It's been a difficult six months for both the arts and style communities in our city and around the country. The effects of the pandemic have been felt far and wide in both industries. Art galleries around Charlotte were forced to stop hosting events and exhibits, museums closed to guests, the symphony cancelled many of its events, as did the Blumenthal. In the fashion community, boutiques and other retail stores saw their customer numbers dwindle, were forced to pivot quickly, and many, sadly, had to shutter their doors. Finally though, business is starting to return, which is good news, and we want to help keep that momentum going. So, because of the hardships that these two industries experienced in 2020 and the current recovery in process, we figured we would dedicate our September issue to the arts and style communities and really put them in the spotlight.