For Candice Mahala, manager and co-owner of Bistro Toulouse, the road to culinary greatness was an obvious choice. At an age when most girls have Barbie on the brain, Candice was focused on baguettes and blue cheese. “I have loved cooking since I was a little kid,” said Candice. “I remember preparing a five-course dinner for my parents’ anniversary when I was […]

Dr. Emily Curry, owner of Sweetgrass Eyecare, has been fascinated with the human eye since high school. After working in the optometric field in college, she knew that becoming an optometrist was her dream. She earned a bachelor of arts in Biochemistry from Otterbein College and went on to graduate first in her class with […]

Soon after finishing her degree in accounting, Gail Holdcraft started making cake. While working for former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley’s father after graduation, Holdcraft had one of her first opportunities in custom baking. She prepared a wedding cake for the daughter of one of her co-workers – and learned an important lesson. “The cake icing […]

After 20 years practicing dentistry, Dr. Cynthia Garner still sees every patient who walks in her doors at Garner Family Dentistry as a special individual. No matter what the age, it’s important to Garner and her team that each person’s needs are considered and an individualized treatment plan is developed. For Dr. Garner, dentistry isn’t […]

Stephanie Kelley, the new executive director of East Cooper Community Outreach, has lived in Mount Pleasant since 2011, but she has supported the mission of ECCO for much longer. A self-described extrovert who is “energized by her interactions with others,” Kelley knew that working for her community would satisfy her soul. “Throughout the years, I’ve […]

Dr. Lauren Callison grew up, like many of us do, a little bit uncomfortable and uneasy about trips to the dentist’s office. A large part of that anxiety stemmed from the small amount of interaction she had from “those that were behind the mask.” As Dr. Callison left home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to pursue undergraduate studies in North Carolina at Elon University, she was […]

We are put on this Earth to be a blessing to others. Those words of wisdom were said to Dr. Nicole Dahlkemper years ago and have truly translated into how she lives her life and how she runs her practice – Water’s Edge Dentistry. For almost eight years, Dr. Dahlkemper has taken that advice and […]

It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity inspired Jan Clouse to become the founder of one of the country’s most successful lighting businesses – Carolina Lanterns & Lighting. “In 1999, we were building our own home in Park West. We wanted gas lanterns. At the time, no one was using natural gas […]

Ten years ago, Rachael Geib’s dream came true when she opened SalonSalon of Charleston, located on Houston Northcutt Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. “I always wanted to be a hair dresser. My grandparents were barbers in the service,” Geib explained. “For my whole life, it has always been my passion. I worked hard to get where […]

For over 30 years, Windi McKeithan’s life has been intertwined with the historic hub of Mount Pleasant commerce: Coleman Boulevard. In her early 20s, McKeithan, a resident of Mount Pleasant, took a job at The Ragamuffin Children’s Boutique and Stride Rite as the manager/buyer and “fell in love with the children’s business.” A year later, […]