In the magazine world, the September issue is the most anticipated arrival of the year. It’s the unofficial first look at this season’s fashion trends and predictions for the upcoming year. It’s the issue fashionistas can’t wait to get their hands on. So it is with much excitement that we present you, dear reader, with our own localized style and fashion issue.

This year, we are elated to feature Capitol, a luxury clothing boutique that offers designs from Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Gucci and Saint Laurent, as well as high-end jewelry and accessories. To showcase their beautiful styles and this season’s hottest looks, we went to the Duke Mansion for a photo shoot with one of Charlotte’s most recognizable media personalities, Barbara McKay.

If you’re in the need of a fashion-forward getaway, we’ve curated a style-focused trip to the Big Apple just in time for New York Fashion Week on Page XX.

We’ve also got a little something in store for the fashionistas out there who enjoy the fine arts. On Page XX, read about Charlotte’s own modern art museum, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

So without further adieu, happy fall, South Charlotte, and please enjoy our annual style and fashion issue!

Lyn Coaldwell, Publisher

As summer draws to end and nights that were spent around the campfire roasting marshmallows become all too quickly replaced by quiet evenings preparing for school the next morning, it’s easy to feel melancholy as we bid this sunny season farewell. While the days of sitting poolside outstretched on a lounge chair are quickly dwindling, the dawn of August brings more than a change in season. 

As the squeal of brakes fill your neighborhood when the school bus makes its rounds, halting to pick up every doe-eyed child with their brand-new school attire, a change of pace begins. You launder the beach towels and return them to their shelves in the linen closet where they’ll remain until next year and begin planning your errands around the school traffic patterns. 

But with a new change in pace brings new routines and new opportunities. A sense of renewal fills the air. Whether you’re 50 or you’re 5, back-to-school season affects those all around the community. And because of that, we have dedicated our August issue to some of our cutest residents: kids and pets!

Within these pages, we bring you an incredible article about a local nonprofit organization that makes one little girl’s dream come true. We’ve also interviewed two exceptional and determined young adults who are creating their own destiny and making waves in the community. 

But that’s just a little sneak peek. You’ll have to delve deeper into our pages to read everything we have compiled for you in this issue. 

And I can’t forget to mention the beautiful baby boy we have featured above. Jamie is our publisher, Lyn’s, 10-month-old step-grandson. 

Cheers to another wonderful month ahead, South Charlotte. We hope to see you around! 

Emily Shea, Editorial Coordinator

Summertime is a magical season. The kids are out of school, the sunshine seems never-ending and there’s no shortage of adventures that await. For many, summer evokes fond memories of childhood—sleepaway camp, family vacations and swimming until your fingers shriveled like prunes.

We also celebrate our nation’s independence, host parties for our friends and family and, if we’re lucky, take a much-earned vacation! We’ve featured the ideal summer getaway on page XX [Travel Destination].

In this issue of South Charlotte Lifestyle, we want to remind you why summer is a season of opportunity. From an unforgettable meal at Burtons Grill to a day well spent hiking, swimming or maybe a little bit of both at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, we’ve got a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy in this issue. 

With so much to see and do this month, we only scratched the surface of what South Charlotte has to offer—but we hope this issue gets you off to a good start. Happy exploring!

We hope to see you around!

Emily Shea, Editorial Coordinator

OK, gentlemen. You’ve waited patiently for your turn. Last month, we brought you our Ladies issue—it is ladies first, after all—and this month, we present our “Gents” issue, celebrating all things masculine.

Of course, there’s Father’s Day on June 16, but there are so many more reasons why it’s great to be a guy this month. With the summer season underway, the long, sunny days can be filled with backyard cookouts, baseball games, camping trips, fishing excursions and so much more.

To gather information for this issue, we looked to the experts: the men of South Charlotte! Booking a vacation this summer? Check out our guide to Denver, with recommendations for every type of guy, from the art buff to the adventure seeker.

We’ve also included some special articles about Martinizing Dry Cleaning and ShelfGenie to help keep your life clean and organized. So, gents, crack open a cold one, because this month is all about you!

All the best, 

George Zorrilla

Co-Publisher

“She believed she could, so she did.” –R.S. Grey

Ladies, this one’s for you. In this issue, we highlight all the wonderful women in our community—CEOs, business owners and nonprofit leaders, just to name a few. The following pages are filled with stories to inspire us all to appreciate the women in our lives and to strengthen the connection we have with our mothers, sisters, friends and daughters.

From a feature about two local sisters at the forefront of the hair care industry with their organic and vegan product line to personal interviews with women leaders in the nonprofit sector, our Women’s issue serves to recognize the powerful role women have in our community and beyond. (And don’t worry, gentlemen; you’ll have your moment—stay tuned.)

So, to the women of South Charlotte—may you find a quiet moment (or two) to enjoy this issue we’ve lovingly dedicated to you.

Love from one woman to another, 

Emily Shea

Editorial Coordinator 

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of nature springing to life after a long winter’s nap. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and children are playing outside as the weather gets warmer and the days grow longer.

This month at South Charlotte Lifestyle, we bring you our Eco issue in honor of Earth Day on April 22. Inspired by the infinite beauty of the earth—and our desire to preserve and protect it—we compiled an array of eco-conscious and eco-friendly businesses and people making a difference right here in our community.

From eco-friendly travel to luxury cars with environmentally friendly features, this issue is a celebration of all things Mother Nature. Throughout this issue, you’ll find simple ways to be more eco-friendly, from supporting a local farmers market to utilizing solar power. 

Whether or not you have a green thumb, we hope the stories in these pages invoke feelings of gratitude for the wonderful world we live in—and the wonderful people in our community who strive to sustain it.

Not sure where to start? When you’ve finished enjoying this issue, we encourage you to recycle it so it can be turned into future magazines. After all, that’s what makes the world go ‘round!

Happy spring, South Charlotte!

Emily Shea, editorial coordinator

“Home is where the heart is.” It’s a common phrase meaning that our homes are a central place in our lives—where we rest our heads, nourish our bodies and make fond memories with loved ones. It’s the epicenter of our worlds, where we start and end each day, and where we keep our most prized possessions.

This month, we bring you our Home issue, which is full of all things related to where you dwell. From a feature about a $1.5 million luxury listing in Waxhaw to a short travel article about finding a little piece of home while you’re on vacation, we invite you to get homey with us.

We hope this issue inspires you to appreciate the place you call home—both your personal digs and our shared community—whether you’ve just moved or it’s a place your family has occupied for generations.

Here’s to home sweet home!

Emily Shea, Editorial Coordinator

We are so excited to bring you our Second Annual Reader’s Choice issue! 

This issue has been completely designed with you, our readers, in mind–and even with a little bit of your help! Within this issue you will find our 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards that were decided by you. This year’s winners are a collection South Charlotte businesses and hard-working members of our community that did more than just make the cut. They made such a positive impact on you, that they topped the list after a round of nominations and voting. They are the “best of the best” so to say. 

We also present you with two other exciting articles this month. But we’re not giving anything away–you’ll have delve a little deeper within our pages to see what those are. (But if you read the teasers on our front cover, you may have a slight idea of what you’ll find.) I may be biased, but I’d say they’re both worth a read. 

As always, thank you for your continued support. We love our community.

All the best, 

Emily Shea, Editor

As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. And time sure has flown by this year as we can’t believe we’ve put together the final issue of South Charlotte Lifestyle in 2018! It seems like just yesterday we were sitting down to write our January letter to all of you—talking about resolutions and renewal—and yet, here we are, almost time to do it again.

There’s a unique perspective that working in publishing brings. While we certainly don’t want to wish our lives away, we’re always looking toward the future. Whether it’s planning our next issue or developing story ideas for the next year, we’re often already fast forwarded to future months before the current month has even begun.

The fast-paced lifestyle this industry calls for can often make it difficult to really settle down and absorb what’s going on around us and, before we know it, the year is over and it’s time to move forward again.

So this December, we hope you take the time to slow down a little bit. With the holiday season upon us, we hope you make the time to take it all in. Enjoy your time with family and friends, bask in the magic of the winter season, reflect on past memories you hold closely in your hearts and keep the new ones you create in the present for as long as you can. We’ll take your lead, and we can’t wait to see you next year!

With love, 

Your South Charlotte Lifestyle Team

November marks the beginning of my favorite time of year. After a day of candy-filled laughs and a costume held together by duck tape and a faulty safety pin, I dawn my Santa hat as soon as the clock strikes midnight on October 31. Don’t get me wrong, I love Halloween. But Thanksgiving and Christmas are my jam. 

It’s so easy to get caught in a rut, to focus on the bad instead of good and ultimately give up on trying to find the happy in even the worst of situations. But November offers the perfect time to regroup; to stop, find yourself in the flurry of it all and tell yourself, “I, and every other human being, am worthy of love.” 

Although it may seem silly, that’s really what this time of year is all about. We gather on Thanksgiving–sharing smiles and belly laughs between bites of buttery mashed potatoes and wholesome pumpkin pie–and on Christmas–sharing family traditions and watching little ones viciously tear open their presents, gasping in pure joy when they see that Santa has brought them the gift they’ve been asking for all year long–to spread love and happiness with one another.

To experience these moments is to be blessed, regardless of the little things that may have went wrong or the worries of what could happen tomorrow or the next day that cloud your mind. Ground yourself. Be in the moment. It’s not silly. Rejoice in all that Thanksgiving and Christmas have to offer, even if it means putting up with your mother-in-law’s annoying laugh for a few days or taking on the burden of cooking for 15 instead of four.

In the spirit of it all, I’d like to remind each and every reader how thankful I am for your continued support and attention each month. You all inspire me to bring you a heart-warming and meaningful magazine each month. Thank you. 

Happy Holidays, 

Emily Shea, Editor