BY MARGARET KENTWORTHY

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Hovering above the graveled alley with overgrown weeds and tall trees, Charles Darwin’s big, bold eyes stare from the brick wall. Further down, a giant gray elephant with massive red tusks dominates another wall.

      These painted murals are located in Alycia Alley in West Ashley’s Avondale neighborhood. Well known for its chic boutiques and lively nightlife, the art scene there is on the rise and becoming an integral part of Avondale’s charm. Art is sprinkled in and around the streets and shops. It’s like a treasure hunt—find it and it comes to life.

      Geoff Richardson, owner of Lava Salon, is responsible for these hidden displays of art in the back of his shop, which also showcases his creativity. Walking into his salon is like entering an arcade. Light bulbs border the mirrors with old-school barber seats for the customers, a lit traffic light hangs from the ceiling and graffiti covers the walls. A neon portrait of Queen Elizabeth hangs on the wall, but Richardson altered the painting by replacing the queen’s face with his grandma’s.

      In addition to being a haircutter and stylist, Richardson, tattooed and rocking a goatee and a Parisian cap, created the Charleston Art Outdoor Initiative (chART) and has curated more than 50 murals in Alycia Alley. In May 2011, he hosted the first of many chART Walks, events that bring artists to the alley to create the murals while community members watch, listen to music and dig into treats from local food trucks. One year the activities included a break dancing competition, another featured a group painting activity captured by a drone camera flying overhead.

      Richardson first and foremost cherishes his salon, but the pop-art enthusiast also values art and the impact it can have on people. His inspiration evolved in Barcelona, where colorful murals and art can be seen in the architecture, streets and parks.

      “A lot of people are part of the chART family,” Richardson says, explaining that bringing art to the area is a quick way of making friends. Artists, business people, performers and community members all take part in the chART Walks.

      He’s not alone in his quest to build up Avondale’s art scene. A few doors down, Jericho Advisors, which works with entrepreneurs to create successful companies, hosts an art gallery inside its offices. “Businesses here incorporate local artists,” says Megan Schaeffer, gallery manager at Jericho Advisors. In addition to the gallery, it hosts corporate events that help sell the artwork. Whether it's contemporary landscape photography to local graffiti and street art, Jericho Advisors’ staff is always thinking about the next monthly exhibit.

      Along with Lava Salon and Jericho Advisors, Classic Coffee and Avondale Wine and Cheese also display and sell artwork. In the year since she began working there, Schaeffer has already seen change in the Avondale area. Day by day, it’s becoming a more young professional community, she says, calling it the “pearl of West Ashley.”

      Colorful designs and pictures even decorate the sides of newspaper stands on the sidewalks. Last September, West Of, West Ashley’s local newspaper, which is located on the same block as Lava Salon and Jericho Advisors, held a competition that brought in 33 artists to paint the news boxes with such creative designs as a coral octopus, a Star Wars scene in outer space, a robot and a Rastafarian-themed box with Bob Marley’s face.

      With people like Richardson, it won’t be long before the masterpieces along Alycia Alley come out of the shadows. “Geoff is a community catalyst,” Schaeffer says. “With more people like him and more spaces that have artwork by local artists, I see Avondale growing at a rapid rate.”