Photo by Brett Villena
Justin Laidlaw (Runaway Media Director)
THE ART OF STYLE
At The Art of Style, the look is chic, cosmopolitan, and modern, with a monochromatic palette that would please even the most fashion-forward urban dwellers. The store carries men’s and women’s clothes by a slate of distinctive designer brands—familiar names like Kenneth Cole along with N.C. brands like Wilmington’s Forge & Foundry, hip footwear from BED|STÜ, and specialty items like heavenly socks made in Italy by Punto. Look here for that cool item your closet is lacking. 21 West Hargett Street, Raleigh, 919-755-3333, theartofstyleboutique.com
CHET MILLER
This home decor center on Durham’s Parrish Street offers a carefully curated, eclectic selection of gifts and artifacts by top designers, from high-end furniture to lamps, wallpaper, and prints. Founded by the people behind Parker & Otis, it’s also a down-to-earth purveyor of charming doodads of every sort: trinkets, barware, soap, globes, thermoses, and nature paintings. The store features more men-centric items (think beard-maintenance tools) than your average upscale gift emporium. 118 West Parrish Street, Durham, 919-683-3201, chetmillershop.com
DECO RALEIGH
This home furnishings company features the work of a bevy of talented local artists and artisans, so its merchandise is not what you’ll find elsewhere. In a pleasantly cluttered atmosphere of fun and discovery, it’s easy to lose yourself in the aisles of quirk—kids’ books and greeting cards, refrigerator magnets, mugs, and jewelry—and the store’s relaxed vibe encourages laid-back browsing. 207 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, 919-828-5484, decoraleigh.com
EDGE OF URGE
Beginning humbly in 2002, with owner Jessie Williams selling handmade clothing accessories out of a tiny space in Wilmington, Edge of Urge’s Raleigh location is now a vibrant presence on Franklin Street, offering the work of innovative designers of uncommon items—women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories, baby clothes, or art for your home. The store also keeps a lively schedule of workshops and special events, but above all, the minds behind this emporium know that finding the perfect item brings a visceral thrill, and they strive to deliver that frisson to their customers. 215 East Franklin Street, #110, Raleigh,919-827-4000, edgeofurge.com
EXOTIQUE
Exotique has flourished for a decade on Durham’s West Main Street, with a focus on jewelry, art, and clothing made by an international creative community. It’s a gift store, boutique, and gallery with a distinct sensibility and a commitment to community. Come for handbags from Guatemala in dazzling hues, Ghanaian shirts for men, fabrics from many nations, soaps and lotions, and a range of jewelry and objets d’art to fit a range of budgets. 319 West Main Street, Durham,919-688-5747, theexotique.com
GYPSY JULE
Quite adamantly, Gypsy Jule doesn’t want to be called a boutique—“It’s too froufrou for what we do,” the website explains. The preferred term: Misfit Mercantile. What does that mean? Rugged and adventurous. Urban and rustic. Unconventionally bohemian. Everything from fashionable boots to glassware, skirts to jeans. 207 West Davie Street, Raleigh, 919-753-7444, gypsyjule.com
HOLDER GOODS & CRAFTS
This sun-filled space in downtown Raleigh is a furniture store, an art gallery, and an interior design firm, as well as a showcase for the work of local artisans, potters, and craftspeople. It’s also an agora where you’ll come upon an alluring stream of rarified objects and curiosities curated with a sharp and appreciative eye: vintage items, such as coffee mugs and glassware, along with contemporary goods ranging from animal skulls to African mud cloths. 612 West South Street, Raleigh, holdergoodsandcrafts.com
JULIAN’S
Alexander Julian may be best known as the man who made the argyle pattern synonymous with Tar Heel basketball and designed the Charlotte Hornets’ early uniforms, but you won’t find sportswear in this Chapel Hill shop. Instead, Julian provides an array of slick belts, argyle sweater vests, and crisp dress shirts for men, and standout jackets, intricate tops, and elegant scarves for women. 135 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill,919-942-4563, julianstyle.com
PORT OF RALEIGH
The carefully curated selection in this home furnishings store reflects an aesthetic honed by the owners over decades, surveying the world for the simplest, most practical, and pleasing home essentials. Elegant lines and a clean look pervade the collection, from clocks and tables to vases and charging cables designed to simplify your digital clutter. This is a can’t-miss place for a cool wedding gift, and it’s affordable enough to buy yourself something, too. 416 South McDowell Street, Raleigh, 984-221-8008, portofraleigh.co
POSSIBILITIES boutique
This small independent women’s clothing emporium reflects its owner’s quarter-century in the business with a look that’s bold and feminine, but also comfortable and seemingly effortless. Tunic-style tops are matched with dresses in light, often diaphanous fabrics, all in a range of natural fibers reflecting the spirit of ease and positivity the store aims to foster. Possibilities also carries an interesting assortment of handcrafted jewelry and a range of accessories tailor-made to complement the store’s vision of style. 1247 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary,919-460-1852, possibilitiesboutique.com
REVOLVER CONSIGNMENT BOUTIQUE
Recycling makes good sense, especially when it comes to purchasing upscale clothes at prices that are affordable to the average person. Revolver has offered a blend of modern and vintage, designer, and retro clothes for more than a decade, and it has earned a reputation as a place where you can shop in a pleasant, unhurried, well-organized environment and leave with at least one cool-AF item you just can’t live without. 122 Glenwood Avenue South, Raleigh, 919-834-3053,revolverboutique.com
RUMORS
Shopping at a quality thrift store is one of the most satisfying and cost-effective ways to make your fashion discoveries. Opened in 2013, Rumors has quickly become a well-loved source for delivering that elusive thrill of the find with its carefully selected range of vintage and modern styles. Denim, fur, or leather, designer label or a classic cartoon sweatshirt, New Year’s Eve or Halloween—we hear Rumors has the goods. 106 North Graham Street, Chapel Hill, 919-942-2335, shopatrumors.com
QUERCUS STUDIO
Since moving her studio from San Francisco to Raleigh in 2014, goldsmith Lauren Ramirez has filled it not only with heirloom-quality jewelry but a collection of curated gifts and store decor that contributes to an off-beat, rustic feel. Pieces are crafted in-house, but the studio also stocks pieces from designers across the country. The studio, which sits in the heart of the City of Oaks, derives its name from the scientific nomenclature for “oak tree.” 201 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, 919-960-1355, quercusraleigh.com
THE STOCK EXCHANGE
A contemporary consignment boutique, the Stock Exchange in Chapel Hill has been locally owned since 1985. It aims to provide shoppers with curated clothing at affordable prices—everything from Chanel bags to Burberry vintage hats to Tiffany & Co. earrings, not to mention a wide selection of clothing. 6120 Farrington Road, Suite B, Chapel Hill, 919-403-9977, chapelhillstockexchange.com
TRE BELLA BOUTIQUE AND BRIDAL STORE
Tre Bella started as a home-operated florist shop in 2003, then added a high-end bridal store in 2008, and, in 2014, found a permanent home in a forty-five-hundred-square-foot building on Main Street, where the bridal shop combines with a women’s boutique that offers smart fashion at a variety of price points. 124 East Main Street, Durham, 919-323-7167, trebellainc.com
TS DESIGNS
This screen-printing company has been plying its trade since 1977, long before the T-shirt ascended to its current status as a laid-back style staple and ubiquitous promotional giveaway. The firm revamped itself according to a green business model in the early nineties, a strategy that has kept it at the forefront of its industry, offering high-quality, sustainable apparel made of 100 percent North Carolina-grown cotton. 2053 Willow Springs Lane, Burlington, 336-229-6426, tsdesigns.com
VERT & VOGUE
V&V prides itself on offering cutting-edge looks for men and women that fulfill the owners’ commitment to the work of green-minded designers and artisans. The clothing here is made exclusively from fine-quality natural fibers, sourced from eco-friendly manufacturers and designers. This kind of attention to detail does translate into substantial price tags, but the quality of the materials means the clothes will last and keep looking good long after cheaper, more generic basics fall apart. 353 West Main Street, Durham, 919-797-2767, vertandvogue.com
VODA BOUTIQUE
In 2017, N.C. State grad Kayla Brewer opened Voda, a boutique on the bottom floor of a new apartment building on Tucker Street that offers everything from casual to trendy, night-on-the-town fashions, clutches to booties, jeans to sweaters. 725 Tucker Street, Raleigh,919- 706-5783, shopvoda.com
LOCAL BRANDS
FLYTRAP CLOTHING
This experienced family-run screen-printing company finds inspiration in the natural world, coming up with designs for its mostly women’s apparel in its backyard workshop and selling them throughout the country in high-end stores as well as internationally. All of its garments—dresses, tunics, scarves—are designed and made by hand. flytrapclothing.com
HOLLY AIKEN
This maker of classy, practical bags and accessories has a distinctive style based on a color palette derived from retro items. A slew of merchandise, from handbags and messenger bags to diaper bags and wallets, are emblazoned with a pleasing geometry of chevrons, diagonals, and dot grids, or simple shapes like anchors or the state of North Carolina, providing a distinct sensibility to these wares. 20 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, 919-833-8770, hollyaiken.com
HOUSE OF SWANK CLOTHING
Local screen-printer—and fritocaster guitarist (i.e., a guitar made from a Frito metal lunch box)—John Pugh churns out all manner of hip, kitschy North Carolina-themed T-shirts: There’s one with a 1920s map of Raleigh, and another that shows the state divided by its barbecue-sauce choices (tomato and vinegar)—that sort of thing. 119 East Hargett Street, Raleigh 919-413-7339, houseofswankclothing.com
MUNJO MUNJO
Munjo Munjo bills itself as a seller of “collaborative goods for overgrown children.” Most distinctive are its anime-inspired T-shirts, pins, and stickers, but the company has sold everything from mugs to plants to dog treats during its two years on the scene. munjomunjo.com
NYLA ELISE CLOTHING
The distinctive T-shirts and letterman jackets from Nyla Elise have earned a lot of street cred from being worn by big names like Kevin Hart and Kerry Washington, but owner Rick Moore says his locally sourced clothing is for everyone. Emblazoned with slogans like “Film Is My Ammo,” these tees and tanks have an urban verve all their own. nylaelise.com
RALEIGH DENIM workshop
Raleigh Denim succeeded wonderfully in achieving its initial goal of creating authentic, handcrafted jeans sourced exclusively from the finest local textile makers, made from cloth by area designers, pattern makers, and fabricators. Ten years later, its wares have expanded to a full range of apparel and accessories, all of equally discerning quality. This is the place for pricey, indestructible selvage jeans with local pride. 319 West Martin Street, Raleigh, 919-917-8969, raleighdenimworkshop.com
RUNAWAY
With its super-popular “Durm” shirts, hoodies, hats, and stickers, Runaway embraces a style that’s synonymous with the Bull City. But its owners aim for something beyond high regard in the clothing business: an urban lifestyle brand. The folks behind Runaway are crazy for art, DJ culture, and skateboarding, and those loves are reflected in its lumberjack hats, ball caps, T-shirts, tank tops, and accessories for women, men, and kids. 212 West Main Street, #102, Durham, 919-213-1081, runawayclothes.com
Justin Laidlaw (Runaway media director)
What is the first item of clothing you remember choosing yourself?
In high school, I had this full-velour tracksuit that was burgundy and black that I wore year-round.
How has your style changed in the last ten years?
My view of style has completely changed, especially since working with a clothing brand. I used to dress how I assumed people expected me to, but I have learned to see style as an appreciation of one’s identity, and acknowledge how things as simple as clothing can be used to reinforce important ideas.
