As soon as you walk through the door, you understand why this shop borrowed its name from the Italian word for “furniture.” Mobilia brings a fun and funky European edge to all of its pieces — like the Mythos Coffee Table, a slice of solid teak sitting on three brass legs.
43 Haywood Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 252-8322
mobilianc.com
This curated and upscale collection of more than 25 vendors features talented local folks — like the blacksmith who also sells antique tools — who create their own individual spaces for you to shop.
3100 NC Highway 105
Boone, NC 28607
(336) 684-0999
instagram.com/the_marketplace_at_curiosity
Silver Fox is part art gallery, and part furniture store, which means that even if you visit for only one of those offerings, you might just leave with both. photograph by Tim Robison
“This isn’t like a normal furniture store,” says General Manager Jennifer Ojeda. Here, you’ll find beautiful American-made furniture surrounded by art of all kinds, from paintings to pottery. The gallery setting accentuates the custom furnishings that are just as much masterpieces as the art around them.
508 North Main Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792
(828) 698-0601
silverfoxgallery.net
How do you turn your house into a mountain home? For more than 25 years, customers have shopped for mountain-made and -themed decor — and sought design advice — at the original location of High Country Furniture.
3232 Dellwood Road
Waynesville, NC 28786
(828) 926-1722
highcountry.com
Wander through 10,000 square feet of furnishings and decor at Cotswold Marketplace, and find design inspiration to suit any style. photograph by Laura Sumrak
Mother-daughter team Melissa Vandiver and Kate Vandiver Leary turned their mutual love of shopping, plus an empty building, into a market with more than 70 vendors. Now, Cotswold’s enormous selection of furniture, art, decor, wallpaper, and more — coupled with its staff’s exceptional taste and interior design experience — means there’s no going wrong on your next shopping trip.
200 North Sharon Amity Road
Charlotte, NC 28211
(704) 365-3331
cotswoldmarketplace.com
While living in Copenhagen, owners Ivy and John Simon fell in love with Danish design. When they returned home to the Old North State, they decided to merge the beauty, craftsmanship, and heritage of Scandinavia with North Carolina’s Southern sensibility.
101 Glen Lennox Drive, Suite 300
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
(919) 960-1781
paletteandparlor.com
With more than 60 local and regional merchants and artists, one-of-a-kind finds — like an acid green hexagonal ottoman — are guaranteed. But be prepared to purchase that perfect piece as soon as you find it: The assortment of items at Slate is ever-changing.
2025 Thrift Road, Unit 100
Charlotte, NC 28208
(704) 930-7890
shopslateinteriors.com
At Area, shop for mid-century modern decor. Photography courtesy of AREA MODERN HOME
For more than 20 years, Area has carried mid-century modern furniture — including the shop’s own in-house designs. Plus, find ultra-mod lamps, clocks, vases, and other decor.
511 South Elm Street
Greensboro, NC 27406
(336) 370-1050
101 West Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 908-8755
areamod.com
“We don’t sell furniture — we just show it to people,” says COCOCO owner Steve Sechrest. “If a person wants [a specific] item, we’ll help them figure out what they’d like it to be made of.” Driven by customers’ desire for personalization, this shop exudes creativity in all of its designs. Handcrafting and upholstering furniture with leather, velvet, suede, and other fabrics, employees work with each item from the first moment an orders is placed until it’s handed off to an excited customer.
19725 Oak Street, No. 5
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 892-6680
cococohome.com
At Anne Rainey Rokahr’s shop, Trouvaille Home, don’t forget to say hello to the store mascot, Henry the English bulldog. photograph by Stacey Van Berkel
The word trouvaille, which means “lucky find” in French, defines what Anne Rainey Rokahr has curated in her shop. She stocks a colorful mix of new, antique, and vintage furnishings, lighting, and home accessories from across North Carolina and around the world. On Saturdays, sip a glass of champagne while you shop.
938 Burke Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 245-8965
trouvaillehome.com
Since 1956, Bowen Town & Country has been taking the time to understand what each customer needs — including the 94-year-old who required a bed with a maximum height of just 24 inches.
1910 Mooney Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
(336) 765-1360
bowenfurniture.com
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in 2021. Ryan Riek is the current owner.
This mid-century modern home showroom sells trendy, covetable furnishings, including sofas, rugs, light fixtures, original pieces crafted by local woodworkers, and even pillows designed by former store owner Bob Drake.
1053 East Whitaker Mill Road, No. 109
Raleigh, NC 27608
(919) 516-8744
trigmodern.com
With a staff composed entirely of degreed interior designers and offerings that come in an array of sizes, shapes, and coverings, Furnish is perfectly poised to help you create a style that suits you. “You come into our store, and you really see what the possibilities are with custom furniture,” says owner Michelle Hardy. Almost all of the store’s custom furniture is American-made, and much of it is Amish, which means heirloom-quality pieces that can be passed down for generations.
8724 Glenwood Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27617
(919) 670-4400
furnishnc.com
At The Gathering Place, shop for farmhouse tables made from scratch, plus coastal decor to complete any beach house. photograph by Matt Ray Photography
Childhood sweethearts Gerry and Steve Moore got into the furniture business by selling antiques — which Steve often had to repair. As quality antiques became harder and harder to find, he transitioned to making tables, first using pine, then reclaimed wood from old houses and barns. When Steve passed away in 2015, his nephew Matt Moore took over the woodshop. Farmhouse tables are the specialty at The Gathering Place, so named because “the table is where you share your meal, your day, your memories, your good times, and your bad times,” Gerry says. “We’re really about family and friendships — and furniture.”
9501 Ocean Highway West
Calabash, NC 28467
(910) 579-5560
facebook.com/gatheringplacefurniture
With more than 16 years of design experience in eastern North Carolina, owner and interior designer Jess-Lee Ceravone works with manufacturers and artisans to create looks that turn her clients’ dreams into reality. There’s even an on-site general contractor — plus tons of decor and accessories to complete a room, like fragrance diffusers, coasters, Sweet Grace candles, cake stands, and more.
4200 A East 10th Street
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 864-4256
halohomestore.com
At their Jacksonville shop, brother-and-sister team Rick Smith and Dora Smith Compton carry high-quality Amish furniture, and they regularly work with the builders to create custom pieces from any wood, with any stain, and in a variety of sizes. The siblings even design their own pieces — like a bedroom set that incorporates architectural elements from the historic Chicamacomico Life Saving Station in Rodanthe.
1120 Gum Branch Road
Jacksonville, NC 28540
(910) 989-0203
carriagehousefurnitureco.com
Luke Cole started woodworking in his garage as a hobby and eventually left his teaching job to build furniture full-time. His design studio features samples of his work — tables, benches, shelves, and cabinetry — but each piece can be totally customized. “My favorite thing about building furniture,” Cole says, “is being able to see a pile of rough-cut lumber turn into a beautiful piece of art and know that I created it.”
3871 U.S. Highway 421
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 613-0641
lukesfurniturecompany.com
Stepping into this showroom feels like entering a picture-perfect Southern beach house. With its light and airy fabrics, elegant designs, and pretty coastal colors and patterns, McQueen’s has helped influence the look and feel of homes in eastern North Carolina for more than 40 years.
4426 Arendell Street
Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 247-3175
mcqueensinteriors.com
When Chris Gray retired from teaching and DeDe Bennett became an empty-nester, the nurturing moms both felt that something was missing from their lives. Thus, a yearslong friendship blossomed into a business relationship, and niche. was born. At this boutique decor and gift shop, customers discover beautiful home furnishings — pick up driftwood-inspired decor or a decorative ladder perfect for holding all of those cozy throw blankets — and a super relaxed atmosphere. Think calming lavender scents, cups of coffee, lavender-chocolate chip cookies, employees who are always laughing, and customers who become friends. Gray and Bennett also give back to the community: They carry products from vendors who donate a portion of their proceeds to charities and causes, including cancer research.
3501 Oleander Drive, Suite 11
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 769-8839
nichebycustomhome.com
At Nowell & Co., shop for North Carolina-made furniture, plus original art and antiques from around the world. photograph by Charles Harris
Al Nowell Jr. started out making custom furniture in a woodshop. Before transitioning to retail. For almost 40 years, Nowell & Co. — owned by Al and his wife, Margaret — has been offering luxury furniture in traditional, contemporary, and transitional styles, as well as antiques, light fixtures, and original art from around the world. The Nowells also provide interior design services and make draperies, floor coverings, and bed linens. The store covers 15,000 square feet and is “jam-packed full,” Al says. “It’s like a treasure hunt — it takes two or three walk-throughs to even begin to see everything.”
2801-4D Ward Boulevard
Wilson, NC 27893
(252) 237-3881
nowellandconc.com
This 108-year-old Johnston County institution still sits at its original location on North Peedin Avenue in Pine Level, where Terry Arthur’s great-grandfather, great-uncle, and their partner started the business in 1913. Today, Arthur and her mother, owner Merleon Rose Creech, play roles both large and small in the lives of their customers, whether helping out with an everyday need, like hanging a picture frame, or consulting on a more momentous occasion, such as furnishing a new home. “It’s important to me if they buy a pound of nails or if they buy a living room suite,” Arthur says. “Everybody’s important. Everybody.”
219 North Peedin Avenue
Pine Level, NC 27568
(919) 965-8961
pinelevelfurniture.com
Walking into this shop is like stepping into a watercolor painting, and for good reason: Furniture stores at the beach can get away with colors that inland stores can’t. “This island is full of second homes, so people want them to be fun,” says Jimmy Cerza, who owns the store with his parents, Ann and James Cerza. “We like bringing coastal-bright colors to people’s homes and helping create a place that makes you happy when you walk in.” The store also sells outdoor furniture made in Currituck County, as well as accent pieces and art — which, of course, is often ocean-themed.
5301 North Croatan Highway
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
(252) 715-3450
obxfurniture.com
North Carolina is known for many things, but nothing more important this week than the qualities of endurance, resilience, and hope.
By day, this adventure park in the Triad is a fall festival to die for. By night, the undead come alive for Halloween tricks. Welcome to one man’s vision of year-round merrymaking.
North Carolina’s border dances across the mountains as it traces four different states. Life here can be more remote, but good neighbors are never far away.
The Blue Ridge Parkway stands out among America’s national parks: Unfurling across six Appalachian mountain chains, it connects dozens of rural communities and binds together generations of families through shared memories.
