Creative Entrepreneur: Jamee Haley
“Local” is not a trend, it’s a movement.
So says Jamee Haley, executive director of Lowcountry Local First, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the unique identity of the Lowcountry by educating the public on the importance of choosing ‘local’ over big box chain stores with our dollars, our voices, and where it counts most, our hearts.
Haley firmly believes, “If we don’t embrace our local economy, we won’t have it.” The efforts of LLF’s initiatives like “Buy Local, Be Local” encourage the residents of the Lowcountry to give their dollars to locally owned businesses when we shop, keeping our money in the Charleston economy.
Haley knows a thing or two about keeping it local. As a new mother, Haley was redoing her 2-year-old daughter’s bedroom, and couldn’t find décor she liked. As any resourceful mom would do, she made them for herself. Thus her popular line of hand-embroidered pillows was born.
Success came quickly, and before she knew it, 70 stores were carrying her pillows – including Neiman Marcus – and she was faced with making the decision on whether to outsource the work to keep up with demand. “It didn’t sit well with me. I knew how long it took to make those pillows, and the workers [in China] couldn’t be getting paid a fair wage,” says Haley. About that same time LLF was really gearing up and it was a very natural transition to switch to doing something that she felt 100% good about. “I just feel so lucky to do what I’m doing,” she says.
Buy Local, Be Local. Eat Local.
Eat Local is the sustainable agricultural initiative to support and connect local farmers, apprentices, with restaurants and consumers. Programs like Growing New Farmers and Farm Incubator serve to mentor and develop the next generation
of farmers.
Since the beginning of LLF, the Growing New Farmers program has been stewing in the back of Haley’s mind. “Typically my personality is to jump off in a big way…but reality sets in and makes you take baby steps,” Haley laughs. The program trained 40 apprentices in the first two years and, now in its third year, has 30 apprentices, 12 of which are full-time. This program is like a farming internship – apprentices can actually try it out and see if farming is the right avenue for them.
For those who want to start farming in earnest, the Incubator Farm program (partnered with Clemson University) assists individuals in renting 1 – 2 acres of farmland. They also help new farmers by giving them access to shared equipment, a packing shed, farming mentors to provide guidance and more. This allows budding farmers the chance to start learning about and building their business before investing money into their own land.
“If we don’t embrace our local economy, we won’t have it.” –Jamee Haley
1345 Avenue G
North Charleston
843.740.5444
lowcountrylocalfirst.org
words: Stacy Huggins
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