Lowcountry Local First Revival

Shine, we hardly knew ye. Rest in peace, Estella Vitae. And we know it's not a done deal quite yet, but 52.5's ship has sunk. Charleston's lost a lot of local businesses this year, and Lowcountry Local First is giving them a New Orleans-style funeral as part of their Revival. "We felt like it was important to have a call to arms on why it's important that we support these local businesses, that there are local businesses that are going out," says Jamee Haley, the executive director of LLF. A procession will march from John Street to 501 King St. - watch out for protestors supporting big box stores. Cary Ann Hearst will be leading a gospel choir, sermons will be given, and LLF members will testify. They'll have a "Keep King Street Local" petition for guests to sign as well as suggestion boxes for the city and LLF on how they can help local businesses. Attendees are asked to wear green. "We're really trying to create a unified and strong spirit around supporting this local economy and how important that is to the future of our community," Haley says. -Susan Cohen