We were lucky to catch up with Chari Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

It is the notion of serving the underserved that prompted us into owning the design firm and wedding and event venues we own today, creating environments that cater to more of a specific, cultured, well traveled, artistic and diverse creative clientele who crave spaces and experiences that provoke artistic thought and feeling, that are layered in visual story telling and warmth that were not being listened to on broader scale.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Chari Cherrel and I am an Interior Designer, Visual Story Teller, Owner of Wedding and Event Venues and a Matriarch of Artistic Delights. I own, among several other businesses, an intimate design firm called Wolf Feather Honey Design Group which has been designing residential and commercial interiors in Southern California for over 10 years and recently expanded to the southern coast on the Gulf of Mexico just outside of New Orleans. Our design aesthetic is individually unique to our brand as we focus on creating layered and textured spaces that feel extraordinarily curated over a long period of time, and give you a well versed visual story of the client’s life or brand. It is our design identity that has forged the path into our portfolio of businesses we’ve founded over the years, continually seeking out needs within communities and aiming to provide solutions to certain voids we’ve discovered along the way.

To provide insight into the visual perspective quintessential to our brands, our firm has a strong appreciation for heirloom antiquities and pairing well aged foundational pieces with a touch of modern. For example, emphasizing statement pieces with a beautifully dated patina, adjacent to preserved dilapidated historic walls that are illuminated by the twinkle of an oversized sharp edged contemporary crystal chandelier is what makes us salivate with joy.

It is our passion for discovering beauty in the unconventional, that led us into the design world to begin with, and what eventually led us into the wedding industry with the creation of our unique attache of wedding and event venues as there turned out to be a deep pocket of thirsty clientele in desperate need of a fresh point of view that fiercely navigated away from anything cookie cutter, beige, bland, lack luster or generic and basic.

In the beginning stages of our brand’s entry into the market, my husband and I opened an antique warehouse in the heart of Orange County, CA – selling pieces such as legally approved historically preserved taxidermies, aged art, and extra large, solid furniture pieces that had just the right amount of century old stories dinged into it, among other oddities and finds. We built a giant layered vertical wood wall, against the backdrop of a tin roof and steel beams, covered it in the aforementioned taxidermies, painted a muted American flag across the concrete floor which was then sanded and scraped until perfection, and hung the largest, oldest ‘phantom of the opera’ esque chandelier oozing in history over this 300 sq ft entryway and people came flocking.

Instantly, we were bombarded with requests for photoshoots within the space by leading surf and skate brands whose home bases were located right there in Costa Mesa, CA including PR Firms representing fashion labels and photographers simply in need of a cool location. Interior stylists and event designers would constantly request to use our pieces for special projects and wedding planners would inquire about the space for private location use. We learned quickly that there was a need for our point of view within the wedding and event industry, as there was a large consumer base that truly needed what we had to offer.

We quickly began researching the wedding industry and discovered that there was a beautiful market of underserved and over looked individuals who desired originality over convention, and bought a 20 acre Homestead and Pistachio farm perfectly nestled into the California countryside overlooking Temecula Wine Country and turned it into Wolf Feather Honey Farm + The Intrepid Wild – a true secession from the general norms of society, weddings and artistic expressionism – a place we built for the cultured, well traveled, ultra creative and those looking for peaceful refuge from the Hollywood hustle. Within the first couple years of operation, we were voted in the top 15 most beautiful venues in America, voted as the top 10 barn wedding venues in the country and graced the covers and pages of major magazines, blogs and online platforms. A cult like following of our brand even emerged out of certain parts of Australia and we were even graced with a luxury Australian Bridal Company featuring our venue as the backdrop of one of their launches. This meant we had fully gone international, all because we were truly different and artistically untamed, displaying an essence of raw beauty – portrayed in the preservation of the natural landscape and pioneer aesthetic of the historic land – a representation of new age gypset bohemianism in it’s truest nomadic form that was in many ways, unheard of and un explored at that time.

With a growing need of new ventures and imaginative crusades, eventually, we sought to expand our horizons, seeking to broaden our experiences and enlighten our lives by creating in fresh spaces, and aquatinting ourselves with different lifestyles and greater diverse communities. Chasing the warm familiar scent of jasmine from my youth, the sound of soft jazz and the feeling of slow living and peaceful loving, our souls were eventually led to the Mississippi Coast, to a little seaside hamlet called Ocean Springs – a beautiful arts driven historic city, that was founded in 1699, rich with history and overflowing with charm and character. It is a place where time just seems to pause, long enough to allow one to fully live in the present and soak in the life shining around you, Upon discovery of the magical overgrown tree lined streets that seemed to create a sunset lit frame around the tranquil little roads leading directly to white sand beaches, we knew instantly our next adventure awaited us there.

Known as The Jackson Pearl, it is a 6,400 sq ft historic seaside warehouse that was once the town’s ice house and coal storage facility. True to form, it is a destination wedding and event venue that caters to those seeking an enlightened perspective on all things traditional. Saturated in moody jewel toned hues, and drenched in chandeliers, it is a place that pays respectful homage to years gone by, with a strong emphasis on experiential and environmental design. Built for the jet setting bohemians, the artists, and the original beauty seekers, The Jackson Pearl is a venue for modern couples and sophisticated clientele seeking soulful ambience and a place that feels like it was created solely for them. What was very exciting for us, is that within the first year of opening, we were awarded Entrepreneurs of the Year by the city’s chamber of commerce, and at that very moment, we knew we were there to stay.

Eventually, it was through our observations and analysis of our venue clientele of The Jackson Pearl which led us to create our third Venue on our growing list of adventures, entitled The Bootleg Howl Social Club, which assisted in filling an ever present void. Though The Jackson Pearl exudes old New Orleans vibes, destination couples booking our venue seemed to have difficulty finding local overnight establishments that would feed their cravings of artfully distinct ambiences. In the overall visual story of their wedding weekends, there were an increasing amount of glitches. We do agree that light and airy, coastal design pairs perfectly with beach communities, and is very simple and pretty, but when it comes to an Indie bride out of manhattan, who is about to get married in a candle lit ceremony on the backdrop of aged deep sea green plaster and brick, it quickly became clear that a creative cohesiveness was needed. So, we once again sought out and purchased a seaside historic victorian gingerbread home in the downtown city streets of neighboring Biloxi, MS and began creating an environment that supported the aesthetic needs of our target consumer. Named after lyrics in the CCR {Creedence Clearwater Revival song} “Bootleg”, it immediately became an artistic refuge for modern creatives, and those seeking to be in an environment that inspires through even the smallest of details, giving that “je ne sais quois” feeling you just never knew you were missing in life, until you feel it within the walls of that home. The Bootleg Howl is rentable for private vacation stays, photoshoots, film locations and intimate sized social and creative gatherings.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I’ve had this ongoing conversation with many fellow business owners in a variety of industries over the years, analyzing business marketing in today’s market compared to past generations. In one sense, based on technology and accessibility to information, its easier then any other generation to start and grow a business quickly, on the other hand, it’s harder then ever before because of the pressing demands of what it takes to consistently stay in a state of perceived relevancy. And the word “perception” is the key. Knowing your brand’s core values, and having a strong foundation of your “why” will help keep you grounded in the ongoing race.

Living in the current age of rising social media platforms that put an emphasis on impressions, one can easily be discouraged by comparison of unrealistic versions of other businesses and inauthentic performances. Many believe that they have to constantly deliver to the general public a certain area of relevancy which leads to an overwhelming feeling of never being “enough”.

Within our brand and businesses, we’ve always taken the road less traveled, and because we have chosen to never stand on the side of the majority, it’s assisted us in navigating at a pace that we’re most comfortable at. By doing so, and following our own journey, and staying true to our goals, mission and overall definition of success, we in turn compare ourselves – to -ourselves, and that has made all the difference.

With most of our businesses, we’ve chosen to operate without a website, without a Facebook page and without most of the consuming social media platforms society tells us we have to be engaged on in order to ‘survive”. Although it’s different of course, depending on each individual’s business and journey, for us though, choosing this path has assisted in the ability to be specific with our clientele and more purposeful with our design projects, interactions, fostering valuable relationships and honoring the representation of our brand’s “why”.

For us, at our foundation, it’s not about boosting numbers, but about creating purposeful relationships, which in turn produces lasting friendships, consumer loyalty and word of mouth marketing, and this path has been chosen from experience. There are so many beautiful people that want others to succeed and want to support small businesses, entrepreneurs and those who are on a personal pursuit of happiness. There will always be others out there in this crazy world that are the opposite of that, and will want to criticize and try to hurt or hinder those who are chasing after their dreams. Understanding that ying and yang will help keep you grounded on your mission to succeed, and less discouraged when facing all that comes with the overwhelming marketing choices available in today’s time.

We certainly have seen our fair share of those criticizing from afar over the years, hating our choices to not be saturating social media platforms, or for not allowing ourselves to be widely accessible to the mainstream public. We’ve experienced peers openly mock our names, or strangers that find it necessary to harass us for not participating in the marketing game as they feel would be more convenient to them. It must be understood, that if one lives for the constant approval of others, especially strangers in life or in business, then you’ll end up not not making choices that ultimately benefit your well being or that of your business, and that has long lasting negative effects.

I read an anonymous quote long ago that said “Don’t base your decisions on the advice of those who won’t have to deal with the results”. It has stuck with me ever since, and I hope it sticks with you too, because it is an extremely valuable reminder to always stay true to yourself, your mission, and your brand’s identity. You are the masterful creator of your life and business’s journey, so always make sure to follow your true instincts and do whatever it is that makes you happiest, because all good things flow from there.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

A few very distinct core values of our brand and businesses are integrity, respect, individuality, strong work ethics, and clear passion for what we do and represent. We offer a very specific design point of view and a resilient dedication to creating environments that illuminate unique and thoughtful experiential design, with the desire to provoke feeling through artistic interior expression. By adhering to these ideals, we’ve become well known for creating places, events and experiences that are filled with warmth, love, good energy, acceptance, and peace. I personally believe that our integrity, above everything else, is what has truly made the difference within all that we do, because as described by Wikipedia “Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions.” It is our integrity that leads all of our decisions, and what helps make all of our clientele feel like family, knowing that they are experiencing authenticity and genuinity in all that we do and provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.THEJACKSONPEARL.COM
• Instagram: @HOUSEOFTHEJACKSONPEARL
• Facebook: @HOUSEOFTHEJACKSONPEARL
• Other: @WOLFFEATHERHONEYDESIGNGROUP @THEBOOTLEGHOWL @THERADSIPPER

Image Credits
Jenn Bokeh Theia Mingo Photo Jessica Lumpkin Grace PhotographyJL Tristan Duplichain Memories by Meghan