Shopping in Ladson

During the mid-1970s, two touring musicians named Ed Blanton Jr. and Bubba Willis opened the original Encore Music to share their vast knowledge with aspiring tunesmiths and to stock a variety of quality instruments that would rival the inventory of a large franchise store. Though successful, the partners eventually went their separate ways in 1986. Ed Blanton Jr.’s son, Ed Blanton III, revived Encore Music two decades later with the same goals in mind, calling upon his experiences in the East Coast punk-rock scene to motivate young musicians and mohawks to reach for the sky. In its current incarnation, Encore Music now offers music lessons in guitar, bass, piano, and drums, and stocks all the equipment necessary to create an at-home recording studio.

The water starts to darken along a stretch of marsh grasses, just before its surface is slashed apart by the fins of hungry redfish. The redfish trap schools of mullet into a tight corral—and then go into a feeding frenzy. South Carolina fishermen love this scenario. The owners of The Charleston Angler love it, too, which is why they founded their shop back in 2000. The shop's crew of seasoned anglers supply fly, inshore, and offshore fishermen with tackle specific to South Carolina's waters, from the coastal flats that draw trophy tarpon to the inland lakes filled with blue catfish. Along with advising customers on gear from brands such as Shimano, Penn, and St. Croix, the shop hosts classes and seminars. These sessions can cover topics as broad as Orvis fly-fishing, or as specific as catching bass in the cypress-strewn swamps of Francis Marion National Forest.

Beyond tackle and apparel—some of which comes from their own "Redfish" line of t-shirts, trucker hats, ball caps, visors, and jackets—The Charleston Angler offers fly-fishing and light-tackle charters and runs an in-house embroidery boutique. The staff also posts tips, insights, fish haikus, and fishing reports on its Reel Blog and encourages customers to share their fish stories.

Betty Lilly opened Frame Up in 1977 to preserve the cherished photos and artwork of her clientele. Three years later, she handed over ownership to her daughter Denise Mosimann, who has held the custom-framed reigns of the family business ever since. Today, the framing professional and her staff will meet one-on-one with customers to customize jobs and update already framed items, selecting from the troves of mats and multicolored mouldings housed within the onsite framing facility. The preservation pros take as little as one day (depending on availability) to protect photos, diplomas, and the promo posters of successful home movies behind museum-quality glass. Frame Up also specializes in selling local and wildlife artwork, including prints from John James Audubon's Birds of America.

Since 1989, The Carousel Boutique’s clothier Beth Anne Kenna has outfitted ankle biters with homespun and designer children's fashions in boys’ sizes newborn to 4T and girls’ sizes newborn to 10. She crafts matching doll dresses, polka-dot hair bows from grosgrain ribbon, and baby booties by hand. She also personalizes ensembles with custom embroidery or skull and smiley ribbons, which allows parents to distinguish the good twin from the bad one.

Within a carpeted storefront flanked with mannequins rocking the latest looks, David's Tuxedos's ace personnel fits clientele with dapper threads, hats, and footwear for formal events and special occasions. Replete with accessories such as bow ties, cummerbunds, and studs, tuxedos embrace bodies with suits and vest styles tailored to wedding ceremonies, proms, or other school functions. A special selection of brightly colored tuxedos in 10 different shades is also available for purchase or rental in sizes up to 2X and in tall varieties.

Driven by the idea that "families that play together stay together," Leisure Depot's retailers outfit homes with spas, billiards tables, pools, and recreational gear. In the vast show room, customers wind between game tables, patio umbrellas, indoor and outdoor furnishings, and bubbling hot tubs by Jacuzzi Premium, Leisure Bay, Viking, and Dream Maker. Leisure Depot's pool specialists teach homeowners how to maintain their basins with in-home pool-care tutorials. Upon request, they can contribute to upkeep with maintenance services such as cleaning spas or spraying them to prevent mermaid infestation. The company also delivers chemicals and accessories free of charge.