Mrs. RCS and I are not fans of cabin fever. I think we’ve been really good since HJS announced his presence with authority of getting out and about. We’ve gone to the beach, and a few other overnight trips during his short tenure here outside of the spirit world. Last December we were stuck inside, and decided to get a trip booked…I happened to be perusing the SEWE website, and suggested that we head over Charleston. She agreed. Next: a place to stay. We checked our secret VRBO listing, and it was available. We booked immediately.
I’ve wanted to see SEWE for years. We both love Charleston, and take every opportunity to head to the Low Country. This was our first time seeing the Exposition. It was incredible. First and foremost, the weather was ideal…70s and partly cloudy each day. That set the tone… We had a 7-month old with us, so setting our schedule was important. We knew we wouldn’t be able to see everything, which was fine.
We decided to go see the Marketplace at Gaillard Center on Friday. Their giant banquet room was covered up with vendors and artists showing off their goods. Perfect for pushing a stroller. Here’s what we saw:
Russell Moccasin …incredible. Much more to come on these good folks
Tom Beckbe …it was great to finally meet Radcliff and co. GREAT stuff
Sea Island Forge …We already have a spot picked out in our back yard for this beauty
Hook and Hide …The Flounder is where it’s at
Kingfisher Leatherworks …absolutely incredible. My favorite discovery of the trip.
After spending a couple hours at Gaillard, we grabbed lunch and headed back to our place so HJS could take a nap. After he woke up, we headed up to Leon’s to meet Nathan of Matthias Kaupperman for some drinks (frozen G&Ts. Yep). Big things coming, folks… HJS went nuclear, so we got our dinner to go and headed back home. We got him down and ate our fill fried chicken and almost every side they offer. Worth every bite.
The next morning, we took HJS for an early, LONG walk in the historic district, cleaned up, and headed over to Brittlebank Park. This was a much different feel: a ton more vendors, live bluegrass, a food court, and live animals everywhere. HJS loved it:
Dubarry had a GREAT setup. Good looking boots…and waterproof:
Over Under …They had a big presence, and showed off their entire catalog
Dock Dogs… exactly what you think
Ball and Buck …classing up the joint
Bird Buggy …my idea of a daily driver
Upland and Downstream …excellent collars for your four legged friends
Behring Made Knives …there were a lot of knife makers at SEWE, but these guys took the cake. Absolutely outstanding examples of handmade fixed blade knives with stag handles (my preference).
Beyond this, we watched a bunch of dogs jump into the pool, we saw border collies heard sheep, and enjoyed some Hometeam BBQ. We will be back next year – 100%. It was so great to have HJS with us in our favorite town. I think it suites him well. The whole SEWE experience was outstanding, the people are all GREAT, and let’s be honest: it’s Charleston.
Well done! SEWE is one of our favorite events as well. Good work getting the little one out early and often.