STYLE&TRENDS Finding vintage flair 14 Bundle up 15

by ERIN KENNEY

Sarah Vogt has been enamored by vintage fashion since her childhood. (Courtesy/Sarah Vogt)

When Sarah Vogt was little, she was enamored with the fashion sported by Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy”. She loved flipping through photographs of her grandmother’s 1940s New York fashion, which Vogt found to be fabulous. It wouldn’t be until after she finished grad school, however, that she fully dove into her love of vintage.

Formerly a professional violinist, Vogt started selling vintage as a hobby in 2014. She moved to Athens five years ago, and she now runs Carla Sue Vintage, a vintage clothing shop on Etsy. The shop, which Vogt runs with a business partner, has racked up nearly 4,000 sales and has an average five star review.

Ampersand spoke with Vogt about her vintage clothing shop, and what a modern fashionista can learn from vintage winter trends.

My business partner and I both source stuff for the business, and it really it comes from a variety of sources. We both go to thrift stores and estate sales. The best things are private buys — when you just have a lead, for example, there’s somebody whose parents have unfortunately died or are moving and downsizing, and they’re ready to part with things. That’s the best way to source things, because you’re not competing with other people and you’re finding things “out in the wild,” as they say. I’ve loved finding things that come straight from the original owners, and they can tell you stories about how, “Oh this is the dress I wore on the plane for my honeymoon,” or “This was my first big purchase in high school.” I would say those three things are really where we’re sourcing everything: estate sales, thrift stores and private buys.

In general, we have a lot of back stock, and there are certain pieces that we pull out every winter, like the classic ’50s and ’60s box coat — with or without a fur collar. That’s kind of a classic piece that always sells. There can be more trendy items that we either will pull out of back stock or search for. I’ve noticed this year it seems to be a trend to wear big overcoats, kind of menswear inspired — lots of ‘80s and ’90s overcoat styles.

I do think that people used to have more of a cohesive look. Back in the ’40s and ’50s, a woman might have a black Persian lamb coat that would have a matching hat and muff, or something like that. Even if you think about the ’70s and ’80s, with a lot of things like Etienne Agner, the oxblood leather boots and gloves. Just having all of your outerwear accessories match was a big thing. I’m not sure if I see that as a trend that should come back. I think that it would make things easier. I have this navy blue trench coat that has a green plaid flannel lining, and so I found a hat from the same period that had the same colors in it, and now I’m looking for a pair of gloves that match just because I don’t want to have to think about putting things together in the morning.

I would say a coat, because a coat is a classic piece that can be styled so many different ways. Vintage coats were so well made — these coats have lasted 50, 60, 70 years and other than times when there’s moth damage because they haven’t been stored properly, they hold up really well. I’ve tried on coats before from the ’50s and ’60s with whatever I happen to be wearing when I’m working and I’m like, “Oh man, it looks so chic and modern.” It doesn’t have to look dated at all.

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

[Grace Johnson/Contributor]

by GIANNA RODRIGUEZ

Fashion doesn’t have to be left as something material. As students and Athenians face winter it could be worth it to invest in a coat that is not only comfortable, but also a mood booster. Different coats have their own purposes and styles of wear, and it could be easier than you think to find the one that suits your lifestyle:

The classic tweed blazer is seen in movies filmed on Ivy League campuses. Think of fall fashion at Harvard — this is what comes to mind when I spot a student in class styling a tweed blazer with a pair of straight jeans. As I come closer to graduating it feels like more and more work to dress up for class, but a blazer makes the process feel effortless. The rug-like texture is seen in every thrift store once the leaves fall, making it an affordable, stylish option to consider investing in.

How to wash: Dry clean or hand-wash in cold water with mild detergent and air-dry. Recently spotted: A vintage, mustard yellow blazer at Community.

Durable and timeless, the denim jacket has been a staple since the first one was created circa 1880 by Levi Strauss. A denim jacket is versatile enough for a range of temperatures, so if you find it hard to spend money on something you’ll wear only half the year, a light-weight denim jacket could be your go-to. With sherpa lining on the inside for warmth. Denim jackets should often be purchased second-hand, as true denim becomes more durable and comfortable the more it’s worn.

How to wash: Wash it alone on a cold cycle or hand-wash. Recently spotted: A worn-in Levi’s denim jacket (complete with red logo on the chest) at Dynamite Clothing.

While it can be perceived as a dressier garment, the peacoat is a classic that keeps returning in style in different versions. A boxy, more masculine version was first worn by American sailors in the 19th century, but it has changed to fit trends today. The peacoat is now double-breasted with an oversized collar, often worn on top of dresses or a pantsuit. Peacoats aren’t for everyday use, but it’s a garment I consider to be classy and worth the few wears a year. How to wash: Dry clean or hand-wash in cold water with mild detergent and air-dry. Recently spotted: Peacoats ranging in color from dark gray to vibrant red at America’s Thrift Store.

A lined raincoat is a luxury to own for windy, wet weather. It’s important to choose a raincoat that has some sort of lining or insulation on the inside, otherwise you’ll be dry, but still cold. These can get pricey purchased brand-new, but you might find it worth the investment for your commute to class in the next winter storm.

How to wash: Wash on a cold cycle and air-dry. Recently spotted: Patagonia and Kuhl raincoats at Half-Moon Outfitters.

Whether thrifted or bought brand-new, coats last longer than almost any other garment in your closet, so why not invest? Don’t rush into it; you’ll find one that gets you excited to bundle up, roam under the gloomy skies and breathe in the crisp air.

Members of Athens Area Pickleball practice at Southeast Clarke Park. [Photos/Jim Bass] 16 | ampersand

by JIM BASS

A breezy weekday morning may inspire many to go on a ride around town, take a peaceful walk or read a book if they aren’t having to rush to work or school. However, the same can not be said for a growing number of Athenians who have picked up a paddle and made their way to local parks in Athens to play the hot and trending sport of pickleball.

Over the course of the past decade, many Athenians may have noticed a new addition while walking around the parks of Athens. While passing by the many tennis courts, basketball courts and baseball fields, one area that seems to stay active with players throughout the day is the pickleball courts.

The sport of pickleball has a relatively short history, having been created in 1965, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a mainstay sport across the nation, including Athens. Pickleball is considered the fastest growing sport in the country, with 4.8 million players according to a recent report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The sport has entered the city of Athens over the past decade and rapidly gained popularity.

In 2013, during pickleball’s small beginnings in Athens, a group of Athenians became interested in the sport after a course was offered by Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services, along with an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute special interest group for pickleball. These two classes sparked enough interest in the community that several players decided to form an official organization for pickleball in Athens, leading to the formation of the Athens Area Pickleball Association in 2014.

The association was initially created to hold local tournaments in the Athens area, but has extended its reach to educating new players as well. They offer accommodations to its members, like balls and paddles, and work with the local government to maintain and improve pickleball facilities.

The AAPA plays all across Athens with indoor pickleball at Heard Park and Community Center, Lay Park Community Center and Athens First United Methodist Church, and outdoor pickleball at Southeast Clarke Park (the only park with designated pickleball courts), Satterfield Park, Heard Park and Bishop Park.

After its creation, the AAPA quickly grew in membership and currently has over 450 members of all age and skill ranges, according to AAPA President Lilly Garrett. Many members also participate in tournaments all across Georgia including Newnan, Hiawassee and Griffin, where tournaments have reached over 1,000 participants.

Along with being the president of the AAPA, Garrett and her husband Gary also teach newcomers how to play pickleball twice a week. They credit the fast growth of pickleball to many different aspects, but mention that a major factor is how quickly new players are able to pick up the sport.

“The fact that almost anybody can start playing on the first day [is a reason it is growing so fast],” Gary Garrett said. “Tennis is one of those sports where you have to work with it to actually go and play a game. With pickleball, you can learn quickly.”

The sport looks similar to tennis or badminton but is played on a small 20 feet by 44 feet court using paddles, a net and a ball. This smaller range of play makes the game easily accessible to all ages and skill levels.

Outside of the AAPA, pickleball as a whole has seen a massive rise in popularity with college students,with many going to the local courts to play in the afternoons and evenings. The sport initially picked up a stereotype of being considered a “retirement game,” but AAPA board member Tom McEnaney believes that pickleball is on track to become a club sport for colleges like the University of Georgia and could eventually become a major college sport.

“It’s not just a retirement game anymore. Lots of kids are learning it,” McEnaney said.

Many people have been picking up the sport due to the ease of access, but another aspect that is mentioned by many pickleball players in Athens is the sense of community. Lilly Garrett sees the sport as a social game as well, due to the shorter games and kind sportsmanship shown with players.

“It is a very friendly group. They just like playing pickleball,” said Lilly Garrett.

McEnaney also believes in this sense of community that is formed on the pickleball courts in Athens and has found the same experience across the country while playing in different places like New York, Florida and Myrtle Beach.

“It’s a social thing, a lot of people that I’ve met have said, ‘You know, I would’ve never met all these people if I didn’t find pickleball,’” McEnaney said. “Everywhere you go, even out of state, there’s places to play and you are always welcome.”

There have been efforts to expand pickleball courts to more areas across Athens and add on to the current courts as well. These include trying to expand the Southeast Clarke Park courts, further improve the courts at Satterfield Park and also encouraging UGA to add pickleball courts to their Intramural Fields for students to play on.

AAPA Treasurer Kevin McHugh said that the organization is always working to improve the pickleball community and would like to see the sport continue to grow in popularity over time. He also hopes to bring more courts for Athens to hold bigger tournaments in the future.

“As an organization, we try to get more courts wherever we can,” McHugh said.

Ten years ago, pickleball was a sport not on many Athenians’ radars. Since then, the sport has captured the attention of people of all ages as the number of pickleball players continues to grow.

Members of mutual aid group Lemonaid meet on campus before distributing meals around town. [Photo/Jim Bass]

Editor’s Note — As the last fall leaves tumble to the pavement and frost begins dusting the parking lots around town, Athens is bracing itself for winter. While the first day of the season isn’t until Dec. 21, colder temperatures and darker days already make life feel a bit dreary. For the winter issue of Ampersand, our writers sought out stories on Athenians and University of Georgia students finding and sharing warmth, literally and figuratively, in the community. In these snapshots, you’ll find ways people are keeping others warm this winter, and some ways you can share warmth, too.

Winter may not be the season for a cold glass of lemonade, but for local mutual aid group, Lemonaid, it’s the perfect time of year to serve unhoused and underhoused people in the community.

Every Sunday, the group of around five core members is joined by other student volunteers to prepare and distribute over 60 hot meals around Athens, in addition to supplies like tents and sleeping bags. They are funded entirely by community donations.

“[Our mission is] to do everything we can to support our neighbors that are struggling with homelessness, and a mission of raising awareness about what it’s like to be houseless in Athens and advocating for fair housing policy,” said Colette Blackmon, a University of Georgia senior studying international affairs and agricultural communications.

Casey Serrano, a senior student majoring in geography, has been volunteering with the organization since spring 2021. They see Lemonaid as a way for students to contribute to the town while attending the university.

“There’s a real need for organizations where people have direct contact and consistent bonds with people outside the UGA community in order to really be a part of Athens,” Serrano said.

Lemonaid focuses on those consistent bonds, and the seeks to connect with the community on a personal level. The organization sees its work as mutual aid as opposed to charity.

“[Mutual aid] is really more about solidarity and building structures that take care of people, as opposed to just going in and feeling like you’re helping and doing good,” Serrano said. “We really try to address the root problem.”

Yet while Lemonaid considers the roots of these issues, they also seek to provide for the community’s immediate needs. They distribute hot, balanced meals, such as casseroles and burrito bowls, every weekend at two to four locations around town.

“I know that we’re not solving every single problem. But what we can do is make someone’s day a little brighter,” Serrano said.

Although the organization delivers hot food, Serrano cautions the narrative that they bring warmth to the community beyond a single meal. Instead, Serrano believes more structural change and political consciousness is needed to develop sustainable solutions.

And while structural change that holds institutions accountable may be the larger mission, Lemonaid believes in the simple importance of a good neighbor.

“Houseless people get a lot of coldness from their neighbors … I think that just by knowing people’s names, and having conversations with people and asking them how they are, it’s really the bare minimum, but I think it can make a big difference,” Blackmon said. “Just acknowledging someone’s humanity.”

— Lilly Kersh

Eric Carter and the Bloodkin band members used Nuçi’s Space to rehearse songs in the early 2000s. All the while, Carter was battling alcoholism.

“In my little alcohol-addled brain, it never occurred to me [to get help]. I didn’t even try to figure out all the other stuff that [Nuçi’s Space] did … like help for suicide counseling,” Carter said.

But when the musician met Nuçi’s Space founder, Linda Phillips in 2008, he knew — just by the look in her eyes — that he would get the help he needed.

“She saved my life,” Carter said. “She did that for a lot of people.”

While Phillips passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2021, her legacy continues to weave its way throughout the Athens community.

Phillips created the non-profit in honor of her son, Nuçi Phillips, a 22-year-old musician who died by suicide in the fall of 1996 after battling severe depression. Since its beginning in 2000, the goals have been rooted in suicide prevention and providing mental health support.

As winter skies darken and cold weather drives people indoors, rates of seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) often heighten. Nuçi’s Space can be a place of solace for musicians — especially those who experience seasonal depression.

“It’s just nice to know that there’s a place that you can actually walk into and maybe get some help,” Carter said.

While there is an emphasis on mental health for musicians, according to Kara Johnson, the health and wellness program manager at Nuçi’s Space, everyone is welcome.

“Sometimes people just need somewhere to come get a cheap cup of coffee and sit in a safe space and listen to other people play music,” Johnson said.

Senior music major Kathleen Sullivan has used Nuçi’s Space to rehearse and perform throughout her time at the University of Georgia. She said that along with other mental health battles musicians face, like self-comparison, there’s a mood shift that occurs among her and her friends when the winter comes around.

“When the sun goes down so much earlier, you just don’t want to be out and about doing things,” Sullivan said. “It can feel kind of gray sometimes.”

While musicians using the studio don’t have to reach out for help, they are aware that help is present.

“We always joke that music gets people in and then the mental health is kind of intertwined with everything underneath,” Johnson said.

Nuçi’s Space doesn’t have counselors in-house and doesn’t serve as a crisis center. They help to navigate mental health care by connecting people to tangible resources, providing some financial assistance or simply showing they care.

Letting people know they’re not alone and being a glimmer of hope to others who might be struggling is something Carter hopes to do to carry on the gift Linda gave him.

“It sounds kind of mundane, but it’s just connecting with another person,” Carter said. “It can be the smallest thing that can give somebody else some hope.”

— Julianna Washburn Linda Phillips is the founder of Nuçi’s Space. [Courtesy/ Eric Carter]

Trust Your Strength supports NICU families. [Courtesy/Trust Your Strength]

Over the last few years, we’ve depended on frontline healthcare workers like never before. At St. Mary’s Hospital, one organization is giving back.

The Sunshine Patrol delivers magazines, crossword puzzles and snacks to the hospital’s frontline staff who are still working long hours and battling COVID-19. Many of the snacks are received as in-kind food donations, which spread positivity and support among the healthcare workers.

“We found that our frontline healthcare heroes absolutely love the gesture,” St. Mary’s Foundation Regional Director, Aaron James, said. “It gets them through.”

But, you don’t have to be a part of a designated group to spread joy this winter. Outside of Athens, Georgia’s largest children’s hospitals are in Atlanta. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which has three main locations, accepts donations of in-box and unused toys, coloring books and assorted electronics and gift cards. All donations are received at the information desk in the front lobby of each location, and you can visit the CHOA website for more details on donations.

For Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients specifically, donation wish list items include infant mirrors to attach to cribs, mobiles, plastic activity mats, teething rings and pacifiers. Toys and blankets for extra warmth can boost both patient and parent morale.

Other donation avenues include donating to a charitable organization. Trust Your Strength is a nonprofit organization that collects donations to support NICU families. Alena Smith, founder and two-time NICU parent, knows first-hand how isolating and difficult the journey can be when becoming parents to a NICU baby. Her experience in the NICU inspired her to start the organization and support other families.

Trust Your Strength relies on donations to create care packages for in-need families. Items focus on self-care and relaxation to bring comfort and peace to parents during their child’s hospital stay.

Whether you donate to adult or children’s hospitals, your contribution makes a huge impact on the community.

“A lot of situations that these families are in is life or death,” Smith said. “Knowing someone’s thinking of them means the world.”

— Christa Bugg

Gabriela Lefkovits poses for a portrait in the Sigma Delta Tau house. [Photo/Melanie Velasquez] 20 | ampersand

by LUCINDA WARNKE

When Kyra Solovei thinks of her childhood Hanukkah celebrations, magic comes to mind. She has fond memories of her mother cooking and her family coming together. As a child, she attended a Jewish school and recalls a season surrounded by celebration.

“It’s just a really exciting time of year,” said Solovei, a sophomore studying genetics. “To have an opportunity for all my family to get together — we do get together pretty often, we do Shabbat dinners every Friday — so it wasn’t that different, but it was just a new, exciting way to get together.”

While her love for her faith hasn’t dimmed, she said as she got older and began attending secular schools with many non-Jewish people, there were fewer accommodations for Jewish students observing holidays like Hanukkah. Additionally, she began to encounter antisemitism from her peers and online.

Solovei isn’t alone. According to a report from the Anti Defamation League — an international organization that seeks to combat antisemitism — antisemitism in the U.S. reached an alltime high in 2021. The University of Georgia isn’t isolated from the issue, either, with outrage sparking across campus and beyond after antisemitic messages were posted outside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, after the Georgia-Florida game on Oct. 29.

However, Jewish students at UGA continue to build community in spite of opposition, with celebrations like Hanukkah representing a cornerstone for unity and support.

The story of Hanukkah stretches back to 200 B.C. At that time, Judea came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleuclid king of Syria, who continued to allow the Jews living in his territory to practice their religion. However, when his son — Antiochus IV Epiphanes — came to power, he outlawed Judaism and made Jews worship Greek gods. He led a siege of Jerusalem, where he killed thousands and desecrated the city’s temple.

A Jewish priest and his five sons lead a rebellion against the Syrians. They were eventually able to retake Jerusalem, and the sons set out to cleanse the temple and light its menorah — a candelabra with seven branches that must be kept burning night after night. But, there was a problem: the Jews only had enough oil to keep the candles burning for one night. In what the world now knows as the Hanukkah miracle, however, the oil lasted eight nights. To commemorate the event, Jewish sages proclaimed an annual, eight-night long festival.

Today, Hanukkah is celebrated by Jewish communities across the globe. Many American celebrations of Hanukkah often include making latkes — cakes made of fried potatoes — and lighting a Hanukkiah — a candelabra similar to a menorah that has nine candles to represent the eight nights of Hanukkah plus an additional one to light the others. This year, the festival takes place between Dec. 18-26.

Chase Flagel, a sophomore studying economics, said for his family the story of Hanukkah is important, but the opportunity for people to come together is what matters most. He said family time during Hanukkah has become especially important since starting college.

“It wasn’t as much of a celebration of the Jewish story of it, but it was kind of like the pinnacle of my family time,” Flagel said.

Gabriela Lefkovits, a sophomore studying journalism and social entrepreneurship, said for her family the hope the story of Hanukkah represents resonates deeply with her family and the time they spend together.

“All the miracles that we celebrate when we celebrate Hanukkah really resonate with my family because my grandmother was a Holocaust survivor, and she was the only person in her entire extended family that was able to survive the camps,” Lefkovits said. “I think that’s part of the hope that we celebrate and the miracle we celebrate on Hanukkah, just that our family’s still here.” Even away from home, Jewish students at UGA find ways to celebrate. Lefkovits is a member of UGA’s chapter of Sigma Delta Tau, a historically Jewish sorority, and said it’s reaffirming to be around other Jewish women honoring the same beliefs and traditions. Solovei said she looks forward to the glow of the menorahs at the Hillel center and Rohr Chabad House, and their Hanukkah dinners and celebrations.

“It’s just a safe space for people to go to regardless of religion, but, also, especially if you’re Jewish, where you can feel comfortable and open and have people who are similar to you in that regard,” Solovei said.

Nevertheless, celebrating Hanukkah — and being Jewish in general — can be challenging in an environment where being Jewish is seen as “other.”

Flagel said even though he grew up in a community that included other Jewish families, he often had to miss school to observe religious holidays, causing him to fall behind. Solovei said she still runs into that as a college student with professors who aren’t always accommodating. Flagel also said that being on a campus where Jewish students are a minority means for some people he is the first Jewish person they’ve ever met. He said that he doesn’t consider a lack of knowledge to be antisemitic in itself, but people sometimes make insensitive comments due to not knowing much about Jewish people and their traditions. Other times, anti-Jewish sentiment is more overt. Following the Georgia-Florida game on Oct. 29 in Jacksonville, Florida, antisemitic messages were found outside the stadium and around town. One message projected on the outside of the stadium read, “Kanye is right about the Jews!!!” in reference to antisemitic tweets posted by rapper Kanye West earlier that month.

Both UGA and the University of Florida released statements on social media afterward, but Solovei said the incident was still upsetting to watch as a Jewish student.

“The comments under [the statements] were pretty disgusting,” Solovei said. “It was a lot more comments than I ever expected, a majority of them were negative. I was shocked by the amount there really was and I feel like it’s popping up more and more.”

Lefkovits said every Jewish person she knows has experienced some form of antisemitism during their life. She also recalled the messages at the Florida-Georgia game, and when swastikas were graffitied on doors in Russell Hall in December 2019.

“Security has been more of an issue, it’s something on our minds in the Jewish community,” Lefkovits said.

In spite of the challenges, Lefkovits, Flagel and Solovei all agree on the importance of celebrating Hanukkah and being proudly Jewish even in the face of hate and negativity.

Flagel emphasized the importance of celebrating Hanukkah publicly with loved ones.

“To me it’s just meaningful to light the candles and remember the holiday,” Flagel said. “I’ve never lit the candles alone, and I think that’s indicative of what the holiday means to me.”

Lefkovits agreed and said for her a major part of Hanukkah is the Jewish community’s ability to unite and persevere through difficult times.

“I think a really important aspect of the

Jewish identity is the idea of hope and that we will never lose hope that things will get better despite everything bad that’s happened to us over time,” Lefkovits said. “I think … we give one another hope that things will get better and things will change.”

[Grace Johnson/ Contributor]