THE NEW DEAL T Fund-raiser for DREAMS Center for Art Education May 9th • Hanover Shopping Center (old Haverty’s location) Tickets: $5 (handmade market
only) or $10 (fashion show and market) (910) 762-1662 I n 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt took presidential office and began working on the enormous mess of a nation he had inherited. Banks were closed and checks couldn’t be cashed. Unemployment had reached 25 percent, and farms were falling apart. Foreclosures were sweeping the country at an alarming rate (sound familiar). Though it may not have ended the Great Depression, it set forth a new set of ideals, including anti-discrimination laws in the work force, and equal opportunity for women and minorities. Overall, it’s a life raft to the hanging-by-a-thread economy, keeping it above water while the country regains courage to go back to “life as usual.” “In a broad sense, the concept of The New Deal is a response to the economic upheaval that is going on in our society,” Jessie Williams, owner and founder of clothing store Edge of Urge, says. Williams is no stranger to reaching out in new, ways. Opening Edge of Urge in 2002 with a collection of her own designs, she has remained always on the cutting edge of fashion. Her store is a mixture of personal creations and the fashion visions of underground designer discoveries. “I understand how difficult it is to market ones self as a creative person,” she says. “I, slowly but surely, throughout all seven years, have built a business that has become a launching pad for up-and-coming designers and creative works. I’m not a doctor who saves lives every day, but I can use my skills and tools to make a difference in peoples’ creative paths in life.”
Her business outlook and attention to fund-raising has resulted in a unique version of The New Deal. “I meet artists every day who just want to make a difference in the world. The purpose of this is to provide an outlet for creative people to network, share and sell their art, and to bring the community together. It is only possible as a community effort. Everyone is getting a chance to help make a difference. [The New Deal] is an event for the community by the community.”