With the fall and holiday season upon us we had the opportunity to visit with some of the Village of Pinehurst shop owners to discuss their retail presence, the charm of the Village stores and many upcoming events in the downtown area of Pinehurst. Shopping Local is one of the best things we can do in Moore County.
Gracie Foil started Choose Local MC (www.ChooseLocalMC.com) after researching the benefits of Supporting Your Local Community. She has lived in Moore County all of her life. She has a passion to keep Moore County unique with its small town charm and believes that it is our local businesses that help to make all of Moore County’s commerce areas economically strong for future generations.
Marian Caso, owner of Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour & Gift Shoppe, (www.ladybedford.com) moved here 8 years ago from San Jose, California after a 30 year career in the legal field. Her dream had always been to open a tearoom and she opened Lady Bedford’s in the Village of Pinehurst 4 years ago. It is now the #1 tearoom in North Carolina according to teamap.com. She is the current President of the Pinehurst Business Guild. www.Pinehurstbusinessguild.com
Carole Boxell, is the owner of The Village Fox Boutique (www.thevillagefox.com) located in the historical Theatre Building in the Village of Pinehurst. She made a decision to open the store in March a year ago as a result of an ongoing passion for shopping and fashion. After spending a lot of time over the 2 years prior, she could not resist the quaintness of the village and felt it would be the perfect place to start this venture. The Village Fox carries contemporary womens’ clothing and accessories for a wide range of ages.
For the last 20 years, Cristin Bennett has dreamed of owning her own business…in Pinehurst. She and her husband Bill, would visit Pinehurst often to play golf, shop and just enjoy the village. In 2005, they purchased a condo in Pinehurst as a second home. In 2007, they joined Forest Creek Country Club. Cristin is looking forward to building their home, which she has designed.
So….in October of 2011, banking on the chance that the economy was on the way to recovery, they decided to GO FOR IT! They put their Greensboro home on the market, moved into the Pinehurst condo. Tesoro Home Decor & Gifts (www.tesorodecor.com) opened on March 2, 2012. The business is aimed at consumers who look beyond the chain stores for a customized look for their home, or a gift for someone special.
Many of their products are “one of a kind” items that are re-purposed from former lives, and many are made right here in North Carolina.
Tesoro Decor & Gifts is located in the space formerly occupied by Teramasu, just above Cool Sweats.
Affordable housing issues Moore County residents face is the topic of discussion on All Things Moore County hosted by Bill Sahadi on local radio station WEEB 990 AM. Local activists Ken Rahall, Karen Hieronymous, Family Promise Executive Director Susan Bellew, Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills Executive Director Elizabeth Cox and future Habitat homeowner Victoria Lopez talk about the issues of homelessness and lack of affordable housing for most low-income families.