`EMAJON` SOMETHING DIFFERENT

M O N D A Y, MA Y 1, 2006
T
H E
D
AILY
EA
S T E R N
N
PA
E W S
‘
E
MAJON
’
SOMETHING
Shop gives
residents a
bit of everything
BY DAVID THILL
SENIOR CITY REPORTER
Charelston native Brent
Byrd sits on a vintage couch,
nursing a box of Charleston
Chews and watching his wife,
Angie, cut hair across the
room.
Upon first entering the
young
couple’s
shop,
Emajonashon Street, it’s
hard to figure out exactly
what the store specializes in.
In fact, the owners aren’t
even quite sure themselves.
“We had the music thing
going and the hair salon for a
while,” Brent said. “It
changes with our interests. No
rules. That’s the nice thing
about owning your own business, you can change it up.”
The one constant in the shop
is the hair salon, Brent said.
Although, cutting and styling
hair is Angie’s department.
The shop is an eclectic mix of
music equipment, antiquated
household appliances and
various other items that the
Byrds find particularly
stylish.
J AY G RABIEC /THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS
Brent and Angie Byrd stand in their shop, Emajonashon
Street, on Friday
“We always keep an eye out
for 50s- and 70s-style
stuff,” Brent said. “We are
really interested in retro
stuff.”
While many people the same
age as the Byrds may try to get
away from a sleepy, little
G E
6
DIFFERENT
town like Charleston, it’s that
very atmosphere that brought
Brent back and has kept him
here ever since.
“It’s a laid back place,” he
said. “It has a lot of potential,
especially with the college.”
“There are a lot of great
people here, too,” Angie
chimes in, taking a break
from the shears.
Few would argue that the
business
epicenter
of
Charleston is Lincoln Avenue,
but the neighborhood just
wouldn’t have been right for
Emajonashon Street.
“I love the square,” Angie
said. “It really fits our personality.”
The historical value and
character of the square is
what really fits the Byrds and
their shop, located at 510 6th
St., Brent said.
“A lot of buildings on
Lincoln are just pole barns,”
he said with a laugh. “Not a lot
of buildings would fit our style
of place. Plus, people said,
‘The square is dead,’and
‘Whatever you do, don’t open a
business on the square.’”
“So of course that made me
want to do it even more.”
But running a shop and trying to breathe life back into a
struggling downtown sector
isn’t enough for Brent. He
also ran for Charleston city
council in 2004. He didn’t
win, but Brent said he was
surprised by just how much
support he received.
“Of the (Eastern) students
who turned out to vote, I actually had the most votes out of
the students,” Brent said. “I
think out of 56 students who
voted, 54 voted for me, or
something like that.”
“It was cool to hear some
support (from Charleston
residents),” he said.
Brent said he won’t run for
city council again but also that
he hasn’t decided to stay out of
the political fray, either.
“One thing I found out
when running for city
council was that you’ve got
to be honest, but you have to
kind of pad everything and
be tactful,” he said. “And
that’s not how I want to be –
tactful about everything.”
Brent isn’t saying just
what positions he may consider running for in the
future, but he did make one
clear.
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