About a company

Jan Clouse started Carolina Lanterns & Accessories in July of 1999. The business specializes in custom-made copper and brass lanterns and lamps that use propane, natural gas, or electricity and evoke the elegance of historic Charleston. Jan Clouse learned the business inside and out, including the characteristics of liquid propane and natural gas and the way gas lines are installed. She calls her business education “Gas 101,” a schooling she says has garnered her products good grades from homeowners, building contractors, SCANA Corp. and South Carolina Electric & Gas professionals — even architects.

Prices for her products range from $199 and up. A lantern adds a finishing touch to a home, a building or a neighborhood,” says Clouse, whose historically accurate lanterns - many of them named after Charleston streets - adorn such locales as Mount Pleasant’s Rivertowne Country Club, Park West residential development, Kiawah Island’s Turtle Point Center, the French Quarter Inn, the Anchorage Inn, plus numerous homes not only in Charleston but in Beaufort, Hilton Head and Awendaw.

Clouse considers herself a consultant rather than a mere retailer. Customers come here, see what we have on display and we work with them in choosing the right lantern for them,” says Clouse. “We’ll bring lanterns to a customer’s home so they can see how the lanterns will look. That’s what we do best. Also, since our products are custom-made, we’ll do special orders.”