We see your cursor hovering over the “buy now” button. Don’t you click that! Jeff Bezos doesn’t need your money. Yes, we know Black Friday and the holiday season are both coming right up, but skip the deluge of cardboard boxes and turn your gaze local, instead. We Memphians know that this city is blessed with an abundance of both creative and entrepreneurial spirits, and there’s just so dang much cool stuff that they’re producing on a daily basis. Our 2023 alternative shopping guide features plenty of unique creations, from up-and-coming fashion designers, to glassware grotesqueries, to your next board game fix. So put those dollars back into local pockets and check out this year’s roundup of Memphis goods.
#JaydaStitchedIt
If you’re looking for a trendy way to include your favorite memories in your clothing, or pay homage to your alma mater or sports team, then look no further than a custom item designed by Memphis designer Jayda Stotts. The 23-year-old fashion designer is a graduate from Clark Atlanta University, and her work has been worn by celebrities to red carpets and events. Notable names include GloRilla, Gloss Up, and K Carbon. It’s been hard to track down who exactly started the tapestry set trend, but when Stotts saw it take over social media, she knew she wanted to put her own twist on it. She artistically combines the use of collages, photos, and other elements to create high quality hoodies, pants, and two-piece sets.
Shortly after posting a few sets, Stotts’ inboxes would be flooded with requests for sets for graduation pictures, homecomings, birthdays, and more. “I love doing them because they bring joy to people when they get a custom design for a loved one,” says Stotts. “It makes me feel good to know I made someone’s day with something they can have forever.” Orders can be placed by contacting Stotts at 901-445-0509, or by visiting her website: jaydastitchedit.myshopify.com. — Kailynn Johnson
Prometheus Glassworks
“I saw glass as a young kid, and it looked like some kind of arcane magic,” says Dale Strand, the artist behind Prometheus Glassworks. “I decided I’m gonna figure out how to cast those spells.”
When you think about glass art, it tends to be either your grandma’s precious tchotchkes or hyper-expensive museum abstractions. “We’re working in a more sculptural direction. That’s the next frontier,” Strand says.
His creations can be abstract, like his Christmas ornament covered in eyeballs, or character-based, like the friendly, grinning cyclops shot glass. And they are cozy, in their own way. “I think it’s kind of creepy-cool or creepy-cute because they’re not like totally grotesque, but they’re, you know, creepy enough. That’s my customers right there.”
The self-taught Strand makes his glass monsters in his garage. “I’ve got a kiln and a bench mounted torch. So it’s not quite as big of an operation as like Dale Chihuly, who would do that big, hot shop glass.”
His artistic inspirations are also not what you would expect from an artist with the skill to make a realistic strawberry and delicate mushrooms out of glass. “Frank Frazetta is one of those fantasy art guys from the ’70s. It’s the stuff you would see painted on the side of a van, but more fine-arty.”
Find his creations on Instagram (@PrometheusGlassworks) and buy directly from Prometheus Glassworks on Etsy. — Chris McCoy
Abducktion
Prepare for intergalacDuck shenanigans! Anyone who knows me knows that I love ducks. So when, in late 2022, I caught wind of Very Special Games’ mash-up of sci-fi mischief and the famous waterfowl, I thought, “Here’s a game made specifically for me.”
Abducktion is, as of now, the latest creation by Very Special Games founders Evan Katz and Josh Roberts (you may have read about some of their other games, like Charty Party, in the Flyer’s pages before). And it’s a deviation from their normal card-based designs, with a whole board’s worth of miniature duck figurines and a large UFO comprising the pieces.
And, guys, the whole point of the game is getting your ducks in a row. Genius. You’ll draw a card from the deck and try to arrange several multi-colored ducks on your board into a specific pattern to get points, upon which said ducks will be whisked away by the central spaceship. Where do they go? Who cares, you got points!
It’s a fairly simple game, like their others, perfect for a quick get-together of 20 or so odd minutes. We busted it out for the first time at Memphis Made, with plenty of folks wandering over to marvel at the cute lil’ hand-painted birds. A friend borrowed it for a family trip, and reported that their young cousins couldn’t stop playing. So if you’re looking to pick up a new game, why not support a local creator at the same time?
Order Abducktion ($39.99 for the base game/$44.99 for base game + expansion) at veryspecialgames.com. — Samuel X. Cicci
Roses, Dust & Ashes Oracle Deck
Some choices are best left to fate, and most, like your holiday shopping, are best left to a bit of reflection and soul-searching. And for the person in your life who is all about reflection and soul-searching, this oracle deck crafted by artist Stacey Williams-Ng just may be the perfect gift. It’s also a great gift for the taphophile, or cemetery lover, in your life, she adds. After all, this oracle deck of 36 hand-painted cards pays homage to Victorian mourning symbolism through hand-painted illustrations of cemetery symbols from around the world, with even a few from Memphis’ very own Elmwood Cemetery.
As a graphic designer, Williams-Ng’s interest in symbolism led her to volunteering at Elmwood Cemetery, where she’s headed tours on Victorian mourning symbolism for the past few years. “Basically, I wanted to take those meanings and translate them to these cards,” Williams-Ng says. “The cards, believe it or not, are not macabre at all. There’s only two cards in there that are ‘sad.’ It’s not like a whole card deck about weeping and crying and sadness at all.”
