How did we become an art gallery and a wine boutique?
Thanks for stopping by. We’re Suzy and Forrest King, and we can’t wait to invite you into our art gallery and wine store.
We’re lifelong residents of Brunswick County. In fact, Suzy has lived most of her life right here in Calabash. She grew up only a few yards away from where the shop stands today.
As for Forrest, he’s something of a local legend, having once tracked three bank robbers from Calabash across the state line into South Carolina, leading to their arrests. He ended up on a national television show as a result. And he had only gone out to run some errands with the dog.
Fortunately, we don’t get that kind of drama very much around here. Nowadays, we get our excitement from discovering new artists, seeing new art or introducing a previously unknown bottle of wine to our line-up.
The shop itself is our second successful business venture together. Let’s take you back in time.
Before the art and wine
Suzy began her professional life as a darkroom operator back in the days of film photography, eventually setting up her own photography studio.
She started taking pictures at the age of 11, when her father brought home a second-hand Polaroid camera. Her love of photography grew quickly. She studied photography at the Art Institute of Atlanta, and opened a studio in Calabash in one half of a commercial building that her mother built. She shot family portraits, weddings, and the occasional commercial job.
By then, we’d already met. The thing is, Suzy was shooting weddings at weekends, so if we wanted to go on a date, it would have to be at a wedding she was photographing. And we figured that if we were both there anyway, we might as well both take pictures.
The photography business was a success. By 2006, we’d built on to the original studio, and we were selling some of our own original photography art. And that’s really how today’s shop got started.
Local artists asked if we would sell their work too, and things grew from there.
The local art shop is born
In 2019, after 37 years as photographers, we were ready for something new. So, when Novant moved out of the unit next door that they were renting from us, we decided to take the opportunity to move into the much larger space, and focus on selling art and supporting local artists.
Forrest converted the space into what you can see today if you pay a visit.
Adding the boutique wine shop and wine bar
At first, we just sold arts and crafts. And we’d probably still be doing that if we hadn’t seen something on TV that showed people in a gallery drinking wine while admiring the art. Something clicked. Art and wine go together perfectly.
Do you want to know a secret? At the time, neither of us knew anything about wine. In fact, we were both staunch beer drinkers! (If you’re new to wine, we know what it’s like.)
But we’ve enjoyed bringing wine into the business, Forrest especially. He goes out to the distributors and loves nothing more than exploring the lesser-known wines in their catalogs.
We’re careful to make sure you’ll find something you recognize when you visit us. But we know you’ll fall in love with something that you won’t find in the big wine stores.
“Calabash Art and Curios is my favorite store to visit in Calabash. They have a lot to choose from. They have a great selection of wine and they offer wine tastings. Their beautiful art would make a great addition to your home or office. I personally have to get their homemade jams, pickles and okra every time I visit. Take a peek at their jewelry. The owners are some of the nicest people you will meet.”
“My husband and I frequently visit the two nicest people in the world. Beautiful store amazing winery but it’s the owners that make the place. My husband and I are blessed to have them both in our life and genuinely enjoy just chatting with them and having the opportunity to give love to River, their dog. What a gem.”
Free wine tastings
What’s really delighted us about the wine, though, is how successful our free Thursday evening wine tastings have become. Not just because they are great for business, but because they have grown into a real community event.
Every week, between 75 and 150 people come to the store. Familiar faces, and new ones, spend time learning about new wines and making new friends.
We never intended it, but the wine tastings have become the social glue for many local people. And they’ve helped plenty of newcomers to town become part of our community by giving them a friendly and welcoming occasion to attend every week.
So whether you’re a long-time wine fan or a newbie, a long-time resident or just arrived in town, you’ll feel at home with us.
