With stylish clothes and long blonde curls, Sundi McLaughlin looks right at home among the perfume, books, jewelry, decor, and homemade candles in her Southern Pines shop, Mockingbird on Broad. So at home that some of her fellow Broad Street shopkeepers were shocked to learn of her previous occupation — as a prison deputy. But for those who knew McLaughlin’s spontaneous side, it wasn’t that surprising.
After all, it was a whim that, more than 20 years ago, drove McLaughlin to move to Key West to go shell diving. She shared her collection at a roadside shell stand, where she loved chatting with travelers about the colorful conchs. Two years later, she traded her bathing suit for a police uniform and a midnight shift in a Florida correctional facility, where she held art contests for prisoners. When her husband was stationed at Fort Bragg in 2008, McLaughlin once again found herself with a fresh start. In 2010, she purchased her Broad Street storefront and gave the brick facade a fresh coat of blue paint.
Today, Mockingbird on Broad is filled with thoughtful gifts, each of which McLaughlin describes as passionately as if it were a rare conch.
Mockingbird on Broad
162 NW Broad Street
Southern Pines, NC 28387
(910) 692-5338
mockingbirdonbroad.com
Why does this Haywood County town have some of the cleanest water in the state? It’s the result of the community’s efforts to keep the forests in its watershed pristine.
The spectacular views in North Carolina’s High Country aren’t just inspiration for writers, painters, and sculptors. Those landscapes — the rugged gray face of Grandfather Mountain, the vibrant fall leaves, the deep green meadows — are brushstrokes on Earth’s own canvas.
The sprawling vineyards and wide-open skies that stretch for miles across seven North Carolina counties offer relaxing getaways — not to mention some of the state’s finest wines — for Sunday drivers aching to escape the rush of city life.
Nothing lasts forever — and that’s what makes many of our cherished moments so special.
