We recently mentioned our trip to Charlotte, North Carolina when we explained how we DIYed a few faux sheepskin throws for our house. And now we’re back to share more of our road-tripping details. We dropped in on a slew of fun fabric and decor stores (and snapped photos of a ton of inspiring ideas as we went) so here’s a little virtual play by play of what we liked along the way.
We already mentioned that we swung through Mary Jo’s Cloth Store, which is basically the biggest and most insane fabric store that we’ve ever seen. It’s actually a gigantic 32,000 square foot warehouse full of about a million bolts of fabric (we’re talking about a football-stadium-sized holy grail of textiles) and it’s located right outside of Charlotte (just off of 1-85 at exit 21). All I can say is that if they don’t have it there, nobody does. Plus their prices are fantastic. We saw designer prints marked down to $10 a yard that go for $19 a yard here at fabric stores in Richmond. Yes please. Here I am among the rows and rows (and rows) of stacked fabric bolts with my cute friend Kristin who showed us around town (remember when we crashed her house for you a while back?).
Seriously, you think I’m kidding when I say that there are literally like a million bolts of fabric just stacked on top of each other- some nearly as tall as me. I felt like Alice in Wonderland- and it was my kind of rabbit hole.
And while we already shared that we picked up a yard of faux fur for our fake-o sheepskin project, what we didn’t reveal was that we also got a yard and a half of fabric for the nursery. See, there’s actually about a foot of space between the crib mattress and the drawer beneath it, so we thought a nice band of removable fabric would be a great way to bridge that gap (and keep people from being able to peek down into the contents of the drawer). It was as easy as taking a leftover swatch of our trusty curtain fabric with us (see it below on the left) and holding it up to a lot of potential textile choices until we settled on the delicately patterned nubby fabric that you see there in the middle of this picture:
We knew it wouldn’t ever be right up against our curtain fabric, but wanted to be sure that we didn’t get something too busy that would compete. But it would be up against our crib sheet, so we hunted down a bolt of solid turquoise fabric to approximate that color- just to see how they’d look together (see it to the right of the patterned fabric we picked for the skirt in the picture above?). We really loved how the slightly more saturated and solid turquoise tone (which is extremely close to our crib sheet at home) worked with the subtly patterned lighter teal fabric that we’ll be using to make a crib skirt. So that’s how we settled on a taking home a yard and a half of that pretty nubby fabric (for just $14) along with a yard of our faux fur sheepskin stuff (stay tuned for our crib skirt making tutorial coming soon, or check out this alternate method to tide you over).
Next we headed to a place that we’ve only been once before: a Pottery Barn Outlet (cue the sound of angels singing). This one was just south of the North Carolina border in Gaffney. And the funny thing is that we had actually been to this exact same store during our big Texas road trip last year (check out those hijinks right here). Here we are with all of our loot out front, but first let’s go inside and have a little look see…
You may have noticed that we were holding a rather large (5 x 8 to be exact) rug in the photo above. Well, when we saw this amazing tan on cream link-patterned wool rug (marked down from $429 to $129.99) we just had to take it with us. We actually have another big room makeover on the agenda after the nursery (surprise!) so you’ll have to stay tuned to see where it goes and what else we’ll be bringing in to go with it…
We also fell in love with a ton of amazing lighting options. Too bad we didn’t have a place for either of these fixtures, but the rough woven texture of the light on the left and the soft ceramic patterned pendant on the right really had us at hello.
We were also extremely inspired by their framing options (especially with all those red sale stickers on them). So much so, that we grabbed the two large woven frames on the left (for just $16 and $12). You can’t really tell how big they are but they’re nice and meaty- and the grasscloth texture just slays us. We also saw the cute frames-within-a-frame on the right and thought it was a great DIY idea. Grabbing twelve small frames at a craft store like Michael’s and hanging them within a larger burlap-backed frame is such a fun way to layer textures and create a great grid-like accent. And you can frame anything from small scribbles made by your kiddos or collected matchbooks or skeleton keys to black and white photos of friends and family. We just loved how unique and do-able the idea was.
Then we headed back to Charlotte where we stopped at the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. This place is another gigantic warehouse, but instead of being filled with fabric like Mary Jo’s, it’s packed with antiques and collectibles as far as the eye can see.
Here are just a few of the things that caught my eye along the way. This mustard ceramic artichoke would make a pretty cool bookend- and that large woven basket would be a great spot to wrangle toys in a nursery or blankets next to a sofa.
We also loved these nesting tables (just $60 for all three!) and the booth on the right was full of chic lamps, chairs and accessories that felt oh so Domino to us.
Next we stopped at one of the most amazing and inspiring decor places I’ve ever stepped foot in. And it just happened to be geared towards kids rooms and nurseries. But there was nothing cheesy or unsophisticated about it. Lucy & Co was founded by a woman named Beth who adopted her daughter (named Lucy) and was so inspired by children’s spaces that she decided to start her own little design boutique.
And let me tell you, the woman is a genius. We actually got to hang out with her (and swoon over some photos of her daughter Lucy) and we just couldn’t believe how creative she is. See the window treatment on the right in the photo on the left behind that amazing butterfly mobile? It’s actually a simple wooden cornice box that Beth completely covered with rows and rows of white pom-pom trim (you know, the kind you can put on lamps or pillows?). And she did it all by hand with a regular old glue gun. Amazing, right? And let’s turn our attention back to that yellow mobile with what look like swarms of yellow butterflies fluttering around. We were so inspired by that concept that we’re actually going to adapt it for our nursery (using thin floral wire and small blooms) so stay tuned for that.
Meanwhile on the right in the photo above you’ll see the awesome twiggy chandelier that she made with branches and white spray paint wired around a more traditional ceiling fixture. Pretty fabulous, eh? It actually reminded us of the chandelier that our friend Katie Bower had in her little boy’s mood board so we snapped this photo just for her.
We also couldn’t deny that Beth’s bold fabric pairings and murals were pretty darn fantastic. Check out this painted wall that she created after being inspired by some fabric that she found for that long pillow that rests on the foot of the bed.
And speaking of that long pillow, Beth confessed that she didn’t want to spend a ton of money on that fabric to create a real duvet that she could fold at the foot of the bed so she just made a long plush pillow to act as sort of a faux-duvet. We actually love this “accident” because we can picture many a child loving that giant pillow (for sitting on the floor and reading, pillow flights, snuggling in bed, etc). She’s amazing I tell ya. Head over to her site to check out more stunning spaces.
We also hit up a slew of other stores (namely a few baby ones like Nesting and Shower Me With Love) where John got to do what he does best. Pose with ironic items. On the left you can see him trying on “My Brest Friend” (it’s sort of like a Boppy) and on the right he’s in Home Goods holding the weirdest ceramic animal we’ve seen yet. Yes that is a cat with binoculars.
On our way back home we headed over to one last shop, the Mitchell Gold + Bob William’s Factory Outlet, right outside the Hickory Furniture Mart. We didn’t exactly need any of the amazing on-sale sofas, armchairs or sectionals that they have in every square inch of their spacious shop (nor did we have a vehicle that would accommodate any of ’em, which is part of the deal- you buy things right from the floor and cart them home yourself). But we did have a ton of fun trolling each of the many furniture-stuffed rooms to see what they had and how much of a markdown they were offering (many sofas were under $900 and some arm chairs and dressers/coffee tables were as little as a few hundred bucks).
This is one of our favorite sectionals they had on display. Can’t you just imagine this in Brad and Angelina’s house with a million kids on it? So cozy for a spacious den or basement media room in a house with a giant family.
And here’s a gorgeous solid wood 9-drawer dresser for $325 on clearance. We thought that was definitely a great price for such a well made and timeless piece that could work in a dining room as a buffet or in a bedroom for clothing storage.
So there you have our long-weekend-whirlwind-road-trip through Charlotte from a few weeks back. We hope you enjoyed the virtual ride. And who knows, you might just find yourself visiting that area someday and now you have a little list of places to hit up. Have any of you been to these stores? Anyone from the area with other shop recommendations for us the next time we’re in town? Anyone longing for that cat sculpture with binoculars for their garden? Do tell.
Psst- Looking for our closet organizing update from this weekend’s “Let’s Tackle It Together” challenge? We’re still in the process of uploading pics and writing the post- so stay tuned for those details tomorrow afternoon.
wow, great pictures!!! how can you not leave with more than you intended?!
I am glad you had fun in the Queen City {aka ‘my city’} I was just in Sleepy Poets this weekend, such a fun place to go!!!
LOVE that giant sectional!!!
I grew up going to Mary Jo’s. My aunt is a retired teacher and works there. Talk about a fun place to go! Can’t believe that I never went to the Sleepy Poets. That’s going to be a must see on my next trip home.
I’m headed to Charlotte for a work trip in a couple weeks. May have to take a day off and extend it to check out all of these great spots. Thanks for the tips!
I was just looking through your archives yesterday at some of your window shopping posts. I’m so excited to see your next room makeover!
you two have an eye that I need! I live just south of Charlotte in Rock Hill, and I get frustrated with the design options here… craigslist furniture is primarily poor quality stuff. I’m trying to open my eyes the way you two do… You are giving me hope!
boy i wish i lived there! i want that dresser in the last pictures!!
Wow, great finds! Not been to any of those, but you two should definitely take a trip sometime to Asheville, NC (my hometown!) and visit the great stores there. My mother owns a store (Bryant Antiques in Biltmore) you might like, and there are a million other places to visit. Plus there is beautiful architecture to tour(Grove Park Inn, Biltmore House), great breweries (whenever you’re not preggers of course), and breathtaking scenery (mountains, waterfalls, river rafting). And about a million art museums. It’s an artist haven, Sherry, you have to go!
Sorry, I know that is not in response to any of your questions, but I really think you’d love it. :)
Thanks for the suggestion Emily! We love a good road trip so Asheville sounds right up our alley.
xo,
s
Finally, a new set of stores to add to my “must shop” list. Mary Jo’s is fabulous and already go every time my mom comes to town. But some of these other locations are just what I’ve been looking for since moving to Charlotte. I see a trip to Sleepy Poets in my future this week.
Handy Hubby and I have a “parents only” vacay coming up in October and we can’t wait! Haven’t been able to nail down a location though. I’m going to suggest Charlotte after this!
I caught a little hint-a-roo… I noticed this post was tagged as “Our Guest Room” among a few others. I hope that means the next big makeover is your guestroom! Maybe playroom/guestroom? We have one of those and it’s awesome! I hate reserving one room for guests that we don’t really have that often. Doubling (tripling?) it as a playroom/sewing room has been the best thing we’ve done.
Ooooo I was just at Sleepy Poet’s this past weekend. I could have spent all day in there.
I am a fabric-a-holic and would LOVE to go to Mary Jo’s place. We have a place about 30 minutes from here that we call a ‘cloth barn’ (because it is a real barn) and you can always get some great finds in there. I’ll be heading there soon for some curtain fabric for the dining room.
What fabulous finds! Why would anyone pay full price for anything when you can find such great items like you guys did. I will be in Charlotte this summer and will definitely add these places to my list of stops!
Completely off topic of the post, I highly recommend the “My Breast Friend” pillow if you plan to breastfeed. It’s amazingly supportive & wonderful. I even had mine at the hospital with both of my babies. As for all the lovely places in Charlotte, I might have to make a road trip since it’s only a few hours away! Thanks for the tips!
I live just south of Charlotte and can’t get to Mary Jo’s enough. It is a great resource! Thanks for sharing about Sleepy Poet’s … I didn’t know about them. I will have to go.
So glad you had a great trip.
What a fun trip!
I grew up in Hickory, NC and that area of NC is quite possibly one of my favorite places on earth! I now live in Indiana, but am dying to go back someday! I definitely miss the proximity to well-made furniture at discounted prices! Hope you had fun!
I just found your website last week and have been back everyday since working my way through the archives! I’m totally jealous of your home, it’s beautiful! I’m not much of a decorator…but I’m gettin a little (okay alot) of help from your website! Keep doing what you’re doing all of your ideas are amazing!!
I’m so jealous of your visit to Mary-Jo’s. I went with a sewing friend who lives in Charlotte and bought material for a quilt. They had the heaviest batting ever, which was great because the quilt is a gift for my sister who lives in Western Pennsylvania. If you guys ever take a road trip with the beanette to south central PA (visiting Amish or Gettysburg), give me a shout and I’ll share our PA fabric outlet (half the size of Mary Jo’s) and the antique joint next door.
Sounds like you had fun.
I’m so jealous that you got to the Mitchel Gold & Bob Williams outlet! I have family in Hickory and they always get fantastic furniture from that store.
By the way, the MG&BW staff monitors blogs (probably via Google Alerts) and I bet they’ll see this entry soon. :)
Looks like I might need to take a road trip to Charlotte one weekend. Thanks for all the great suggestions!
Did you happen to get a close up shot of the cornice board at lucy and co? that would be a perfect fit in a bathroom in our house that needs a little ‘umph’. I’d just like to see how the pom pom’s hang down…i want to make sure i get the right trim to duplicate it!
Thanks!
Hey Heather,
Sadly we didn’t snap any closer shots of the pom-pom cornice, but Beth explained that she pretty much glued stings of pom-poms about a centimeter apart so you couldn’t really see much of the cornice board (which she painted to match the pom-poms, just in case a sliver of it showed through). In the end it looked like a fluffy pom-pom fabric (which would be a huuuuge short cut if you could find that) and although it resulted in her buying a ton of pom-pom yardage the creativity really amazed us. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks so much for including the links to all these fantastic places in Charlotte! I live there, but had only heard of the Pottery Barn outlet (which I die over, btw). I am definitely taking a little shopping trip through my city this weekend!
Seems like you covered all the exciting places surrounding Charlotte! Your post reminded me that I need to get over to Sleepy Poet–I heart that place!
Glad you guys had a good time while visiting our lovely city! :-)
I live in Charlotte and A. I LOVE SLEEPY POET! B. Mary Jo’s heard the rumors…have yet to indulge..thanks for the inspire… C. Totally had no idea the PB Outlet was in Gaffney… a travesty of epic proportions… will be going there THIS WEEKEND! Thanks…I have to read a blog by Virginians to know that a PB Outlet is in my backyard… : )
I second the Asheville suggestion! But I have to warn you, it’s almost too easy to fall in love with the area..we’re considering moving there now :)
I’m glad you guys had a great time in Charlotte! I’ve been to all of those places, except for Lucy & Co. I always drive by and wonder what’s inside, so now I know it’s full of goodies. Right down the street from Lucy & Co. is Paper Skyscraper, an awesome gift shop that’s a local favorite. You need to check it out the next time you’re in town! Or, check out Pasta and Provisions on Providence road – tons of homemade pastas, sauces, spreads – it’s an Italian lovers heaven. :)
Great finds!! Where will you be putting the Pottery Barn Rug? Thanks for sharing the details of your trip with us :)
Natalie- That’s a surprise! We’ll be revealing more of those details after we finish the nursery makeover. We like to concentrate on one room at a time, but we promise we’ll spill those beans soon enough…
Audrey- Thanks so much for the suggestions! We’ll definitely have to check them out the next time we’re in town.
xo,
s
I am drooling over the wooden cornice covered in pom poms. Such a great idea!
Would it be wrong to uproot my life and my family’s lives and move everyone to Charlotte so that I can be closer to those fabulous stores? It would? Rats.
jbhat
argghhh.. i spent nearly 1000$ on the same dresser in dark wood at crate and barrel two years ago. it is a fantastic dresser. the bane of being in california.
Please please please do a tutorial on the butterfly mobile. I lusted over one from PBK, but definitely wasn’t willing to pay the $100 price tag for it. My daughter is 5 months old, but I’d still love to do something like that for her room! Thanks!
Hey MrsEAM,
Of course we promise to share our mobile tutorial as soon as we tackle it! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
“My Breast Friend” is the most unfortunate product name EVER, but I have to admit that it was a lifesaver when my daughter was teeny tiny! I found it was way easier to nurse with one than a Boppy.
Sherry, you’re so lucky that not only does John go on these jaunts with you, but he seems to have a great time! My husband would rather be pecked to death by ducklings than go shopping for furniture/decor. And I don’t think there’s a Pottery Barn outlet on the same tectonic plate, let alone within driving distance! Maybe I need to stop being Lisa in Seattle and become Lisa in Charlotte instead.
Oh what fun!!! The photo of John gazing off at whatever that kitten is peering at made me laugh. I live in constant envy of the amazing deals found south of the border. We had to take out a second mortgage to merely clothe our kids up here in Vancouver…that rug is gorgeous–and the price? I have no words. I feel a cross-border shopping excursion coming on in the near future. Or perhaps you may one day find yourselves up this way doing some research on the impossible task of finding home decor deals in our environs. You truly have the knack. In your spare time, of course!
I grew up in Charlotte and I love Mary Jo’s (I bought tulle for my wedding veil there!) and the Gaffney outlets. I don’t know the other stores, so I will definitely check them out when I next visit. I also recommend Black Lion in the Charlotte area. It’s discount furniture and decor. My mother always seems to find great things there.
i’m so jealous you have such amazing stores so close to you. we have nothing in the name of outlet or discount! so fun!
Hey Guys,
I really enjoy reading your blog. We have completely remodeled two houses now and just bought another one, just so we can stay busy ;) So i understand your passion!
We also just had our first baby boy 3.5 months ago and can still remember the excitement of putting the nursery together, enjoy, it’s a fun time. Now to business, i have one comment and one question:
Comment:on project nursery site they had a post about the butterfly mobile that mimicked the pottery barn one, not sure if this is what you had in mind, but just thought i would share, it has detailed instructions on materials needed and how to put it together. I am planning on doing one for my son’s room but in different geometric shapes and adding a few colors
http://projectnursery.com/2010/01/butterfly-mobile/?utm_source=Project+Nursery+Newsletter&utm_campaign=41b00b5ac3-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
Now to question: I know you have mentioned on your site some of the stores that you like to shop at, but i was wondering if you had anyone submit any stores from other states that were similar to the ones that you guys have in North East. We live in Houston, Texas and would love to know if we have similar fabric or antique warehouses where we could browse through tons of stuff and find good deals. Thanks!
Hey Masha,
Thanks for the mobile instructions. It’s semi-similar to our plan but we’re going to use floral wire and some small faux blooms instead of paper butterflies and an embroidery hook. Stay tuned for those details soon. As for your question, we have yet to organize a big “favorite store fest” other than the source list post that you mentioned, but in the comments of that write-up we did ask people to sound off about their favorite places to shop around the globe so maybe reading through those will give you some ideas? Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sigh… I wish you guys were around when we lived in NC. Fabulous job and inspirational as always!
Chiming in on My Breast Friend new mom to soon to be new mom. Poor name for an awesome product. We had feeding issues when my baby was born last summer and I give this pillow some credit for saving our breastfeeding relationship. It was GREAT in the first few months when she was tiny. Now that she’s older, I like the Boppy, but I doubt we would have made it to 8 months and going strong in the breastfeeding department without thr breast friend.
I love MaryJo’s. Its the only place I’ve really ever been for fabric.
You know there is a Pottery Barn Outlet 1 1/2 hours north of Richmond, in Leesburg, right? Come on up and enjoy!! Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets.
Hey Aimee,
We did know that but have yet to make it up there! Someday…
xo,
s
I had no idea you guys were coming to Charlotte!! There is a really cool store that is similiar to the Sleepy Poet called the The Depot at Gibson Mill – it is awesome! It’s located in Concord NC, just a few minutes drive from Charlotte. I have never heard of Lucy & Co., my sister has a baby due next Wednesday so I’ll definitely have to tell her about it. So glad that you had fun in our city!
I absolutely love that sectional. It’s exactly what I need for my hubby!
hey sweet travelers!
yay for a getaway…with growing bean and all!
i actually JUST posted today about our recent getaway too…a B&B working ranch in the texas countryside…our first since buying the house so WAY OVER-DUE!
i adore charlotte and have always found it such a friendly and fun city…also, we totally have the PB outlets and C&B too…so yes, shopping at outlets, casacullen is always doomed to drop a pretty penny :) i’m glad y’all had fun!
here’s our post about our recent weekend at the gorgeous B&B called Blisswood
http://www.casacullen.com/2010/03/travel-blisswood-bed-breakfast-in-cat-spring-tx.html
cheers to fun vacas…even if short, still worth it :)
Guys!
I was wondering if you had been in Charlotte… because, I SWEAR I thought I saw you at a funky cool restaurant on a Sunday morning with another couple a couple weeks ago.
Did you guys have breakfast at Zada Jane’s in Charlotte while you were here?
Totally us, Stephanie! Our friend Kristin and her husband Matt took there as a “must eat” spot in Charlotte. What a small world!
-John
I’m so glad you posted this! I’ve lived in Charlotte for almost two years now and have been wondering where I can go to find fabric and assorted knick knacks (OMG, Sleepy Poet looks amazing). Looks like my boyfriend and I have some shopping to do…
What UP?! I totally have lived in Charlotte for over a year and you’ve been to places that I’ve never even heard of. I have graced Mary Jo’s and plan to return, but Sleepy Poet sounds dreamy. I must check this out! Thanks for the tour!
I live very close to Charlotte and I have been going to Mary Jo’s for eons. She used to roller skate around in that store while she was helping customers. She is a real no nonsense lady and it tickled me to see her on roller skates!! I am glad you had fun on your visit.
I started laughing out loud when I saw your post – I live in Northern Virginia and my friend, Laura, and I just took a trip out to the Leesburg Outlets, home to PB, Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware and Williams Sonoma….yep, its trouble. To top it off, we had already stopped at Lucketts and both found a few cute random accessories for our houses. But when we walked in the PB outlets and saw the rug in the window display we were both sold, especially when we saw the price! So we ended up walking out with two of the exact same rug that you bought!! I’m so excited that you guys thought it was a great find too!