With all the talk of national retailers coming to Broughton Street, it’s easy to forget about the thriving, locally owned, entirely independent businesses in the historic shopping corridor.
Well, on Friday night at the Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center, Zia Sachedina — owner of ZIA Boutique at 325 W. Broughton St. — reminded everyone about the power of local businesses. In a big way.
The event was technically part of the Jepson’s “Art on Tap” series, which offers craft brews to museum visitors. This time around, that generally low-key gathering had a subtitle: “Zia at the Beach.”
The sold-out fashion show and reception celebrated Sachedina’s 10 years in business and the opening of “Life’s A Beach: Photographs by Martin Par,” which includes whimsical and beautiful images of the hypnotic hold of beaches on communities around the world.
The runway show, which featured more than two dozen models from Halo Models and Talent, came down the Jepson’s grand steps and then did a loop through the Eckburg Atrium. The models were brilliantly adorned in Sachedina’s jewelry and accessories.
In his brief speech before the runway show, Sachedina thanked his family, friends and collaborators. And he also graciously noted the presence of other business owners in the audience and thanked his former employees who now have ventures of their own.
With both Savannah Fashion Week and Savannah’s Fashion Night on hiatus in 2015, “Zia at the Beach” showed that there is still plenty of local interest in events that spotlight local designers and models.
Forsyth Farmers’ Market picnic a hit, too
On Sunday afternoon, the Forsyth Farmers’ Market hosted its first Farm Picnic.
Intended as both a fundraiser and a community builder, the picnic lured plenty of attendees to become Friends ($30 for individual memberships, $50 for couples) of the market.
Local growers provided the food, and excellent live music came from three local bands — Nightingale News, City Hotel and Waits & Co.
The Farm Picnic was held at the old dairy at the far eastern end of Tennessee and Texas avenues. It’s a beautiful spot that had no trouble accommodating the 300 or so supporters who attended over the course of three hours.
Because of frequent out-of-town trips, I had not been to the Forsyth Farmers’ Market in a while, so I was thrilled to see so many vendors and so many shoppers on Sunday.
With successful events like the Farm Picnic, the market seems poised to expand its impressive outreach and programming.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.