Global Marketplace

Ever searched for a jordang that once carried the belongings of Hindus on their way to worship at temple in Bali? How about a kulkul that sounded a community alarm or was played to summon people to meetings?

Both the jordang, which can serve as an unusual cocktail table with plenty of storage, and the kulkul, which makes a terrific planter, can be found at A World Apart on Maybank Highway on James Island.

You don't have to wait until you journey far away to purchase pieces that add character and interest to your home's decor. Exotic and quirky home furnishings produced by people of different cultures or those who simply have a different mind-set are easily found in Charleston.

At A World Apart, such pieces include items as small as the kulkul and as large as a Chinese wedding bed. The store also has dining tables with rich wood grains, benches made more comfortable by earth-toned throw pillows featuring natural shells, and pieces of carved wood salvaged from unrepairable furniture for use as wall art.

'A lot of people like that it is handpicked and that we have stories to tell about how it all got here,' says Phil Przyborowski, who owns the home furnishings business with his wife, Kim. The couple buy the store's merchandise in Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok and Sumatra.

'Everything to me has a soul,' he says. 'You can know that it has had another life. You can buy one piece or a whole houseful.'

The business began 16 years ago when the Przyborowskis were traveling to Indonesia to buy clothing to sell in their City Market stall. They fell in love with the furniture and decided to open a store as well.

Global Awakening

Intricately patterned baskets from Namibia, inviting hammocks from Ecuador, colorful gourd bowls and fun finger puppets from Peru are just a smattering of the interesting items available at Global Awakening on King Street.

'The store lets people know that they can do something locally to help globally,' says Maren Anderson, who owns the store and is committed to fair-trade principles. 'I wanted to truly wake people up to the fact that there is a global world around them.'

The store, which opened last month, purchases mainly handmade merchandise through a cooperative certified by the Fair Trade Federation - wholesalers, retailers and producers committed to practices designed to ensure that the artisans who make the products receive a fair price and have healthy working conditions.

In addition to wares made by artisans in developing nations, Anderson carries items such as fragrant soaps made, wrapped and signed by abused women in Chicago and soy candles from Dirt Candles that have scents such as Nitty Gritty and Bahumbug.

She sells books to help parents expand children's horizons about other cultures as well. They include, 'Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions From Around the World' by Selby Beeler and G. Brian Karas, which tells of the myths and traditions in other cultures when a child loses a tooth. Another book called 'Hungry Planet: What the World Eats' by Peter Menzel features pictures of families from a range of cultures, with images of the foods they typically eat, information on food costs, recipes and food-related health issues such as obesity and diabetes.

Out of Hand

They're distinctive. That's what the treasures at Out of Hand have in common.

The store carries such a range of home accessories and gift items that it's hard to put it in a category. But it's easy to see that the shop's owner, Lisa Thomas, favors lighting.

The shop has an antique gold leaf chandelier with a wheat design, a new set