85 ½ Spring Street
Charleston, SC 29403

Jewell Mikell has been creating and repairing hats at Jewell’s Millinery since 1964. Since that time, the store has occupied four different locations on Spring Street but Ms. Mikell still uses the same machines, hat blocks, and display cabinets that she started with, many of which were purchased from a retiring New York milliner in 1964. Last August, the South Carolina State Museum purchased ten of Ms. Mikell’s hats; now eight of these hats are displayed in the museum, including Ms. Mikell’s very first creation, a yellow crocheted hat made for a friend.

Ms. Mikell has put on fashion shows all over the United States, but some of the most impressive shows have occurred right here in Charleston. In March 2002, Ms. Mikell starred in a performance inspired by the book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats. The performance, which featured the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Gospel Choir, took place at the Circular Congregational Church, and was attended by over 500 individuals. Later in 2002 Ms. Mikell put on a show at the Spoleto Festival, featuring her own hats and the stories behind them. The LDC was able to assist Ms. Mikell with an SBA Microloan in 1999.

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