Lava Salon making margaritas out of lemons

CHARLESTON - A broken window greeted Lava Salon owner Geoff Richardson Thursday morning at his business at 829 B Savannah Hwy.

It was the second time someone threw something through his window, and it came almost a year to the day after the first incident. Last time it was a brick, the thief used a rock this time he said.

"I really feel the person who did that is coming from a way worse off place that where we are," Richardson said.

He's trying to remain positive in the face of the break in, "trying to do the whole Budda/JC thing," he said.

Painted on the boarded up window in large red letters is the message, "Dear thief, we forgive you!"

"We took the same approach last year, trying to show people that we're OK," Richardson said. "Last year the message was 'Dear thief, U left your brick!'"

Richardson added that the worst thing about the break in is that he will be moving down the block to 811 B Savannah Hwy. in about a month, and that he'll have to replace the window now in addition to preparing for the move.

But he's come up with a way to fund the cost of the window replacement and make some money for charity at the same time.

Richardson is also the founder of the Charleston Art Outdoor Initiative (ChART) which recently organized the installation of several murals in Alicia Alley which runs behind Lava Salon. Some of the ChART artists will be creating new works using the shards of glass, the rock, the brick from last year's robbery and the boards used to cover the window from both incidents.

They plan to auction the pieces and donate half of the proceeds to charity and put the other half towards the cost of replacing the window.

"When life throws a rock through your window paint it and auction it off for charity," he said. "It's our way of turning lemons into margaritas."