Southern Accent will hold a grand opening party Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at its 22 West Main Street location.  

Southern Accent features laser engraved art, apparel and curated local products. The store is owned by Mark Forrester and Jamey Stancell and will be locally managed by Jamey’s daughter Katie Stancell. 

Jamey Stancell serves on the city council in Springfield, Ga., and understands the power of investing in small downtowns. With this in mind, he and Forrester went looking for a location to expand their business.  

“We looked at several cities in the area, but when we visited Statesboro’s downtown, and saw this storefront, we knew this was the perfect place to expand,” Jamey Stancell said. “There is so much great energy in Statesboro. We are excited about expanding here and look forward to becoming great partners with downtown and the community.”

Stancell and Forrester are known for their creativity and artisanship. They have been friends since college and have collaborated on several businesses over the years. Together, they own Old Town Woodworks in Springfield, where they build fine custom cabinets and farm tables.

As that business grew, they ventured into laser engraving, which lead to their art that they began selling at shows on the weekend. The art is tastefully done and framed all in hand made frames. Some of the more popular sellers include maps of the area and old patents.  

They later began engraving rocks and bricks with logos, sayings and designs. After getting requests for personalization of the laser art on wood and bricks, they launched a line of pet memorials from rocks that are very creative. Laser customization is available on wood, brick, stones and tumblers and typically takes about three to four days to complete.

“We are entrepreneurs at heart and love a challenge and enjoy getting to know and work with people who have the same business dreams as we do,” Stancell said. “Working the shows was fun, but we have grown to a point where we needed a more permanent presence. We also want to encourage other entrepreneurs who share our same ideas and vision by providing a place to present their products also.”

One such entrepreneur that impressed Stancell and Forrester is Logan Youmans. This 15-year-old started River Bank Apparel at the age of 12 while a student at South Effingham Middle School. Youmans began with a line of hats and has expanded now to shirts. Stancell and Forrester invested in the company and they are mentoring Youmans.  

In addition to River Bank Apparel, Southern Accent will carry products from Salt Water Mafia and another Effingham County business, Ole Country.

The duo hopes to open four or five Southern Accent stores in multiple communities throughout the area. This allows them to expand their reach for their laser engraved products and help give their small business partners a way to reach a much wider customer base.

Southern Accent will be open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with plenty of free parking in the rear of the store.  

Join them for their grand opening party Saturday and welcome them to Statesboro.