Before the hills of the Piedmont grow into the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 40 minutes southeast of Lake Lure, Forest City is Rutherford County’s big draw. Downtown, Main Street splits around a median filled with trees, flowers, benches, and a fountain.

On one side of the street, nostalgia awaits at Smith’s Drugs of Forest City, a classic soda fountain spot that serves up milkshakes, sandwiches, and burgers cooked on the flattop. Carolina Arcade Museum continues the retro trend a few doors down with pinball machines and beloved arcade games, like Pac-Man.

A few steps away, Harrill & Harrill Design Co. is a modern haven for home decor and custom furniture. The front of the shop showcases a sturdy farmhouse table that owner Jason Harrill made. In fact, he handcrafted most of the large pieces of furniture for sale inside the store, and many are tastefully outfitted with napkins, china, candles, and glassware by his wife, Dana.

Dana & Jason Harrill photograph by Tim Robison

“All I ever did was build houses with my dad,” Jason says. “[Dana’s] the one that pushed me into [furniture building] — but it was a good push.” Custom projects are still a big part of Harrill & Harrill. The couple, who opened the store in 2019, uses their inventory to display examples of what Jason can build, while Dana helps show customers ways to style the pieces to fit their home aesthetic.

Across Main Street, outfitter Vintage Valley Apparel sells everyday Western-style jeans, boots, and accessories, while Paws & Purrs Barkery & Boutique helps pet owners outfit their furry friends in designer-made clothes.

After all that browsing, The Hoot Nannie, located in a faded brick building, beckons from the corner of Main Street. Bringing in families looking to satisfy their barbecue or burger cravings, The Hoot Nannie also serves steaks and bourbon flights — it has 68 different kinds of the whiskey.

But ask Johnny Ray Bousselot, who owns the restaurant with business partner Stephen Soto, and he’s quick to tell you what’s on most tables: baskets of hand-breaded cheese curds served with house-made ranch and marinara. Bousselot figures the restaurant sells about 150 pounds of the appetizer a week — that’s a quarter of a million cheese curds a year.

All set and surely satisfied, folks merge back onto Main Street, coasting the roads of Rutherford County toward home.