One of a kind artisans meet one of kind online shopping community –

Lifestyle brands align to recognize award-winning artists with virtual shops, just in time for artful holiday gift giving

Nashville, TN – November 23, 2010 – Taigan, together with Garden and Gun Magazine, celebrate the vision and talents of the newly announced Made in the South Award winners.

Winners in 5 categories range from the authentic goodness of home-made pies to finely crafted bamboo fly fishing rods, to custom-made guitars and ukuleles and beyond. Garden and Gun Magazine’s Made in the South Awards are touted as a celebration of the rich cultural tradition of craft, design and ingenuity in small, Southern-based businesses.  Sponsor to the awards Taigan.com is providing a virtual shop for winning designers and their wares, making them available for purchase on Taigan.com thru January 18^th, 2011.

Considered the internet’s most selectively curated collection of shops, designers and purveyors online, Taigan.com is well suited to present the magazine’s winners and make them available for online holiday shopping.

Garden and Gun Magazine assembled a prestigious panel of judges including Taigan.com’s own Creative Director and Garden & Gun contributor Julia Reed. Reed was in good company with James Beard Award-winning chef Robert Stehling, Design Sponge founder Grace Bonney, and G and G contributor and avid sportsman Donovan Webster rounding out the judging team.

“Garden and Gun’s Made in the South Awards celebrate what I’ve always loved about the South—its tradition of artisanal products made with great passion and originality”, says Julia Reed.  “We’re thrilled to have them on Taigan—they share the same energy and singular vision as the other producers and shop owners who reside here.”

Being just a few of the hundreds of entries in five categories: Food, Home, Style, Sporting, and Etc., winners are recognized as among the top in the country for designing and creating one-of-a-kind items. In addition to profiling former homebuilder Jay Lichty from Tryon, North Carolina as the overall Made in the South Awards winner (Etc. Category), winners and runners-up from each remaining category were also featured, including Star Provisions on Taigan (Home category).

About Garden and Gun

Garden and Gun is a Southern lifestyle magazine that’s all about the magic of the new South – the sporting culture, the food, the music, the art, the literature, the people, and the ideas. It espouses a strong conservation ethic that grows out of its connection to the land, and it reveals the beauty of the South as no magazine ever has. Read the full article in this month’s Garden & Gun Magazine, on newsstands now, or online at http://gardenandgun.com/article/made-south-awards.

About Taigan

A recent winner of the Retailer of Excellence Award in the Internet Innovation category, and named Technology Start-up of the Year, Taigan is recognized as the online shopping destination for a highly curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Showcasing specialty retailers of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, gourmet food and fine gifts, Taigan brings the best shops to your fingertips. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure…Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  Julia Reed delivers a collection of Elusive Finds, facts and profiles in Taigan’s fetch, Taigan’s online lifestyle magazine. Shopping is free, guests are asked to provide their email address to use the site’s messaging service with shops.

For more Taigan news, subscribe to the Taigan newsroom, stay connected on Taigan’s Facebook Fan Page or Follow us on Twitter @TaiganFinds.

The elusive find for Dad goes beyond goofy golf balls, nerdy neck ties and cheap cologne when shopping online at Taigan.com. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure… Taigan delivers an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors, not to mention the perfect outlet for Father’s Day gift shopping.

From Peter Elliot’s famous Boat Shoes to a one-of-a-kind shaving set from Aidan Gill or a nostalgic Suede Chess Set from Stationer of New Orleans, the hunt starts at Taigan.com- an incomparable collection of shops.

Aidan Gill @ Taigan.com

Celebrate the finest in men’s grooming with a 3-piece Stag Horn Shaving Set from Aidan Gill for Men. Handmade in Italy, including a medium grade badger bristle shaving brush and brush stand. Guaranteed to keep his skin clean, smooth, and ageless! http://www.taigan.com/shops/aidangill/items/442/

Peter Elliot @ Taigan.com

For the man looking to reinvent himself as the Father’s Day tally rises, an escape from the norm with these unique, embroidered linen loafers with such inventive designs as octopus, bulldogs, devils and pirates and so much more, all from New York City’s Peter Elliot. Available in sizes 8-12, they make a statement… http://www.taigan.com/shops/peterelliot/items/6094/show_to_friend

Stationer @ Taigan.com

Something fun, nostalgic and practical for Dad this year is the Suede Chess/Checkers Set from Stationer of New Orleans. Portable for road trips and weekend family vacations , give a gift that says “we enjoy your company” with these classic games on a 2-tone suede stitched playing surface. http://www.taigan.com/shops/stationernola/items/5815

Zanetti @ Taigan.com

Perhaps the best gift is an experience shared. A one- of-a-kind experience under the Tuscan sun toured by epicurean and Italian olive grower/estate ower Marco Zanetti. Take a tour with the family and enjoy, partake and become accustomed with some of the world’s finest foods, vintage wineries, ancient landmarks, remarkable tours and breathtaking sites throughout the beautiful countryside. Schedule your tour on Taigan.com for the ultimate ease in giving a great gift. http://www.taigan.com/shops/zanetti/items/5932

The Mercantile @ Taigan.com

Hit the road this summer with a perfect Travel Companion Accessories from Taigan’s home furnishings boutique, the Mercantile. Whether short trips or long journeys, he will enjoy this collection of dop kit, passport cover, hip flask, thermos, and luggage tags, each covered in Charles Buchanan Monthly football imagery, for a taste of nostalgia. http://www.taigan.com/shops/themercantile/items/2563

Star Provisions @ Taigan.com

Always a winner with Dad – a set of Spiegelau Wheat glass from Star Provisions. Perfect for his favorite iced Pilsner. http://www.taigan.com/shops/starprovisions/items/992

Looking for that fun hostess gift or treat to serve at your next gathering? Taigan members discover a growing collection of specialty food shops who will deliver packaged treats to your home. Taigan’s collection of gourmet food stores include Star Provisions, the front of house of Atlanta’s most noted restaurant, Bacchanalia. Owned and operated by celebrity chef Anne Quantrano, shoppers will discover specialty cured meats, seasonal cheese selections, packaged spices, treats and more, including imported cookware and seasonal delicacies. Star Provisions and artisanal sweets store called Sucre (which means sweet in French).

Star Provisions is a culinary dream shop in Atlanta filled with quality cheeses, wine, beer meats, seafood and even gifts and accessories to dress a fancy table. Thin champagne flutes, Chardonnay glasses, wine glasses, beer glasses, cake stands and so much more. If you like meats, Star Provisions has a great collection of house cured Soppressata, potted chicken liver, house cured Finnochiona, pepperoni and more. And if you prefer cheese, imagine lavender/espresso cheese, Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson, Bayley Hazen Blue cheese and more. Star Provisions boasts about the gourmet shop having over 200 variations of cheeses, freshly baked breads and sweets and other gourmet delights you’ll find on Taigan like Sumatra Mandheling coffee and decaf organic Peru coffee.

Sucre on Taigan online is a dream come true for chocolate lovers and those with a sweet tooth. It’s located in the heart of the Gardens District in Uptown New Orleans, but Taigan brings Sucre into your home. Known for having the best macaroons, Sucre crafts seasonal macaroons, a wide variety of chocolate treats and other candies, plus perhaps the best Mardi Gras King Cake ever enjoyed. All make wonderful gifts, terrific personal treats or served at your next party. You can buy all the wonderful artisanal delights online, by becoming a Taigan member. Everything the specialty shop makes is handmade and in small batches. They use fine ingredients and are known for their Parisian macaroons. Be sure to watch the videos posted by Chef Tariq to see how these remarkable delicacies are created. Sucre also sells on Taigan an assortment of gift boxes like for example the Wedding Gift Box. This includes a 15-piece chocolate collection, 8-piece almond macaroon, Sicilian pistachio and rose petal chocolate bar, tea and a lemon and coconut loaf.

As you can see, Taigan is not only for the clothes and shoe lovers, our collection of specialty shops include a little something with big flavors for our culinary chefs in the making. Switch up breakfast, lunch and dinner with these great foods from Sucre and Star Provisions.

Nothing beats discovering a small shop with a big sense of style and one-of-a-kind creations—unless of course you can browse that shop from the comfort of your own home. That’s the idea behind the unique online shopping community Taigan. The Web site allows members to access numerous small shops that have the coolest finds yet rarely have e-commerce to service the masses. In addition, members receive special discounts and invitations to private sales. Continue Reading…

After catching up with noted author, professed gourmand and style arbiter Julia Reed, we may have come away loving her newest enterprise, Taigan, just as much as the proprietress herself. A quick perusal of the new members-only Web shopping portal, which just launched in September—with Mrs. Reed on board as Creative Director—reveals many of the penchants that she and AH&L editors share: those for stunning photography, quality writing and the finest that Atlanta has to offer. Continue Reading…

Fetch and Go! Online retailers are a dime a dozen. But when a site offers a carefully curated selection of merch (including several hot ATL boutiques like The Mercantile, Bungalow Classic, Sid Mashburn and Star Provisions), names Vogue writer, author and tastemaker Julia Reed as its creative director and derives its moniker from an exotic hound that hunts by using all of its senses, we take notice. Continue Reading…