Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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^ THE GAMECOCK • Wednesday, June 13, 2005 J|_| fry SAID IT F | 1 ■ ■ I ^ 11 Jl ■ “IT Y “Maturity is a bitter disappointment for ill I I I J ' 11 /1 I which no remedy exists, unless laughter 111 I 1/ I I can be said to remedy anything.” J IT 1 I j\ — KURT VONNEGUT, author STORE SPOTTER Denim boutique offers more than your dad’s Levi’s PHOTOS BY LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH/ THE GAMECOCK Cobalt carries a variety of high quality denim, including brands like Ben Sherman and Penguin. By KELLY DECKER THE GAMECOCK Spending $100 or more on a pair of jeans might not be your idea of a good investment, but you might change your mind once you visit Cobalt. Located at 1633 Main St., the store opened in the spring of 2004 and carries a wide range of high end denim brands. It is owned by Clark Covington. Covington is a USC graduate with a masters degree in speech communications. He got the idea while attending graduate school and thought it would be something unique to the area. Covington describes Cobalt as “a men’s and women’s casual, contemporary boutique and high end jean store.” Covington said the name comes from the metal element on the periodic table, Co27, and is also a shade of blue. Co27 also happens to be the name of Cobalt’s own private label. He thought the name was different from other boutiques’. Covington said the difference between Cobalt and other Columbia boutiques is its “minimalist presentation.” “Cobalt is something similar to what you would see in New York City or Los Angeles,” Covington said. “Something distinctive about . us is that we carry men’s high-end casual apparel, which is pretty much void everywhere else in Columbia.” Cobalt carries a number of brands, such as Seven For All Mankind, Ben Sherman, Evisu and Penguin. Prices start at $20 for T shirts and jeans can go up to $400. “The number-one selling-brand is Blue 2 by Blue Cult,” Covington said. “Blue 2 jeans are $88, so the trade-off is that you get a high-end pair of jeans for a bargain.” When asked why someone would pay so much for a pair of jeans, Covington answered, “You’ve obviously got to want the jeans badly enough to pay so much for them in the first place. But you have to consider that high-end “Cobalt is something similar to what you would see in New York City or Los Angeles.” CLARK COVINGTON COBALT OWNER jeans last longer than other jeans because of the craftsmanship involved. Approximately 16 hours of craftsmanship are put into each ♦ COBALT, page 7 By ALEXIS ARNONE THE GAMECOCK Artist Carew Rice’s grandson, Clay Rice, will open an exhibit July 15 at the S.C. State Museum, according to a news release. Carl Sandburg has deemed Charlestonian Carew Rice, “America’s greatest silhouettist.” The exhibit, “Southern Shadows: 75 years of Rice Family Silhouettes,” celebrates the Rice family’s 75th year of silhouette-making. This is the first time a main exhibit of this art form has been in South Carolina. “The museum tries to focus on South Carolina artists of all times,” Chief Curator of Art Paul Matheny said. “We have had a few pieces by Carew on display before, and now we wanted to put the focus on what he started for Clay.” The silhouettes date as far back as 1930. They have been taken from the State Museums collection, as well as .collections from other museums. A small part of the exhibit will be dedicated to rare pieces donated from members of the Rice family. t.arew Degan cutting out sunouettes in ms aus — drawing inspiration from a love for art that began as a young boy. His first cutout was a simple jaybird. Luckily, he passed this same love of the art down to his grandson, Clay, who made his first silhouette, a marsh scene with ducks, in his early teens. Clay incorporates landscapes into his silhouettes but says he can put out between 150 200 profile silhouettes a day. The museum’s news release hints that some pieces that took him almost 400 hours to ♦ PROFILE, page 7 IF YOU’RE GOING WHAT: “Southern Shadows: 75 Years of Rice Family Silhouettes" ■ WHERE: The Recent Acquisitions Gallery on the fourth floor of the State Museum, 301 Gervais St. WHEN: July 15 through Jan. 9, Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.