Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America’s best cities for experiencing classic, sophisticated Southern charm, and Helen Rice, a native, is part of the reason why. Water views, cobblestone streets, and excellent restaurants have kept the 42-year-old local. Still, she has forged a path for exciting endeavors in the city, creating jobs for the burgeoning creative class and serving as a beacon of good taste.
Almost 20 years ago, Rice co-founded Fuzzco, an independent creative studio, working with clients ranging from East Fork Pottery to Figma (an interface-design tool) and Mailchimp (the e-mail marketing company). As the company grew, Rice and her team took advantage of design opportunities where they could “show our aesthetic in everything we touch,” she says. When they needed an office, their first thought was “Let’s buy a building. Let’s renovate it. Let’s make it feel like us. Let’s impress our brand into the actual environment that we’re working in,” she says. A headquarters in Charleston was followed by 10 other Fuzzco renovations, including their most recent project, 28 Pitt Street, an 1820s Federal-style house that Rice used to ride her bike by as a child.
The top two floors were turned into an immaculate luxury rental, for which Fuzzco collaborated with Workstead, a Brooklyn design studio, to create beautiful millwork pieces on-site. The building’s façade, furnishings, and lighting work together harmoniously, establishing a space that feels both stylish and lived-in. “There’s a front space downstairs where the intention was to put a café. Behind that, the office space. And that became Ponytail,” Rice says.
Ponytail is a curated shop that combines Rice’s taste and interests. The result is a fun mix of vintage housewares, Frama apothecary and linens, structural candles from Moro Dabron, cutting boards from Edward Wohl, and lighting from Santa & Cole. “I’ve always collected things. I love objects, and I love designing spaces to put objects in,” Rice says.
Rice has plans to take the show on the road. “I would love to have pop-ups in other cities and grow the selection … [but I’m] happy that it’s staying kind of low-key and will grow according to what people respond to,” she says. “I love Charleston. I’m its biggest supporter. I wanted to make a special space here where people could come and feel like a local.”
Chris Black is the founder of Done to Death Projects and a co-host of the podcast How Long Gone. He lives in Los Angeles and New York