The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta finds for your home — and for you
Local products worth knowing include luxury scents, joggling boards.
Low country special
In many low country homes, a joggling board is a front porch staple. Inspired by this simple symbol of the South, an Atlanta couple created a company that specializes in handcrafted joggling boards.
What’s a joggling board? A long, pliable wooden board supported by a frame on each end. When you sit on it, it jiggles, sending sitters closer to the middle — and each other. The boards were once referred to as “courting benches,” where young couples would sit and get to know each other.
The founders: Matt and Mary Nelson Barnett met at the University of Georgia. After college, the couple married and moved to Atlanta, where Mary Nelson is an interior designer and artist and Matt is a marketer and product developer. When a relative in Atlanta couldn’t find a joggling board she liked, it gave the couple the idea to design one.
The company: Atlanta-based Oyster Creek Trading, founded in May 2015, creates joggling boards in three sizes. The strong boards, which can be used indoors or out, are made on Edisto Island, S.C., and finished in Atlanta.
Best-seller: The 14-foot-long joggling board in Charleston Green ($549).
Other favorites: The 12-foot ($499) and 16-foot ($649) joggling boards. Stock colors are Charleston Green and Savannah Grey. Custom colors are available for an additional $50.
Fun request: Custom plaques attached to a joggling board, often commemorating an anniversary, birthday or some other milestone.
Where to buy: www.oystercreektrading.com. In Atlanta, a joggling board is on display at Onward Reserve, 3072 Early St. NW in Buckhead (onwardreserve.com).
Fresh scents
Atlanta perfumer Shelley Kyle creates custom fragrances using a mix of fresh herbs, fruits and spices that remind her of growing up in the South.
The company: Shelley Kyle Inc. started in 1992. The Atlanta-based company offers a luxury collection of fresh and unique fragrances for the body and home in containers and packaging that are reminiscent of the perfumer’s love of French Baroque elegance. Gift box sets range from $44 to $110.
The founder: A Tennessee native, Kyle began her fragrance journey 25 years ago when she started decorating perfume bottles with crystals and bobbles as a hobby. She later sold the pretty bottles to stores, including Bloomingdale’s. After being urged to fill the bottles with something, she apprenticed with a perfumer to learn the craft of making fragrances. Kyle started manufacturing, packaging and selling out of her Buckhead apartment before moving her operation to a Midtown warehouse.
The first: The light and crisp Shelley Kyle collection. It is now one of eight collections of perfumes, creams, powders and soaps in the company’s line.
Best-sellers: Tiramani fragrance with its notes of blood orange, Madonna lily, white nectarine and more. Also the talcfree linen and body powders ($37 each), plus the shimmer powder ($23) and shimmer powder set ($39).
What’s new: Lorelei fragrance, which launched in June for the company’s 25th anniversary.
Where to buy: shelleykyle. com. In Atlanta, at several shops, including Julian’s Cosmetics + Skincare in Brookhaven ( julianscosmetics.com) and the Office Party in Marietta (Facebook: the Office Party).
Urban cruisers
Ryan Akin grew up skateboarding and still enjoys the sport. But now he also designs and builds one-of-a-kind skateboards from reclaimed wood in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward.
The company: Atlanta-based Lightboards started in the spring of 2014. It manufactures skateboard decks and sells them as complete skateboards with quality parts chosen to match their design and colors. Akin wanted to invest in his community in a practical way and started the company to provide part-time employment and mentorship to young men in the neighborhood.
Founder and designer: Akin graduated from the University of Florida and earned a master’s degree from Georgia Tech in mechanical engineering. He is employed as an information technology consultant and routinely works on Lightboards at night and on the weekends in a space at Studioplex.
What’s popular: The longboards ($250-$300). They are equipped with large wheels, wide trucks, and cut-out designs for a smooth ride.
Other favorites: Laminated skateboard decks made from local hardwoods, especially the ones with a kick-tail on the back and a hand-painted city skyline design. They sell for around $250. Fun sale: Sold a skateboard to a woman who planned to give it to her husband for his 59th birthday.
Where to buy: lightboards.com