Franklin Street

1400 Block of Franklin

Rick Smoak
Photography

From traditional film capture and darkroom, to digital capture and printing, Rick Smoak’s career has spanned over forty years. During that time, he has worked mostly as a commercial photographer while seeking a creative balance with fine art images.

Born in Tacoma Washington, his family moved to SC in the early 60s. Rick currently lives in Lexington, SC. The natural beauty of South Carolina has served as inspiration for some of Rick’s fine art work.

Starting with a passion for creating straight b&w images, Rick’s vision has expanded to include color and composite images. Exploring each of these mediums allows him to create what his mind’s eye sees without limitations.

“As an artist I have found you have to be willing to allow your imagination to take control over the technical details. Always pursue the images you see in your mind with all the experience and tools you have available.”

1400 Block of Franklin

WECO Soap Co.
Other

WECO Soap Co. is a small-batch, woman-owned bath and body brand based in West Columbia, South Carolina. Founded by a chemical engineer with a passion for clean, effective skincare, WECO Soap Co. combines science and artistry to create high-quality products that are both beautiful and beneficial for the skin. Our formulations are thoughtfully crafted with premium ingredients like nourishing plant oils, butters, clays, and essential oils—never any parabens, phthalates, or harsh detergents.

1400 Block of Franklin

Mb Art & Design
Mixed Media

Mb Art and Design began in 2021 with a mission to create & to bring joy to other people through Christmas ornaments, paintings, and greeting cards.

1400 Block of Franklin

Jules Schurer
Mixed Media

My name is Jules Schurer—a 21-year-old South Carolina-based artist who feels most alive with paint on my hands and new ideas buzzing in my mind.

My creative journey started at IDEA High School, where I was obsessed with 3D printing and art experiments. I practically lived in the art room, sometimes sneaking in after hours—so often that my teacher thought I was part of the furniture. College tried to steer me toward engineering, but my creative itch wouldn't let me settle. Dropping out opened the door back to what I truly love: making art.

Now, settled in South Carolina, I'm devoted to exploring the beauty of the Lowcountry through oil painting, charcoal drawing, ink, and printmaking. My work focuses on capturing light, color, and the moments that inspire me—whether painting outdoors at plein air sessions or creating portraits in my studio. I'm passionate about bringing scenes to life through bold mark-making and a carefully chosen palette. From vibrant landscapes to the quiet intimacy of portraiture, each piece reflects my love for storytelling through varied mediums.

When I'm not painting, you'll find me at local plein air gatherings, exploring new locations around the state, and continually refining my craft. I'm excited to share my work with you and create custom pieces that celebrate the places and people you love.

1400 Block of Franklin

MaryBeth Owen
Painting

MaryBeth Owen is a South Carolina–based artist whose work is rooted in quiet observation, personal reflection, and a deep appreciation for the world around her. With a background shaped by a family of educators and more than 20 years of working in public education, she brings a sense of warmth, patience, and attentiveness to everything she creates. Her art often blends pastels, acrylics, and mixed media, allowing her to explore subtle colors, soft light, and the textures of places that hold meaning.

Much of MaryBeth’s inspiration begins during her travels, where she’s drawn to simple, fleeting moments—an unexpected shift in the sky, a still corner of a landscape, or small details that speak to a sense of calm. These images become the starting point for her studio work, where she layers gentle strokes, thoughtful color choices, and intuitive movement to create pieces that feel peaceful and quietly expressive. Her pastel landscapes carry a dreamlike softness, while her acrylic and gold-leafed pieces offer a delicate balance of shimmer and design.

Creativity is woven into all parts of MaryBeth’s life. As a mentor, teacher, artist, and mother, she finds meaning in supporting others and celebrating the beauty in everyday experiences. She believes art is a way of connecting with places, with people, and with the parts of ourselves that often go unnoticed in the rush of daily life. This perspective shapes her work through MBKOriginals, a space where she shares pieces made with intention, openness, and heart.

As she continues to grow her collection, MaryBeth remains committed to exploring new ideas, refining her craft, and creating art that offers a gentle moment of pause. She hopes her work encourages others to look a little closer, breathe a little deeper, and find comfort in the soft, quiet places where inspiration often lives.

1300 Block of Franklin

Chelleen Crafts & Embroidery
Other

I have been sewing doll clothes for my grandchildren for several years; however, I begun selling in late August. I use several patterns, but I have designed the doll carrier, Santa hats, oven mitts, and sleeping bags to fit all dolls. I have gone to several Cottontown Art Crawls with my grandchildren, and they told me that I should participate.

1300 Block of Franklin

David Dohan
Mixed Media

American artist David Dohan is best known for his blending the chaotic medium of watercolor with the bold medium of pen and ink to create abstract, natural, and imagined landscapes. His subject matters are drawn from both the natural world and imagination. He is most noted for using classically trained techniques to allow the mediums own natural order to self-define the subject matter. Positive and negative shape is created by layering and blending intense color and texture to convey depth of field and allow each piece a sense of mood. Pen and ink is used confidently to permanently define forms, create perspective, and reinforce the subtleties of the landscapes design and beauty.

1211 Franklin Street
Gardener’s Outpost

Charles Hite Photographic Art
Photography

Although many of my images are visually accurate, I no longer feel constrained to “take what the camera gives me.” Instead, I embrace the freedom to use available tools and capture techniques to render my impression of the scene before me, much like a painter, to make the object or scene my own.

A recent exhibition venue wrote, “Many feel Charles’ choice of subject and capturing just the right moment offers us the opportunity to look through his eyes with him. His ability to use tools and processes to interpret the scene he is capturing, take his work from a picture to a photograph that is fine art.”

My images are in numerous private collections, displayed in 2 local hotels, used on several websites, and have they been published in local publications.

Fortunately, some of my work has been juried into several shows and exhibitions. Some shows that I am especially proud of are these;

• Columbia Metropolitan Airport 2014 Inaugural Art Exhibition

• Rosewood Art and Music Festival…several years.

• ArtFields in Lake City, SC, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

• SC State Museum 30th Anniversary Art Exhibition - 2018

• Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, SC – 2019, 2022, 2025

I’m just an old man with a camera. Various scenes or objects catch my eye, and I open the shutter to let them in.

1209 Franklin Street
The WarMouth

Southern Fried Stitching
Fiber Arts/Textiles

Hey y’all! I’m a self-taught machine embroidery artist, native to Columbia, SC. I use a digitizing program to create my own original embroidery designs, mostly focused on Southern-themed art. Then, I use a multi-needle embroidery machine to stitch out the designs, using high sheen/high tensile strength embroidery thread to create vibrant and shiny patches, art, and accessories. When making patches, I heat press an iron-on backing and hand cut each piece. I often upcycle old clothing or fabric found at thrift stores to create my pieces. I have been exploring ways to reuse my own scraps, most recently making patchwork totes & patches. I have been involved in many art shows in the Southeast and Cottontown is absolutely one of my favorites!

1400 Block of Franklin

Amber Dennison Art
Painting

I'm Amber Dennison — an abstract artist and poet drawn to color, movement, and emotion. My work is bold, intuitive, and ever-evolving, blending vivid brushstrokes with reflective words to create pieces that are both visually striking and deeply personal. I believe art should feel alive — playful yet thoughtful, accessible yet meaningful. Each piece I create is part of an ongoing story, inviting viewers to slow down, look closer, and feel something real. I am grateful for my collectors and the ability to have my art in office spaces and homes.

1400 Block of Franklin

Indigo Roots Textiles
Fiber Arts/Textiles

My practice centers on hand-dyed textiles created with natural pigments from flowers, plants, and berries that I grow and forage. Using collected rainwater and reclaimed studio water, I work in rhythm with the environment, allowing each fabric to evolve through slow, sustainable processes.

Guided by my Southern Appalachian and Eastern European roots, I create landscape-inspired fabric paintings that explore place, memory, and connection to the natural world. Each piece is both a record of the land and a reflection of the quiet collaboration between material, maker, and environment.

1400 Block of Franklin

Julie’s Tilted Art
Mixed Media

Eight years ago, after face painting for several decades, I began putting thing on canvas. The unique part of my art is that every piece has a recycled component. From boxes, like toothpaste or microwave, to plastic bottles or computer parts, items are recycled into a one-of-a-kind piece of art. An art piece from Julie's Tilted Art will turn a blank wall into a conversation piece.

1400 Block of Franklin

Joy Flake
Painting

I'm a local artist painting primarily in acrylic, and I'm drawn to vibrant color palettes and an uplifting, expressive style. I'm inspired by the beauty of nature found in South Carolina's coast and countryside—often capturing marshes, seaside treasures, florals, and simple moments that stir memory and wonder. My work invites you to pause and savor the moment, and perhaps carry a little piece of southern charm into your home.

1400 Block of Franklin

Megan Tapley
Ceramics

Megan Tapley (She/They) is an emerging artist working in Columbia, SC. Tapley attended Clemson University and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in ceramics in 2024. Tapley has been creating almost since she was born, but took it on as a more full-time career after graduating from college. She has always enjoyed the arts and spent most of her childhood in accelerated arts programs. Growing up, she has always had an interest in mixed media collage thanks to her close-knit relationship with her grandmother, who was a seamstress and scrapbooker. Much of her ceramic work encompasses texture and pattern reflecting those themes from her childhood. Tapley has been featured in regional exhibitions, including the South Carolina State Fair and Artista Vista. She had a profile in Jasper Magazine's Fall 2025 issue. And has also participated in markets such as the Gemini Arts Holiday Market and Carolina Muse’s Artist Jam.

1300 Block of Franklin

Lina Garcia - lgm ceramics
Ceramics

Lina Garcia Mar, b. 1989

Mexican-American artist, raised between border-cities. I am deeply drawn to exploring identity and the fascinating diversity of human emotion. I have been creating ceramics since 2021. Finding this art medium has greatly enriched my life and I aim to share my love for creating with others. I am fairly new to sharing my art, but the few experiences I've had have been so rewarding and life changing, I'd love to be more involved in the Cola makers community!

1300 Block of Franklin

Leisha Scott Designs
Painting

Leisha Scott is a wife, mother, and contemporary artist based in Blythewood, South Carolina. Her journey with art began over a decade ago in New York City, where painting became a therapeutic outlet and a path toward healing.

Today, Leisha creates contemporary abstracts, florals, and bees inspired by her faith-led connection to nature. She enjoys experimenting with color—blending vibrant and muted tones—and brings her work to life through rich textures and subtle touches of gold.

Through her art, Leisha hopes to share a sense of joy, peace, and comfort that uplifts and inspires those who experience it. Leisha's work can be found directly on her website or with Dress The Room Charleston.

1211 Franklin Street
Gardener’s Outpost

Lisa Bone Designs
Ceramics

I’ve been fortunate to be playing in clay for close to 30 years and I do not believe I will ever get tired of it. Clay is such an amazing art form in that there are infinite ways to fire and decorate it. I specialize in alternative firing techniques such as: Raku, Salt Fumed, Horse Hair and midfire functional. I wheel throw, wheel throw & alter, hand build and sculpt clay. And as often in life one thing lead to another - which has led me into different kinds of art such as plasma cut silver plate /metal teapots, pitchers and even hand saws.

Often I purchase old sets of silver plate I needed to figure out how to utilize smaller creamers and sugar bowls.

This led me to start making my assembled figurines which I call my “Girlfriends”.

Just like my handmade ceramics, each one is unique and has its own personality.

No matter what art form I am working on I strive to make each piece with the hopes people will see the subtle things I’ve incorporated into it to make it that much more special. Subtle humor, unexpected touches or additions to vessels. As I’ve gotten older I find myself

Enjoying more organic shapes and designs. I guess art is always evolving, just like the artist.

1209 Franklin Street
The WarMouth

Blk Lava Lamp
Fiber Arts/Textiles

Handmade textiles, vintage quilts, curated fabrics. Quilt coats, tote bags, wall hangings, customs, OH MY!

1400 Block of Franklin

Lonely Swan
Fiber Arts/Textiles

Fonda and I have been sewing and crafting items for the home for years and have fallen in love with rope baskets and bowls; everything from dyeing to designing. The business was started about a year and a half ago, after visiting a rope shop in Asheville and we had a vision of how we would like to start a business using these materials. Embroidery and small batch rope dyeing, thread colors, yarns and tassels, are all part of our creative process in making our rope bowls. With the help of family and friends, we have grown. Currently our bowls and baskets are on sale in 4 retail stores, we’ve participated in several Craft Fair Markets in South Carolina including the SC State Fair. We have recently launched our website, LonelySwan.com We love being a part of the local creative community!

1400 Block of Franklin

Elizabeth b. Ceramics
Ceramics

Elizabeth b. Borowsky is a porcelain ceramic artist living in the low country of South Carolina with her husband and five children. She graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from Clemson University in 2000 with an emphasis in sculpture. Since reuniting with clay in 2013, she has been totally engrossed in stretching her ideas with porcelain as far as they can reach. All of her vases and bowls are wheelthrown. Her sculptural pieces are made by shaping thousands of hand formed textures, appling a small kiln wire to them, and inserting them into a sculpted base. In 2025, she was blessed with winning Best of Show at Atalaya Art Festival and 2nd place at The Palmetto Hands Competition in Charleston, SC.

1400 Block of Franklin

Designs by Lorraine
Other

My name is Lorraine Murphy. I have been painting and sewing my entire life. I make mermaids using fabric, beads, shells and embroidery. I collect mermaids myself and when I couldn't find many I decided to make them myself. Little girls love them and adults do too! I love to give them as gifts to family and friends. I get requests for customizing mermaids with tattoos, colors or embroidered names.

1400 Block of Franklin

Katie Crumpton Art
Mixed Media

Katie Crumpton is an illustrator who draws fun, and whimsical things. She was born and raised in South Carolina, but earned her bachelor’s degree in illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2016.

She is primarily a digital artist, but she also uses traditional mediums such as watercolor, markers, and more. She loves using vivid colors to bring her art to life, and turns her artwork into a variety of products to sell such as art prints, stickers, keychains and more.

Katie has illustrated several children’s books, such as “Yumbo Gumbo”, and “I Too Sing America”. She was also a part of the artist residency program at Redbubble in San Francisco in 2016, and most recently collaborated with the stop motion animation studio LAIKA on a few social media illustration projects.

1300 Block of Franklin

Q Borough Candle Bar
Other

I’m Kim, the owner and candle maker behind Q Borough Candle Bar where each scent is hand-poured with love and a touch of good vibes! I’ve been creating for five years, blending my love of art, fragrance, and mindfulness into candles, wax melts and room sprays that bring warmth and comfort to any space. Every product is crafted in small batches using quality ingredients and inspired by nature, nostalgia, and everyday joy. My work was recently featured in South Carolina Voyager Magazine, highlighting my passion for creating moments of calm and connection through scent.

1300 Block of Franklin

Rachel Hartness
Painting

I'm a landscape and floral artist working with acrylics on canvas and paper, as well as watercolor on high-quality paper. I graduated from Columbia College with a Studio Art degree and have been painting about 19 years on and off around life events.

1300 Block of Franklin

Tobi Elbel - The Galactic Intuitive
Painting

The incredible beauty in the interplay of light and nature consistently grabs my attention, and that contrast and illumination is what I strive to capture in my photographs and paintings. It is the connection between the majesty of Mother Earth's landscapes and animals, and the cosmic frequencies portrayed upon the canvas which I share in the hope they inspire peace, awe, love, and gratitude as they do in me.

1209 Franklin Street
The WarMouth

The Copper Nugget
Jewelry

I have been making and selling since 2013. My work focuses on color theory specifically working with gemstones. I have a deep love of creating unique pieces from found objects you’ll find coins, buttons, gears, springs coils, really anything that’ll be interesting to look at.

1209 Franklin
The WarMouth

Cait Maloney
Painting

Cait Maloney is a published illustrator, award-winning graphic designer, muralist, and exhibition artist based in Columbia, SC. She earned her BFA with a focus in illustration from Syracuse University in 2008 and currently serves as Creative Director at integrated communications firm Flock and Rally, while also running Cait Maloney Creative for specialty illustration, design, and mural projects.

Cait has collaborated with clients including Abita Brewing Company, The Atlanta Braves, the National Park Service, Diesel Fragrance, TD Bank, the YMCA, S.C. Education Lottery, and the S.C. State Fair.