forgive me… wallet. i went a little crazy in Charleston, South Carolina shopping. I couldn’t help it though. the shops were AMAZING. i’m no minimalist. admittedly so. my first question when i’m out in the middle of nowhere is…where do these people shop!? there were so many wonderful things about Charleston and i’ll do one big overall post on it but I wanted to share some of my haul and favorite stores with you.
the main shopping is all off of King Street which fortunately was a block behind our hotel. its a good long few miles of both chain boutiques (louis vuitton, vineyard vines, francescas) but also little shops that were new (to me) (spartina, skinny dip, beckett). i would walk around on my way to lunch or coffee but i did shop hardcore one long late morning. otto had taken a snooze so he was feeling good, joe had some time before meetings and i was off.
there were so many amazing shops (like i said) but these are the ones i came away with something at.
beckett – kind of at the starting point for me shopping wise. they have a gorgeous store filled with some of the most beautiful dresses i have ever seen. i tried on this gorgeous heavy beaded dress that was on the sale rack and had to sleep on it because… most of my stuff gets covered in barf. but I went back first thing in the morning to get it because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. if you are looking for something super special this is your place. the women working were also super kind and helpful.
marine layer – this is a smaller chain that i have never heard of until i went to their big blue shop on the corner off of king street. it’s kind of like a higher end cali style clothing for men and women (and some kiddo stuff). the t shirts are what drew me in. they are the softest t’s i’ve ever tried on! i also scored a jumpsuit that feels like butter, a salmon colored anorak jacket, green linen pants and a casual t shirt dress. i love all these because they are washable, casual and super comfortable. thank goodness they’re online!
skinny dip– i could have spent a lot more time in this shop. it helps they have a wine bar upstairs. yea that is right a WINE BAR in the store. they have small boutique lines, all made in the USA and most right from the south Carolina area. the prices were here and there. I bought a super cute baseball hat for $30 but they had dresses all the way to $500. It really depended what you were shopping for. this was another one of my favorites.
candlefish – i am always burning candles in my home and when i saw a store for JUST candles i had to stop. not only do they have candles.. they make them on site and you can take candle making classes! they have a library of over 100 scents that you can try before you buy. you narrow it down to your scent palette and keep narrowing it down until you find your candle. I walked away with two large candles ($22 for a 9oz jar) but could have left with more. (good thing i didn’t fly). this was a really fun experience and a great place to hang out with your coffee finding your signature scent.
Charleston preservation society – this shop helps raise money for .. you guessed it the historic preservation of Charleston. one fast walk around the city will show you how important that is to them. I loaded up on local cookbooks (you know how i role) . I grabbed a children’s book by a local author as well as the junior league cookbook, some local bar cocktail books and the book from hot little biscuit. couldn’t help myself. they had amazing jewelry, products and findings from local artists and makers there as well.
croghans jewel box – an c friend recommended this place and it was adorable! it is has been family owned for generations and has estate pieces as well as new items. they also have keepsake gold bug jewelry. i bought a little gold bee bracelet designed by a local artist. they were so kind and friendly and a great place to see some local jewelry!
basically you can’t go wrong anywhere you stop in but these were just some of my favorites. whenever i go to a new place i always try to find the items that makes that place unique. usually i have awesome luck with cookbooks (this time a little too much luck) but also local designers, makers and creators. what are some of your favorite tips and tricks for finding unique “souvenirs”
Cool things you bought there!