contact Matt Gay if you are interested in checking it all out at
912-265-1445 or go to coastalgaathletics.com to see pictures and videos of the teams.
The 3/50 Project-Coastal Illustrated February 2010
The 3/50 Project Karen Hendrix
No one can claim that the past 18 months have been the best of times. The current economy is tough. Nationally, jobs are disappearing, houses are going into foreclosure and many of us that do have jobs are having difficulties making ends meet.
It is even harder for the small business owners on Main Street USA. Main Street is where our economy has traditionally begun. When Main Street is doing well, then we all are, when Main Street is struggling, we all struggle. It’s official; this nation’s small business owners are really struggling. On every corner, some of your favorite stores, hangouts and restaurants are closing. Merchants are seeing sales and store traffic decreasing with each month. Why does it appear that there is no one looking out for the small business owner? Is there a way that we can bring together these small business owners and the members of the community to save our Main Street? Can something be done to save these establishments that have weathered the storm so far?
Absolutely—there is something we can all do! Enter The 3/50 Project. Pick 3, Spend 50, Save the Local Economy.
In the spring of 2009, Oprah Winfrey started a war. She advised consumers to stop all discretionary spending and spend money only on the necessities like food, rent and utilities. The national media took this advisory and ran with it. As a result many consumers were sacred to spend and business owners were scared that they wouldn’t. The possible results of Oprah’s suggestions? A national and local economy that could come to a screeching halt leading to more layoffs, foreclosures and bankruptcies. Cinda Baxter, a former small business owner and retail consultant, heard about Oprah’s plans for consumer austerity and became concerned about the potential negative effect on small businesses across America. Frustrated about the pessimistic way all of this was being reported on by the national media, Cinda decided to do something about it. The concept had to be simple, affordable and easy to understand. As a former stationary store owner, she understood that a community needs to support local businesses in order for the businesses to help the local economy improve. The result of her ideas began a grass roots initiative known as The 3/50 Project.
The 3/50 Project is a concept that asks the local consumer to:
Choose Three Businesses (the 3) in your community that you would hate to see close. Go visit them. Pick up a little something for yourself or a friend or chat up the bartender while you sip a cold beer at the bar.
Commit $50 (the 50) of your current monthly spending to locally owned businesses. If only half of the US population did this, it would annually generate more than $42 billion dollars in revenue. Locally on St. Simons Island, where we have a population of around 15,000, that number could reach upwards of $750,000.00 annually. For every $100 spent locally, more than $68 returns to the community. If that same $100 is spent in a big box national chain, only $43 stays in the community and nothing remains in the community for purchases made over the internet. Simply put, The 3/50 Project suggests “Pick 3, spend $50, save your local economy”.
The 3/50 Project is not asking the consumer to never go to a big box or chain store. There are some items that can only be purchased at these stores. The 3/50 Project simply asks that you shop your independent retailers as often as you can. These businesses are run by owners that spend every waking moment thinking of ways to make their businesses better for you. Shopkeepers bring in the best merchandise they can find, restaurateurs perfect their signature recipes and all will remember your name when you walk in the door. Wouldn’t it be a shame if the next time you wanted to run in for a little something, your favorite place was gone? By redirecting at least $50.00 a month to your local entrepreneur that money is invested in your future. That $50.00, multiplied many times over, makes it possible for local businesses to pay property, sales, and employment taxes. Those taxes in turn finance your public services, local schools and community improvements. Not to mention that it keeps the American Dream alive for your neighbor.
How can we help? How does this work on St Simons Island? Can we use this simple plan to help out local businesses? Every business owner knows that it is the locals that keep them in business. The tourists that come every year are great, but most business owners cannot rely on these visitors alone to keep us afloat during the off months. Become a part of The 3/50 Project and fight to keep our local businesses open. If you are a consumer willing to go the extra mile for your favorite establishment to stay in business, it does not take much. You don’t need to go and spend hundreds of dollars (although that would be great) to make this work. Go and visit your favorite haunt. Tell the owner how much you value their business and then spend a few bucks. If you are a business owner and want to help spread the message, go to
The 3/50 Project website at: www.the3/50project.com or www.facebook.com/the3/50project for more information.
Karen Hendrix is the owner of AccentsMarketplace, a home accents/gift store on St Simons Island. Please contact her at karenhendrix@comcast.net if you are interested in help spread The 3/50 Project message. The Coastal Illustrated will be following the success of this project and how it affects the local economy.
No one can claim that the past 18 months have been the best of times. The current economy is tough. Nationally, jobs are disappearing, houses are going into foreclosure and many of us that do have jobs are having difficulties making ends meet.
It is even harder for the small business owners on Main Street USA. Main Street is where our economy has traditionally begun. When Main Street is doing well, then we all are, when Main Street is struggling, we all struggle. It’s official; this nation’s small business owners are really struggling. On every corner, some of your favorite stores, hangouts and restaurants are closing. Merchants are seeing sales and store traffic decreasing with each month. Why does it appear that there is no one looking out for the small business owner? Is there a way that we can bring together these small business owners and the members of the community to save our Main Street? Can something be done to save these establishments that have weathered the storm so far?
Absolutely—there is something we can all do! Enter The 3/50 Project. Pick 3, Spend 50, Save the Local Economy.
In the spring of 2009, Oprah Winfrey started a war. She advised consumers to stop all discretionary spending and spend money only on the necessities like food, rent and utilities. The national media took this advisory and ran with it. As a result many consumers were sacred to spend and business owners were scared that they wouldn’t. The possible results of Oprah’s suggestions? A national and local economy that could come to a screeching halt leading to more layoffs, foreclosures and bankruptcies. Cinda Baxter, a former small business owner and retail consultant, heard about Oprah’s plans for consumer austerity and became concerned about the potential negative effect on small businesses across America. Frustrated about the pessimistic way all of this was being reported on by the national media, Cinda decided to do something about it. The concept had to be simple, affordable and easy to understand. As a former stationary store owner, she understood that a community needs to support local businesses in order for the businesses to help the local economy improve. The result of her ideas began a grass roots initiative known as The 3/50 Project.
The 3/50 Project is a concept that asks the local consumer to:
Choose Three Businesses (the 3) in your community that you would hate to see close. Go visit them. Pick up a little something for yourself or a friend or chat up the bartender while you sip a cold beer at the bar.
Commit $50 (the 50) of your current monthly spending to locally owned businesses. If only half of the US population did this, it would annually generate more than $42 billion dollars in revenue. Locally on St. Simons Island, where we have a population of around 15,000, that number could reach upwards of $750,000.00 annually. For every $100 spent locally, more than $68 returns to the community. If that same $100 is spent in a big box national chain, only $43 stays in the community and nothing remains in the community for purchases made over the internet. Simply put, The 3/50 Project suggests “Pick 3, spend $50, save your local economy”.
The 3/50 Project is not asking the consumer to never go to a big box or chain store. There are some items that can only be purchased at these stores. The 3/50 Project simply asks that you shop your independent retailers as often as you can. These businesses are run by owners that spend every waking moment thinking of ways to make their businesses better for you. Shopkeepers bring in the best merchandise they can find, restaurateurs perfect their signature recipes and all will remember your name when you walk in the door. Wouldn’t it be a shame if the next time you wanted to run in for a little something, your favorite place was gone? By redirecting at least $50.00 a month to your local entrepreneur that money is invested in your future. That $50.00, multiplied many times over, makes it possible for local businesses to pay property, sales, and employment taxes. Those taxes in turn finance your public services, local schools and community improvements. Not to mention that it keeps the American Dream alive for your neighbor.
How can we help? How does this work on St Simons Island? Can we use this simple plan to help out local businesses? Every business owner knows that it is the locals that keep them in business. The tourists that come every year are great, but most business owners cannot rely on these visitors alone to keep us afloat during the off months. Become a part of The 3/50 Project and fight to keep our local businesses open. If you are a consumer willing to go the extra mile for your favorite establishment to stay in business, it does not take much. You don’t need to go and spend hundreds of dollars (although that would be great) to make this work. Go and visit your favorite haunt. Tell the owner how much you value their business and then spend a few bucks. If you are a business owner and want to help spread the message, go to
The 3/50 Project website at: www.the3/50project.com or www.facebook.com/the3/50project for more information.
Karen Hendrix is the owner of AccentsMarketplace, a home accents/gift store on St Simons Island. Please contact her at karenhendrix@comcast.net if you are interested in help spread The 3/50 Project message. The Coastal Illustrated will be following the success of this project and how it affects the local economy.
A Day on the Water-Elegant Island Living May 2009
A Day on the Water
I grew up around water…the non-salty kind. Our family were sailors, on sailboats. I spent hours on Lake Lanier perfecting my skills. My sister, Kristin and I were my fathers’ crew. I was never in a boat under at least 20’ long. I felt safe with all of the fiberglass protecting me from the water.
I can be a little claustrophobic, so I was a little nervous about being in a small boat with a large paddle and cold water all around me. We have a deck boat that we keep on the Hampton River, so I was familiar with the rivers, but I was eager to see it up close and personal and at my own speed.
When making my appointment with Michael Gowan, I was given my instructions: wear sunscreen-does my SPF 15 makeup count?, bring a water bottle-which I forgot, and wear shoes you can get wet-I wore old sneakers then saw everyone else in flip-flops.
Upon arrival at Southeast Adventures dock in Brunswick I was fitted for a life jacket and given a large paddle with instructions to always keep the writing up-the little girl in my group was given a much cuter paddle with smiley faces on it. After learning how to paddle backwards and forwards we were told what to do if we fell in-luckily no one did. Next we went down to the dock to learn how to get into the boat and how to use the steering mechanism in the bottom of the kayak with our feet. I have to mention now the two guides that helped us out. Michael, a full-time youth pastor/part-time guide and Luke, a full-time guide/part-time musician were exactly how river guides should be: low-keyed, personable and very knowledgeable about the river and its habitat.
We learned that alligators need fresh water to survive and that the river that we were in was pure salt water so they are never spotted. I was especially interested in this fact because I have seen my share of alligators in the Frederica River from our own boat. We also witnessed the shore birds returning after their winter retreat. Luke told us that they build their nests during a full moon in high tide so that they will not get wet when the tides go in and out. They even build decoys nests around them to fool their enemies. Smart birds.
The feeling on the water was amazing. Any worries you might have about the new president, the economy or your own life become trivial among the peacefulness of the river. The really cool thing about kayaking is that if you want you can just stop and observe. There are no rules, no schedules to keep, just you and nature. It is back to basics in its most basic form. Kayaking is a great way to center yourself and let yourself slow down to the rhythm of the river.
After an hour or so on the river we made our way back to the dock. I only had one last fear: getting out of the boat at the dock. In my mind I saw myself falling into the river and having to use the falling into the water instructions. All fears were gone when Luke, who was already on the dock, took my paddle and pulled my boat right up onto the dock. All I had to do was step out on the dock with my dignity intact.
The trip was over and we had to return to everyday life. We gave back our borrowed gear and made our way back to the boathouse. I thanked the guides and headed back to my car but not before grabbing a trip brochure to share with my family. I can’t wait to take the Hendrix family out on the river in kayaks to experience where we live in a more personal way. Those of us who live in the Golden Isles are so blessed to live here and to be able to experience God’s handiwork first hand.
Karen Hendrix
I grew up around water…the non-salty kind. Our family were sailors, on sailboats. I spent hours on Lake Lanier perfecting my skills. My sister, Kristin and I were my fathers’ crew. I was never in a boat under at least 20’ long. I felt safe with all of the fiberglass protecting me from the water.
I can be a little claustrophobic, so I was a little nervous about being in a small boat with a large paddle and cold water all around me. We have a deck boat that we keep on the Hampton River, so I was familiar with the rivers, but I was eager to see it up close and personal and at my own speed.
When making my appointment with Michael Gowan, I was given my instructions: wear sunscreen-does my SPF 15 makeup count?, bring a water bottle-which I forgot, and wear shoes you can get wet-I wore old sneakers then saw everyone else in flip-flops.
Upon arrival at Southeast Adventures dock in Brunswick I was fitted for a life jacket and given a large paddle with instructions to always keep the writing up-the little girl in my group was given a much cuter paddle with smiley faces on it. After learning how to paddle backwards and forwards we were told what to do if we fell in-luckily no one did. Next we went down to the dock to learn how to get into the boat and how to use the steering mechanism in the bottom of the kayak with our feet. I have to mention now the two guides that helped us out. Michael, a full-time youth pastor/part-time guide and Luke, a full-time guide/part-time musician were exactly how river guides should be: low-keyed, personable and very knowledgeable about the river and its habitat.
We learned that alligators need fresh water to survive and that the river that we were in was pure salt water so they are never spotted. I was especially interested in this fact because I have seen my share of alligators in the Frederica River from our own boat. We also witnessed the shore birds returning after their winter retreat. Luke told us that they build their nests during a full moon in high tide so that they will not get wet when the tides go in and out. They even build decoys nests around them to fool their enemies. Smart birds.
The feeling on the water was amazing. Any worries you might have about the new president, the economy or your own life become trivial among the peacefulness of the river. The really cool thing about kayaking is that if you want you can just stop and observe. There are no rules, no schedules to keep, just you and nature. It is back to basics in its most basic form. Kayaking is a great way to center yourself and let yourself slow down to the rhythm of the river.
After an hour or so on the river we made our way back to the dock. I only had one last fear: getting out of the boat at the dock. In my mind I saw myself falling into the river and having to use the falling into the water instructions. All fears were gone when Luke, who was already on the dock, took my paddle and pulled my boat right up onto the dock. All I had to do was step out on the dock with my dignity intact.
The trip was over and we had to return to everyday life. We gave back our borrowed gear and made our way back to the boathouse. I thanked the guides and headed back to my car but not before grabbing a trip brochure to share with my family. I can’t wait to take the Hendrix family out on the river in kayaks to experience where we live in a more personal way. Those of us who live in the Golden Isles are so blessed to live here and to be able to experience God’s handiwork first hand.
Karen Hendrix
Almost Summer
Wow. It is so hard to believe that school is almost out here in the South. To continue the tradition that every activity that your child participates in needs to have their party, recital, exhibition etc during the last week of school, The Hendrix family is exhausted and it is just beginning.
Both girls have their dance recital this weekend with Southern Stut Dance Studio. They both dance competitively and in the studio's production numbers, so we get to attend all three recitals! This week we have had recital dress rehersals, summer play practice, honors night, last minute projects due and field day.
Business at AccentsMarketplace is picking up...finally. Hopefully the tourists will make it here this Summer since the weather was so bad in January and February. The locals, the heart and soul of my buisiness, are coming in for teacher gifts, graduation gifts and wedding gifts. I will continue to find ways to market AccentsMarketplace.com. Believe it or not the website mostly sells candles and Arthur Court. Go figure! I have a local college girl who used to work for me when she was in high school who is going to help me with some local marketing. We are both excited about the opportunity!
Off to payroll and paying bills...maybe even ordering some new product. Have a great weekend!
Both girls have their dance recital this weekend with Southern Stut Dance Studio. They both dance competitively and in the studio's production numbers, so we get to attend all three recitals! This week we have had recital dress rehersals, summer play practice, honors night, last minute projects due and field day.
Business at AccentsMarketplace is picking up...finally. Hopefully the tourists will make it here this Summer since the weather was so bad in January and February. The locals, the heart and soul of my buisiness, are coming in for teacher gifts, graduation gifts and wedding gifts. I will continue to find ways to market AccentsMarketplace.com. Believe it or not the website mostly sells candles and Arthur Court. Go figure! I have a local college girl who used to work for me when she was in high school who is going to help me with some local marketing. We are both excited about the opportunity!
Off to payroll and paying bills...maybe even ordering some new product. Have a great weekend!
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