There’s something for almost everyone at the Taylor-Grady House this week. Beautiful Turkish rugs, delicious food, great music, entertainment and a variety of soaps, arts and other handmade items—all will be available from Wednesday until Sunday.
“People seem to have a preconceived notion of who goes to the Taylor-Grady House,” says Ben Gerarve. “Our goal is to have as many people as possible come to the house and to have as diverse a population as possible. We want people to enjoy themselves.”
Gerarve and Camilla Bracewell are chairs of the events at the Taylor-Grady House, including Turkish Delights. The rugs themselves have been displayed before in the Athens area, but the folks at Taylor-Grady wanted to offer more than just beautiful rugs. “We want the community to spend time in the house,” says Gerarve. “We want a lot of opportunities for everyone to be there. We wanted to have something bigger.”
Some of the events are ticketed. The money raised goes to support operation of the Taylor-Grady House, as well as a grants program that allows other Athens nonprofits and organizations to use the space if they don’t have access to adequate facilities. Taylor-Grady has so far either hosted or sponsored the Athens Area Paine College Club Black History Month Celebration, a public reception for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and a luncheon for the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts’ Ramble, among other organizations.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the facility will be open from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. for those who want to peruse the rugs. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., there will be a “Sip and See,” in which participants will pay $15 for beer, wine and small bites, and mix and mingle, enjoying the beauty and variety of the Turkish rugs to the sound of live music and a vocalist. Nile Candan of Hasan’s Rugs will be on hand, talking about the rugs and their characteristics, and selling them.
On Thursday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., the Taylor-Grady House will be open for those who want to shop and buy rugs. Candan will be on site to answer questions about the individual pieces.
Friday will welcome visitors to see the rugs, to wander through the Taylor-Grady House and grounds, and to buy rugs if they wish. Later that evening is a fundraising gala at the Taylor-Grady House. With tickets priced at $150 a person, participants will gather at 7 p.m. for drinks and mingling, followed at 8 p.m. by a gourmet dinner of “rich flavors of the Mediterranean” and then entertainment until 10 p.m. The Middle Eastern Ensemble, directed by Jared Holton, will play music, and belly dance artist Dilaradance will dance.
On Saturday, there’s an eclectic market at Taylor Grady that begins at 11 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. Candan will give educational talks about the rugs. Some 20 local vendors will be on hand, and the Humdingers and Neil Anthony will be playing music. The market will offer tarot reading, face painting, a bookmobile, candles, soap, wooden cutting boards and stationary, among other things. Food vendors will include Rashe’s Cuisine, Sip’s Espresso Café, Lobster Dogs, Honeybee Baking, Epting Events’ Pralines and New Soda Works.
The nonprofit Landmark Commons at Taylor-Grady House, formed by caterer Lee Epting and others, moved into the 1844 house in late 2023 as a tenant. In addition to hosting nonprofit groups, the Taylor-Grady House can accommodate weddings, banquets, art openings and conferences. Taylor-Grady is the only official national historic landmark in Athens.
The Greek Revival home was built in the 1840s and bought in 1863 by the father of future Atlanta Constitution publisher Henry W. Grady, namesake of UGA’s Grady School of Journalism. The former City of Athens purchased the house in 1966. In 2004 the Athens-Clarke County government spent $1.7 million renovating the house. The Junior League of Athens was a longtime tenant and housekeeper but left due to a rent dispute with ACC.
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