Our Hands Together, Irmo

When the recession hit, Sheri Hood responded by founding Our Hands Together: a marketplace that supports local artisans and strengthens their community ties. Inside the store, wares from more than 60 merchants radiate personality from their own booths. Shelves display an eclectic range of media, collecting jewelry and blown glass alongside paintings, handbags, and crocheted pieces. Handmade and utterly unique, many works have been assembled from recycled or repurposed materials, a practice that also inspired the market's Trash-to-Treasure art festival and foster home for used paintbrushes.

Though each artisan brings his or her own vibrant contribution to Our Hands Together, Lake Murray magazine asserts that "the community spirit is its real ambiance." Sheri lets area children and teens rent a plot for their art next to the professionals, and several classes scheduled per month welcome students of all ages to shape their own opera.:m]]