As many of you may have heard, The Cottage is on the market, and The Horton Family is shifting into a season of new endeavors. A few generations have passed since the day their family planted roots on Glenn Street. For many years their family has had the opportunity to experience the depth of the community roots, and to enjoy the iconic community gathering spaces on the Island such as The Sportsman’s Pier, The Circle, Memories, Oceanna Pier and so many more.
While many of you met Jessica just a few years ago, when she purchased The Cottage, there is so much more to her story. Looking at Jessica’s career, she has spent 15+ years working in the event industry, her hard work, and her hustle have brought her to where she is today, of course, her own hard work, but also the hard work and support of her parents, her family, her friends, her leaders, and those who have worked for and with her. Looking at her path, what has always been more powerful when it comes to her personal growth and the development of the plan that God has for her life is the moments she has taken to find power in the pause.
For those of you who have followed her story closely, the vision for High Tide was placed on her heart in a moment where she had just gotten off tour, she had finally made it to The Coast, and she took a moment to sit with God, block out the noise, and listen to the plans he has for her. That moment was only the beginning of a fierce vision for something bigger than her. High Tide’s heart is in raising the level of kindness and compassion in the communities Jessica is connected to through genuine and memorable experiences. While her personal foundations of community have been based in Atlanta and Nashville previously, Atlantic Beach and The Crystal Coast hold a place in her heart as a harbor of peace. Glenn Street will always feel just as special as the hometown she grew up in, and Nashville where her heart will always feel at home. Nothing hits like the indescribable joy of that first deep breath, as you feel the warmth of the sun through your open sunroof, as your drive across the Atlantic Beach bridge.
The vision of High Tide is to bring a music centered community experience that will bring an elevated level of talent and fellowship to our quaint little coastal town. The experience is centered around pouring back into the tour camps that support the artists that we love to watch perform throughout tour season as well as infusing “call to action” stations that will leave attendees both uplifted and motivated. Inspired by her faith driven and entrepreneurial parents and the great leaders she was divinely connected with Jessica wanted to create a space that encourages a connected culture that will extend past the one-day music experience. Jessica was determined to give her tour families a place of rest and retreat in a community that has provided that for her, her whole life. While giving the tour camps a place to recharge, it will pour back into her place of peace, not only economically but socially, and culturally as well.
In true Horton Family fashion, she went full speed ahead with High Tide after it was placed on her path. She formed a team of the top live events professionals in the industry and was ready to announce in April of 2020. March 2020 came, they were tying up loose ends, and Covid hit. As a collective our world was quickly given a global lesson in the power of the pause. While navigating the chaos of an unprecedented world, a few things became apparent. The first thing being, we all needed connection and compassion in our lives more than ever. The second being, Jessica needed a new project, while High Tide was put on pause until the pandemic subsided. In July of 2020 she retreated to her place of peace for the annual family trip. Before she made it to that first deep breath across the bridge, Anita was calling. The Cottage, the event venue conveniently located just a few houses down from the foundation her great grandparents laid down on Glenn Street was up for sale. Before the year was over, The Hortons owned The Cottage.
Jessica had managed large arenas, managed nationally touring artists, lead logistics teams for multimillion dollar events, The Cottage was the next piece of the puzzle. Jessica’s inspiration behind the business model at The Cottage was driven by the great community gathering places both past and present. Her roots are in the close-knit gatherings in the neighborhood, porch hoping from trailer to trailer on Glenn Street. High Tide’s location is centered around The Circle, the most iconic, community focused point on the Island. It only made sense to deepen those roots by expanding on the foundation of the once loved Sportsman’s pier. The vision to honor past traditions while introducing new experiences was falling into place.
Four years later, Jessica and her team have done what they have set out to do. They have created memorable experiences, served, and cared for others, impacted the community, and have been a light to those around them. They have executed XX weddings, XX community connection events, XX concerts, and have raised over $XXXX to give back to the community through non-profit events hosted at the venue. The Cottage provides not only a space for clients to host extraordinary celebrations that create memories that will last a lifetime, it also provides a space for local vendors and service providers to execute magical moments and express their craft in an innovative space. The Cottage was a unique space from the start, as the only oceanfront, dual-zoned, privately owned gathering venue on the coast of North Carolina, the space itself was the perfect place for the High Tide vision to settle into and develop. The Cottage provided Jessica an avenue to express her greatest talents and skills in the live event industry. It gave her the space to show The Crystal Coast Community her heart, and her vision.
In December of 2023, the power of the pause conversation returned to Jessica’s quiet time with the Lord, once again. The Cottage is an intrigual chapter in the greater story of what is coming, but it is only a chapter. Jessica has been called to step back into her peace, and to return her focus to the larger picture, and that is High Tide at The Crystal Coast. The Cottage will forever be held in her heart as one of the greatest investments both personally and financially, but sometimes our greatest loves are meant to be let go of to make space for even bigger and brighter opportunities. The dates and details of High Tide will unfold as they are supposed to, as the Lord has always planned. Right now, Jessica intends to dig deep and dive into trusting the path she has been shown, a path where she is able to shine both individually and professionally, a path where she is able to utilize her talents, skills, and connections to create a positive impact on her communities. The Cottage team will execute its final concert and contracted events in the next few weeks, and the tides will change. What will remain the same is the heart of the vision, and the hard work and hustle to bring it all to life.