We recently mentioned our trip to Charlotte, North Carolina when we described how we DIYed a few faux sheepskin throws for our home. Now we want to share more from that road trip: the fabric shops, decor stores, and inspiring finds we encountered along the way. Below is a little virtual play-by-play of the places we loved and what we brought home.
One stop was Mary Jo’s Cloth Store, which is easily the largest fabric shop either of us has seen. It’s a sprawling 32,000‑square‑foot warehouse packed with bolt after bolt of fabric — basically a textile-loving paradise just off I‑85 at exit 21, outside Charlotte. If Mary Jo’s doesn’t have it, it’s hard to imagine who would. Prices are great too: designer prints we’d normally see for $19 a yard in Richmond were marked at $10 a yard there. I wandered down endless aisles of fabric with our friend Kristin, who showed us around town.
There really are stacks of bolts as tall as people. Walking through felt a little like falling down a rabbit hole — in the best possible way.
Besides the faux fur we grabbed for our sheepskin project, we also picked up a yard and a half of fabric intended for the nursery. There’s about a foot of space between our crib mattress and the drawer beneath it, so we wanted a removable fabric band to bridge that gap and conceal the drawer’s contents. We carried a leftover swatch of our curtain fabric and compared it to many possibilities until we settled on a delicately patterned, nubby fabric.
We knew we didn’t want anything that would compete with the curtains, but the skirt would sit next to the crib sheet, so we sampled a solid turquoise bolt to see how the colors would pair. The slightly richer turquoise matched the crib sheet nicely and complemented the lighter teal of the patterned fabric. In the end we came home with a yard and a half of that nubby fabric for about $14, plus the yard of faux fur. We’ll share a crib skirt tutorial soon and also have an alternate method to reference in the meantime.
Next stop: a Pottery Barn Outlet just south of the North Carolina border in Gaffney. We had actually visited this outlet on a previous road trip, so it was fun to go back. One of our best finds was a 5 x 8 tan-on-cream wool rug in a link pattern, reduced from $429 to $129.99. We couldn’t resist bringing it along — we already have another room makeover in mind for it.
The outlet also had so many lighting options that we loved. Though we didn’t have space for them at the moment, a rough‑woven pendant and a soft ceramic fixture caught our eye. We were equally inspired by the framing selection, especially pieces tagged with sale stickers. We picked up two large woven frames with a grasscloth texture that felt substantial and affordable. The store also sparked a simple DIY idea: arrange twelve small frames inside a larger burlap‑backed frame to create a layered, textured grid that can hold photos, keepsakes, or kids’ drawings.
Back in Charlotte, we explored the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall — another large warehouse, this one filled with antiques and collectibles. A mustard ceramic artichoke looked like a fun bookend, and a big woven basket seemed perfect for storing nursery toys or living‑room blankets. We also found a set of nesting tables priced at $60 for all three and several booths full of chic lamps and accessories that felt right out of a magazine.
One of the most inspiring stops was Lucy & Co, a boutique focused on children’s rooms and nurseries. Founded by Beth after she adopted her daughter, the shop is creative without being cutesy. Beth shared clever DIY tricks, like a wooden cornice covered in rows of white pom‑pom trim using a glue gun, and a delicate mobile of fluttering shapes that inspired us to create a floral‑wire version for our nursery. We also admired a twig chandelier made from branches wired around a traditional fixture and bold fabric pairings and murals — including a painted wall inspired by fabric used for a long decorative pillow. In one clever cost‑saving move, Beth made a plush, oversized pillow to act as a faux duvet at the bed’s foot — a design choice that’s both practical and kid‑friendly.
We visited several baby stores too, like Nesting and Shower Me With Love, and had some fun goofing around with novelty items. John enjoyed trying out a nursing pillow and posing with a quirky ceramic animal at Home Goods — a cat with binoculars that was equal parts bizarre and amusing.
On the way home we popped into the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Factory Outlet near the Hickory Furniture Mart. We weren’t buying large furniture that day, but browsing the showroom was inspiring: sofas and sectionals at deep discounts, and high‑quality pieces like a solid wood nine‑drawer dresser on clearance for $325. It was easy to imagine many of the sale pieces finding a home in redecorated rooms.
That wraps up our Charlotte road‑trip highlights from a few weeks ago. We loved scouting fabrics, lighting, framing ideas, antiques, and clever kids’ room details — and we hope this recap inspires your next shopping adventure. Have you visited any of these spots, or can you recommend other must‑see stores in the area? We’d love to hear your suggestions.
P.S. We’re still finalizing our closet‑organizing update from this weekend’s “Let’s Tackle It Together” challenge. Photos and a full post are coming tomorrow afternoon.