By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer

A local artist and a North Carolina interior decorator have created a new board game that isn’t played on a board and will be sold exclusively at a King Street furniture store.

Charleston Chase, a simple game played on a square of fabric with flip-flops and ice cream cones as game pieces, takes players on a marshy journey past Lowcountry landmarks with the first player to reach the beach at Sullivan’s Island winning the game.

The game was born at the Charleston Symphony Designer House & Boutique, which showcased Cathy Spencer of Winston-Salem, N.C., as one of three interior designers during a fundraiser for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. The house at 22 Joggling Street in Mount Pleasant’s I’On neighborhood was open for tours from Oct. 2–22 and featured a child’s room decorated by Spencer.

Before starting on the project, Spencer talked with her friend, artist Cindy Saadeh of Mount Pleasant. Spencer wanted a board game on a table in the room, and then said it might be interesting to create their own game that would relate to Charleston.

Fifty hours and $2,500 later, Saadeh presented Spencer with a commissioned painting of a winding Lowcountry marsh meandering past bridges, alligators and plantation houses. The same scene, digitally printed on fabric, became the board game.

Spencer said she liked the idea of a game on fabric because it was different.

“This can be washed in the washing machine,” Spencer said. “We have a larger size as well that is beach towel size that you can take to the beach. It’s a fun and different idea.”

Saadeh said designing the game took a lot of brainstorming.

“I wanted to include locations that appeal to tourists as well as locals,” Saadeh said. “I’d never done anything quite like that before. I was a little out of my realm.”

The 34-year-old artist exhibits locally at the Wolf Gallery on Church Street and in Spencer’s furniture store, Coastal Classics, at 511 King Street.

Spencer, with her husband Jay, opened the store in March in the city’s design district in order to showcase the Seabrook Classics line of cottage-style furniture made by friends near Beaufort.

The Charleston Chase game arrives in the store Nov. 1.

Spencer has no idea how the board game will be received, but orders are being taken at Coastal Classics. Some of those who attended the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s designer house have placed orders as well, she said.

Dale Murray, manager of the Historic Charleston Foundation Museum store, thinks the game could be a popular holiday gift.

Murray said her shop doesn’t sell any type of Charleston game but does sell a 500-piece Charleston jigsaw puzzle for $10.

Kaarin Engelmann, public relations director for the non-profit Boardgame Players Association, said Charleston Chase should appeal to families who are interested in the Charleston area.

“I would expect they would be selling to the tourist market,” Engelmann said. “However, I don’t know how many tourists they’ll get in a furniture store. They might want to contact tourist shops in the area.”

Spencer said she and Saadeh have no current plans to sell the game in other area stores, but the game is licensed and copyrighted.

Kathleen Dayton is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at kdayton@charlestonbusiness.com.

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