On any given day, the Seven Oaks shop offers shelves of unique gifts and handmade goods.

But today, shoppers will also find strokes of creativity woven between the trinkets.

Local artist Renae Eshleman has been painting most of her life and jumped at the chance to create art while customers browsed.

“It drives people in to see what we’re doing and what they have here at the Seven Oaks plant shop which is fabulous,” Eshleman said.

Shop owner Lin Huff and the Seven Oaks team transformed their store into an art studio for the day — giving local artists a platform that can sometimes be hard to find.

According to state data, South Carolina’s arts and culture sector ranks as the third-highest contributor to the state’s economy.

For Renae, that’s part of what makes this creative outlet so rewarding.

“I love talking about art and making art, and engaging people in the art making process,” Eshleman said.

Many Midlands artists say they don’t have retail spaces to showcase their work — relying mostly on websites and social media to share their creations.

But for Renae, it all comes down to one thing.

“It brings me joy,” Eshleman said.

Seven Oaks and the participating artists hope events like this encourage the community to see that the bigger picture of local art goes far beyond the paint.