The Front Porch, basically, out of Gloria Hall’s car in 1980. When word of mouth brought shoppers knocking on her front door at all hours, looking for sweaters and jackets, she decided to set up a brick- and-mortar shop. Today, Gloria and her daughter, Mel (who, 30 years ago, told her mother, “I’ll help you for a little bit”), are still running The Front Porch, now in its third iteration in downtown Eden. They’re proud to be a part of a town that was also a product of threes: “Eden was created from the consolidation of three communities — Spray, Draper, and Leaksville — in 1967,” Mel says, “making it a unique town.” (Mel ought to know: Her husband, Neville Hall, is the mayor, and both she and her mother are natives of Eden.)
Women’s clothing and accessories still make up the majority of the inventory at The Front Porch, and in 2006, the store began selling wine and gourmet foods, making this a place to gather as well as shop. For many of the store’s loyal customers, who often drop by just to catch up on local happenings, the building itself is nostalgic. The local drugstore was once housed here — rings in the tile floor are evidence of the stools that stood in front of the lunch counter. And many of the vintage furnishings were “a gift with a story,” Gloria says, like the “yo-yo quilt” of pleated fabric rosettes — made partly from sheets from Fieldcrest, which started in Eden — that covers a table across from the wine tasting bar. Wait: Is The Front Porch a wine bar, too? Mel smiles. “Depends on what time of the day it is.”
The Front Porch
702 Washington Street
Eden, NC 27288
(336) 627-9041
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
