While Kyle Petersen and Annie Boiter-Jolley have planted themselves firmly in the Columbia arts and music scene for close to a decade, it hasn’t been until recently that they finally decided to put down serious roots in the area, specifically in the Earlewood community.
After renting a home on River Drive for the past two years, the couple has decided to call Earlewood their permanent home. They recently purchased the vacant house next door to the one they currently live in and will be moving in soon.
The couple both graduated from USC in 2009, got married in 2011, and are currently both working on earning their PhDs.
Since their time in college, Petersen and Boiter-Jolley have both been heavily involved in the local arts scene. Petersen works as a DJ at WUSC, writes for the Free Times, Shuffle Magazine and is the music editor of Jasper Magazine. Boiter-Jolley also works at Jasper Magazine as operation’s manager and is a member of the Columbia Community Orchestra.
While they’ve lived in various places across Columbia during the years, they said they found the growth and hospitality of the Earlewood neighborhood to be inviting and a good reason to call the area home longer than they had expected.
What attracted you to Earlewood in the first place?
K: We wanted to be close to downtown, and we’ve always been fans of older homes that feel like they have a sense of history about them. When we got a good deal on a house with plenty of room, we jumped on it.
Why did you decide to buy a home here?
K: We debated for a while about whether to buy, since we are both graduate students. A tenure track position often requires moving across the country. At this point, though, we feel such a part of the Columbia community that we really feel comfortable putting some roots down.
A: In addition to the larger Columbia community, we also love the sense of neighborhood community that Earlewood has, which we realized during the year and a half that we’ve rented here. The community is so active, and it really seems like people watch out for each other.
How have you seen the community grow and change since you’ve lived here?
K: Well, I’ve been in Columbia for about eight years now, since I started undergrad, and Earlewood about two years. It definitely seems like the Earlewood community is fairly active and growing, with a nice mix of older and younger residents. In the larger community of Columbia, it’s been great to watch the Main Street area blossom with all these new art galleries and businesses. Being five minutes away from the Nickelodeon and the Columbia Museum of Art is something too easily taken for granted.
A: I grew up about 30 minutes outside of Columbia, but came to town often, so I’ve really seen Columbia change over the years. It does feel like maybe more younger people are moving to the neighborhood.
In what ways would you like to see the community grow or change?
K: I’m all about change, but for right now I think Columbia is moving in a good direction in a lot of ways. I don’t think city and county governments are always at their best in terms of ethics or transparency, but you have to take the bad along with the good. It will be great when the Riverwalk and Greenway finally get completed. I’d like to see a few midsize music venues, a midsize black box performance space, that kind of thing.We’re still in the infancy of nurturing a creative class, and it will take a lot of little things to keep moving forward.
A: I’d love to see more business like the Wine Garage open in the area. I’d also like to see more stuff happening at the amphitheatre in Earlewood Park.
Landon and Jordan Thompson grew up in Nashville, so it is understandable that they love music and are accomplished musicians. Landon plays the guitar and piano and both of them are excellent vocalists as well. They are also artists and enjoy painting and crafts. In 2010 they moved to Earlewood and purchased their first home – a brick bungalow on Lakewood. Since then they have had a succession of home improvement projects. Landon says, “We love building things and making our house into a place that we really want to live in. If there’s an area of the house that is not enjoyable to look at, it won’t take us too long to change it!” Because of their passion for decorating in a thrifty way, they were featured on The Nate Berkus Show, “House Proud.” The show flew both of them to New York City for three days where they each remodeled a small chest-of-drawers in the thrifty DIY fashion and then presented them on the show to Nate. Jordan describes the trip as “…truly a wonderful experience!” In 2006 Landon and Jordan started their photography/videography business, Landon Jacob Productions, and specialize in capturing a couple’s journey from their engagement through their wedding. And now because many of their clients are having babies they are also beginning to add this subject matter to their repertoire!
Clayton King and Jeffery Schwalk have called Columbia home for more than two years now. A native of Texas, Clayton grew up in Galveston and after school relocated to Austin. He and Jeffery lived in the state capital for 24 years when another state capital beckoned – Columbia. As a theater performance major, Clayton has spent the last 20 plus years as a creative entrepreneur in marketing and event management. In the early 2000s, he was a principal partner in an on-line jewelry business which focused on trend-setting jewelry for men. Prior to that, he served in executive and management positions in the travel and technology fields. Last month, Clayton opened Artizan, Columbia’s newest boutique at the corner of Bull and Gervais streets. The space was once part of the original Leon Ritter Furs storefront dating back to the 1930s. Leon Ritter split the store, creating the suite at 1217 Bull Street. For 20 years, the space was a beauty parlor which catered to fashionable ladies, but since 1976 has been vacant – until Artizan. “The transformation of our showroom has been a fun and exciting and sometimes daunting experience,” says Clayton, whose creative touch permeates the premises. “I am excited to be in downtown Columbia. The space provides a simple but comfortable and elegant showroom to visit.”
Savannah Summers, groomer and daughter of the owner of Critter Coiffures on Elmwood Avenue, quite naturally is an animal lover. But she takes that love a step further than most.
Robin Hallyburton is into the arts. So it was no wonder that she and her husband, Scott, acquired one of the newly built Craftsmen-style houses that blended with their desire for to be in an established neighborhood.A classically trained bassist, Robin is Development Director for the South Carolina Philharmonic. She grew up in Spartanburg, graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in music and then launched a professional career that included heading up development for The Atlanta Opera before coming to Columbia.
Ford Mason grew up in Miami, Florida. He completed his undergraduate degree in psychology at Florida State and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Mason worked in the SC Department of Corrections as the Chief Psychologist and a Mental Health Coordinator. After his retirement, he developed Mason Properties, wherein he owns and manages 21 rental properties including a recently constructed 8 bedroom mountain lodge in Montreat, NC.Ford and his wife, Martha, have lived in Earlewood for 35 years. They moved to Keenan Drive shortly after their marriage. They both have been very active in ECCO. His wife was the first president of the organization, and Ford has held the presidency twice and served in many other offices. He has been responsible for newsletter distribution for a number of years.Ford and Martha have two children, Jonathan and Jennifer, who attended neighborhood schools, (McCants Elementary, Rhame Elementary and St. Andrews Middle) and were honor graduates at Dreher High School, and the University of South Carolina Honors College. Jonathan is pursuing a doctorate in Mathematics and Jennifer is pursuing a doctorate in Industrial Engineering.
Bill Roberson owns Classical Glass on North Main Street.Bill Roberson and his wife, Hi, have lived in Earlewood for 20 years. So it was no surprise when Bill moved his business, Classical Glass, from Millwood to North Main in 2001 instead of going to Rosewood or The Vista. He already knew that the area near where he lived had the most potential.Bill always has been a creative person. He grew up in North Carolina and was graduated from East Carolina University. He went on to receive his Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of Alabama. He has been a professional actor for more than 30 years, appearing in 18 feature films. Those films include some of the best, including Forest Gump, Patch Adams, The Patriot, Leatherheads and Radio. He is often recognized around town from appearing in the Riverbanks Zoo commercials where he sings “Wild Thing.”
Erik Rutherford is a fourth generation Columbian, who now is growing his family and his business from Earlewood.Erik is married to Tiaa Booker Rutherford. Tiaa is a neighborhood planner for Richland County and also chairs the City of Columbia’s Planning Commission. They have a wonderfully energetic daughter, Nina, who is a third grader at Logan Elementary School. Their other family member is Omar, a beagle.Erik has a prospering Allstate Insurance Agency on North Main Street. It is a multi-cultural agency that can handle insurance requests for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking customers. He was a founding advertiser in the Earlewood newsletter.
There is nothing shy and retiring about Rebecca Spratlin – especially when it comes to animals and the environment.As a result, Rebecca has become an Earlewood advocate, taking the lead in our effort to create a dog park at the entrance to Earlewood at River Drive.Rebecca and her husband, Martin, grew up in the Atlanta area. Martin is an assistant solicitor for Sumter County. Rebecca works at the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Bureau of Water where she is the Watershed Manager for the Saluda and Savannah River Basins.The Spratlins already have quite a family.